As I came through the door, I took a deep breath, quickly relaxing as I realized it was just Carlisle. I guess he had a couple hour break and had decided to come home. I wondered how long ago he got home though. But then a thought occurred to me, had Edward told him? Or had Alice told him? Were they just going to wait until the whole family was home to tell? Not feeling like talking to anyone, or finding out if he had been told, I hurried into the living room and grabbed my Kindle. Going over to the fridge, I grabbed a cooler as well as a bunch of ice and put the salmon in it. As I tried to sneak upstairs though, I heard Carlisle say casually "Jasper, come in here. I have something I'd like to talk to you about!"
Well there went that attempt to go unnoticed. I should've known better. No one got past Carlisle. Not even Edward. Trying to remain calm, I couldn't help have my stomach twisted into knots again. Had Edward told him? 'Edward... If you could give me a clue that would be nice.' I thought in my head, trying to pin where Edward was. Walking into the dining room where Carlisle was, I saw he was sitting at the table we only used when Bella was over. Bella... Quiet, confident, committed Bella. Clearing my head, I sat down next to him, feeling slightly apprehensive. Reading his emotions he seemed to be nice and relaxed, happy almost. I then decided it was highly unlikely Edward told him.
"So how long have you been home?" I asked him with a soft smile. Just then, I received a text, as I flipped open my phone to see it was Edward. In the study if you want to talk to me after your talk with Carlisle.
"Just about 10 minutes." he smiled. "I was talking to Edward and Alice." My stomach wrenched. Had they told him and he was happy or something? What on earth was going on? They had talked to Carlisle about me messing around with Bella and now he was happy that I had taken the one thing that made Edward happy!
"What about?" I said, my voice calm despite my inner panicking.
"Of course I told them that I would ask for your permission on the matter" he began, as I instantly became confused. They had suggested something for me? "But they were saying that your control is getting quite well... And that, if you would like, maybe you should start coming up to the hospital with me after school and on the weekends, to get used to the smell of human blood, seeing as their seems to be a lot of vampires being created down in Seattle. Although I hate to think about it, their might be some casualties here in Forks, or at least near us. Human casualties."
"I would like to be able to control myself around humans like you do." I answered, a large smile on my face. "Did they say why though or talk to you about anything else?"
"They didn't really talk to me about much else that went on, they said if something happened they wanted to wait for the whole family to be here." he sighed. "But as for why, Edward said that it was a gift of sorts he thought you would appreciate. Is everything alright though?"
Then I truly didn't know what to say. Was everything alright? I could keep a secret from Carlisle but I couldn't lie to him. "What exactly do you mean?" I asked, feigning confusion, not exactly lying.
"Well Alice and Edward... they just seemed worn out..." he began.
"Jazz..." I heard Alice suddenly say. "I see you are home from your hunt. Sorry Carlisle but we need to study for our exams."
"Oh..." Carlisle chuckled. "Alright... but Jasper, let me know what your decision is in the next day or so."
"Will do." I politely answered, nodding my head in affirmation, as I got up and walked out of the dining room.
"Thanks." I muttered under my breath, as we walked out into the living room.
"It wasn't going to play out well." she coldly said. Her aura said calm but her voice said pissed. Could I be losing my touch? Was she intentionally blocking out her true emotion? Walking up the stairs, I quickly followed her, still a bit unsure of what was going to happen. Sometimes I really wished I had Alice or Edward's mental abilities.
"Trust me you don't." Edward said, walking out of the study. Being able to see everything a person thought I guess did have its disadvantages. "Its because of these abilities that I found out way more than I wanted to."
"Thanks" I said to him, regarding the suggestion to Carlisle.
"No problem. If you are going to be with Bella a lot..." he started, just the slightest hint of a laugh in his voice. "You need to remember... On a monthly basis, she bleeds." I froze still.
"Huh?" I exclaimed confused. I could hear Alice giggle quietly. Was something wrong with Bella? I knew she had very thin skin but so thin that each month she would randomly start bleeding? Could I control myself without having any preparation of knowing when it would happen?
"Have you just completely tuned out health class for the past 80 years?" he sighed. "Human girls have menstrual cycles. That's how they make babies. I really don't want you to sleep with her, but if you do, do not sleep with her between periods. Or a week or something after her period. She has a 29 day cycle I believe." Wow, this was a lot to take in. I hadn't planned on having sex with her yet, but now I needed to be really careful if I eventually did want to. (A/N: Hahaha sorry people, no Nessie just yet) And not only that but now I had to get used to smelling her sweet blood mixed with the scent of her delicious juices on a monthly basis.
"Please Jasper." Edward cringed. "I'm not saying you can't do that stuff with her now, but please... try not to think about it when I'm nearby."
"Can I take blows at that mutt?" I asked semi-jokingly.
"Knock yourself out." he smirked. I most likely wouldn't do anything though. Doing juvenile stuff like that brought me down to his level which I did not want to do. However, if he started it I wouldn't be totally opposed to making a smart come back. Shaking my head, I looked back at Edward, a tad bit unsure of what was to come next.
"How about why you smell like fish." he asked, a questioning look on his face.
"I went for a bath." I explained. "And I caught a salmon. Its chilling in a cooler. I thought maybe I could make sushi or something for Bella and her dad." Suddenly however, thinking back to the bath and fishing trip, I remembered the unknown vampire that I had smelled.
"Unknown vampire?" Edward instantly asked. "Where were you? In what direction did it smell like it was? Did you find them?"
"Yes, an unknown vampire." I began, speaking calmly. "Where, GPS coordinates 47°53'12.66"N, 123°57'37.38"W. In what direction, I couldn't really tell, their was a mountain in the way. And no, I didn't find them, because by the time I got to shore and was dressed the scent had vanished."
"What should we do?" Alice said, more towards Edward.
"I smelled some unknown vampire scents while we were out shopping." Edward said uneasily. "How far away were you when you went bathing?"
"About twenty miles west of here Edward." I answered, trying to calm him down. Having him freak out wasn't exactly helping me calm down. "I didn't smell the scent though on my way back so it most likely headed away from us. Whoever it was, they weren't going near us." He was still uneasy. "We can talk about that later though... alright?" I asked him. "I want to know everything I can about being with Bella. I know you visit her each night but what do you do while with her dad? And should I eat human food while with him? What else do you do when over at her house? What does he usually talk about? Will he..."
"Jasper relax." he interrupted, grabbing my shoulders. "I can tell you all you need to know about being with Bella and her family. Just relax yourself." I bit my lip. I could still hear bitterness in his voice. I guess it was going to take some time before he came to be alright with me dating Bella.
"I don't think I'll ever totally be alright with it to be honest." he sighed. "Just as long as she's happy and safe, I'm alright. Not at peace with it, but content." If I couldn't get him back with Bella, I would find another girl for him to be with. Someone he could be happy with. Maybe a vampire girl. He sighed and shook his head.
"I appreciate the gesture Jasper but I highly doubt you'll be able to." he replied. I had faith that he would find someone. And if not, I would search to the ends of the earth to find him that girl. "Now lets go and discuss all those questions you had before." Nodding my head in a very military-like fashion, I followed him to the study, as Alice skipped and twirled away. Even if I no longer was aroused by her, I still thought it was the cutest thing to see her skipping like she was lighter than air, which I'm pretty sure she truly was.
"She has similar mentality that I have." Edward smiled. "She just wants to see you happy. Only she's not worried you'll get hurt like I am of Bella. And its not that I think you have horrible control. Its mainly just since I have such difficulty, I can only imagine what it must be like for you." Walking into the study, I sat down on the couch, as Edward pulled up the chair used for the table and sat down facing me.
"Where shall we start." I asked with a gentle smile, sitting Indian style.
"Bella." he simply stated. "If you didn't know about her period, then we should definitely start with her. She bruises, easily. More so than normal humans. I wouldn't be surprised if right now she has slight bruise marks on her wrists. Unless you want her dad to think you are abusing her, just try and avoid holding her wrists altogether." I cringed. Everything in me screamed to run out of the house, dash over to her house, and make sure her wrists and every place I had touched wasn't hurt. Just the thought of me doing something that could hurt her made my entire body feel like Jane was using her "oh so special" ability.
Additionally, I wouldn't want her father to see them... Not so much because I was afraid of her dad and his guns, but more if he tried to hit or shoot me and realized it did virtually nothing. Perhaps if I told him I had rifling experience, he'd like me more. Edward couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Your free to ask him..." he chuckled. "Just think of a clever reason how you learned to use one. You can't tell him you were in the Civil War like you've told others." I could tell him me and Rosalie were originally from Texas. Texan's love to use their guns.
"What type of gun does he have?" I asked curiously. Perhaps I could impress him by giving a little history on it.
"Sorry..." he replied. "I'm not as skilled with gun knowledge as you. When I first came over he had one of those guns you snap open to load." I laughed to myself. Their were a lot of guns that did that. I would probably know what it was though when I saw it. I myself preferred shotgun over rifles. Shotguns were the guns we used back when I was human. It brought back what few memories I now had. Though I can't remember his face or name anymore, I remember my father had taught me to use a gun. Showed me how to aim it, sight it in. Now on the rare occasions I would be able to hold a gun again, I could remember little bits and pieces of my memories. Never a whole lot, but it was nice either way.
"Some other time I could try and reach into your memories Jasper." he offered. "Maybe help make things a little clearer."
"Thanks." I said, a slight smile on my lips.
"But, and not to interrupt you from your thoughts there." Edward apologized. "There are other things I'd like to teach you. Have you applied to any colleges?"
"No." I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Why would I do that?"
"Because to Charlie you are a senior in high school about to graduate." he sighed frustrated. "Even if he does like you because you're not me and you know about guns and what not, he won't respect you if you're not going to college. What father wants their daughter to date someone who just went to high school and then stopped their education there? You don't even have to go to the college. Just apply to some or b.s. it and name colleges we've gone to in the past. Just don't say you're not going anywhere. And remember, you plan on majoring in. Not you have a degree in."
I answered with a reassuring nod. Glancing out the window, I realized it had already gotten pretty dark. I wonder when Bella and her father go to bed...
"Focus Jasper." Edward scolded. "Before you go see her again, I would like to teach you some more things." Before I went to see her again? A deep sigh passed my lips. They did trust me to see her again. They would let me see her again.
"Yes Jasper, we're going to let you see her." Edward reassured. "Now onto more about Charlie. He doesn't talk much, so you won't have to worry about trying to create conversations. You also do not need to eat food, although he might be suspicious if me and you both don't seem to eat. If he offers, tell him you may eat later, or that you aren't really hungry. He also apparently cooks really bad so he normally doesn't offer people the food he makes."
"Does he like fish?" I asked with a smile.
"Yes, him and Billy Black go fishing all the time." he said sarcastically.Billy Black... why did that name sound familiar? "He's that pup's dad." he quickly answered. "Jacob Black." Ahhh... my new competition for Bella. "He's more than just competition Jasper." Edward said sternly. "He is dangerous to be around Bella. If he gets angry, he transforms. If his blood starts pumping too fast, he transforms. And one wolf transformed near a girl before... She's lucky to be alive." Where my heart would be felt like it was being squeezed, close to exploding. Anything could make that kid transform. If Bella started talking about us, it would make him angry. It was obvious he had feelings for her. He was a teenage werewolf. Seeing a human girl he liked could get his blood pumping. If she told him she had to leave, he would become worried about her going back with us, and that could make his heart beat faster. If he got turned on, anxious, angry, or embarrassed somehow, his heart would beat faster and he would transform, hurting, possibly killing, Bella. I was glad Edward was telling me all this now.
"You're welcome." he answered.
"Is this feeling normal though?" I asked, referring to the illusion that I had a heart."
"Yes..." he answered with a solemn smile. "Sometimes though it doesn't feel good. Like that 'heart wrenching' feeling you just had."
"Have you gotten used to it?" I asked, honestly curious.
"I've gotten more used to it." he confessed. "But back to Bella and her family. Her mom Renee, I only met her once. She's very free-spirited. She's like Bella's best friend, not like a mom. Her mom and dad got a divorce because her mom rushed into the marriage with Charlie. She also didn't like being trapped in this little town. Obviously Bella is more like her dad on that."
"How soon should I wait until going over to her house and 'meeting' her dad formally?" I suddenly wondered.
"That you can discuss with her tonight."
"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" I asked, biting my lip, somewhat excited to see Bella again. I wasn't so much physically aroused as I was emotionally aroused. In all my immortal life, I'd never known a human who knew about us aside from Bella. Now I was having my first human girlfriend? Edward hadn't been joking when he said my body was addicted to her. Even if I didn't want to do physical stuff with her, by body was excited that I would be able to see her again.
"Her dad doesn't go to bed until around ten." he laughed. "So you still have at least three hours until you can go over."
"Too early to go over and introduce myself as her new boyfriend?" I asked. His response was a rolling of the eyes. Walking out of the study, I was just about to head out for a walk when suddenly I "felt" three other people, their emotions all happy and relaxed. 'Looks like shits about to hit the fan.' I thought to myself. I started preparing in my head how I would explain to the rest of our family, Alice quickly springing up the stairs.
"I see you sense them as well." she breathed, stress clear in her voice and aura. "Edward, you ready to tell everyone?" Coming back out of the study, I couldn't gauge what Edward's exact emotion was. Partially stressed, partially tired, partially annoyed, partially anxious. The car had just pulled into the garage. Good thing me and Bella didn't do anything on the couch, or else Emmett and Rosalie would've been able to tell exactly what happened as soon as they walked in.
"I'll try to filter my thoughts alright Ed." I sighed a little bit nervous. Walking down the stairs and into the living room, Alice called Carlisle in.
"Hey guys!" Emmett shouted. "We're home! Can't wait to see your new clothes Eddie!" My stomach twisted into knots yet again. But this time I wasn't worried for the same reason as before. Before I was afraid Edward would physically harm me, him or Alice. This time I feared what would happen verbally. Two people fighting is one thing. Getting in a real argument with someone, that was social and emotional. It felt you leaving guilty. And I already felt guilty enough. As everyone sat down on the couch, Edward and Alice came to stand by me.
"Everyone, there's something we need to tell you." Alice said first, almost as nervous as me. "Jasper?"
"I'm dating Bella."
A/N: Hahaha, yet another cliffhanger :P. From now on at the end of each chapter I'm going to ask you all a question, related to Twilight, which I might use later in the book. This chapter's question: For those of you who read "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner," what do you think Bree's ability would possibly be? I felt like at times they were hinting she might have an ability, and here is your chance to tell me what you think should've happened. Also, don't be afraid to suggest ideas for future chapters, I'm open for suggestions ;).