Hey guys! I know it's been forever since I updated, and I'm really sorry. College has taken up all of my time, but I am off for the semester and planning to tie up some of these loose ends. I'm hoping to finish my other story in progress, My Name is Bella, and at least make more of a dent into this one. I will also be posting some one shots I have stored up, so keep an eye out for those! Thank you to everyone who is still reading. I hope you guys like the chapter, and I love you all!
PS I don't own anything.
CHAPTER FIVE
JASPER'S POINT OF VIEW
Anticipation. Fear. Solitude. Comfort. Joy…. So much joy. I almost fell backwards at the staggering amount of gratitude I felt pouring out of the little girl's bedroom. I had anticipated strong emotion when I heard Bella was coming to live with us. We all knew where Rosalie would take it, and each of us had high hopes. I had my nerves and doubts about my ability to control myself, but this is what Rosalie wanted all her life. I would try my best to accommodate.
"I'll think about it… Thank you." I heard coming from the room. Esme and I exchanged touched faces as we absorbed the appreciation and fragility in the girl's voice. We were just putting finishing touches on the library for Bella, a collection that rivaled my own. Esme really wanted to make the room personal for her, and I had volunteered the idea of the library. We called in a few favors and got massive amounts of books to the house in no time. I just hoped Bella would like it. I hadn't met her yet, but I knew from what Rosalie had told us that she deserved the world. I had no doubt that Rosalie would give her just that, but Esme and I were happy to contribute this small part of it.
"Well Jasper, I think that this is just about it." Esme said casually, handing me one last book to stack on a shelf. I looked down at the title. "Everyfang You've Always Wanted to Know About Vampires" by S. Myers. I rolled my eyes at the dreadful attempt at wit, and what was no doubt a collection of silly myths and falsehoods.
"Esme, don't you think it a little cruel to give her a book of fables when she's very likely to live with us until adulthood?" Even as I was speaking, I saw my supposed mother's eyes twinkling at the thought of raising a real child. I could already tell she would be a strong advocate of Rosalie's adoption of Bella.
She sighed in response. "I just wish we could see how this would all end up. Of course Alice would alert us if she knew of anything alarming, but there is just so much that could happen. I want whatever is best for Bella, but I don't know if there is any mother in the world that could love her as much as Rose already does. And I know it would help her embrace this life if she had Bella's to care for." She trailed off once we heard the entrance of our much anticipated guest.
I was once again struck by her emotions. I could detect such intelligence from the small girl, just from the intense focus and observation she was reflecting. I was shocked at the fact that fear had not taken root in her system. The bravery she was feeling was admirable, especially for such a young human. However, her emotions weren't the only things that caught me off guard. Peering into her little face, as Rosalie had warned, earned her a spot in our home immediately. Despite her obvious differences, she already seemed to fit in here. She carried herself with class, a fact which both fascinated and saddened me. This girl was still so young- shouldn't she be running around and giggling? I knew time with Emmett would help bring that out in her, and I silently vowed to aid in her healing however I could. She was so fragile and breakable, but I nevertheless sensed a strength in her that I rarely came across even in vampires. She obviously needed a little saving though, and I found myself wanting to be as much of a savior as she needed. No harm should ever come to such a small and gentle creature. The soldier in me wanted nothing more than to protect her. Her pale face held emptiness, but I guessed it was probably a big improvement from the orphanage.
While I was assessing the situation in my brain, Esme swept over to Bella and introduced herself in a charmingly scattered way as only Esme could. Bella's manners in response were impressive, as she scrambled to thank her for the work she had put into preparing all of her new belongings. She was uncomfortable receiving so much, but did so with grace and thankfulness- not at all like most children her age. I didn't need my gift to see the pride on Rose's and even Emmett's faces. They clearly already thought of her as their daughter. Part of me was surprised on Emmett's part, but I knew he would develop into the father role like a pro, especially since it would make his mate so happy. I noticed Bella turn her gaze to me and felt her sudden wave of shyness overcome her. Knowing that I would have to soften my usual tough guy exterior, I looked at her with the gentlest expression I could muster up. Tipping my head in true fashion to my upbringing, I offered her a calm greeting as I shook her delicate hand. "Hi Bella, I'm Jasper."
"Hello Mr. Jasper." She said quietly, and I projected some more bravery to her as her former courage seemed to falter. "It's very nice to meet you. Thank you for all of my books."
I chuckled softly and felt myself melt inside. "You're quite welcome Ms. Bella, but you don't have to call me Mr. Jasper. In fact, I insist on just Jasper." I reverted to my easy authority I had accumulated from my years in the military, and laughed inwardly as I realized the irony of the situation. In those days, I used my commanding tone in order to instruct the soldiers and newborns to call me "Major Whitlock" and now I was using it to just ask a little girl to drop all the formalities.
She blushed at my words, and nodded her head with a slight smile. "Okay. Thank you Jasper. I really love to read."
"So do I. It's a nice way to escape, isn't it?"
She nodded vigorously. "It was the only way I had to escape until Mrs. Rose brought me here." Before my heart could break too much, she finished her thought. "She told me you're smart like Carlisle. Do you have your own books?"
I broke out into a huge grin. "I do have my own collection and I would love to show it to you sometime, but I don't know how much you would like the books in my study."
Her interest was piqued, and her shyness was already wearing off. I smiled as I realized that discovering the key to getting her to open up was just as simple as talking about books- what a special little girl. "Why? What kind of books do you read?"
"Well darlin', I'm quite partial to books about war- the Civil War in particular."
"Wars? Do you think vampires ever have wars?"
Her question was so innocent, but I was stunned. Who was this child? Was it even possible for her to know so much about our world and yet remain genuinely clueless? Carlisle had mentioned to me her theory on vampires living on animal blood, so this shouldn't have shocked me as much as it did. Apparently that didn't matter.
Emmett was first to recover from the moment, while Bella still looked at me expectantly for an answer. She was completely oblivious to my past she had just asked me about. "Hey Bella, you can talk to Jasper about boring wars later! Why don't I show you how to hide a whoopee cushion?"
"A what?" Bella asked, successfully distracted.
"C'mon kid. You're missing out." He took her hand and enthusiastically guided her out of the room with a big smile.
I waited until they were out of Bella's earshot, then turned to Rosalie and Esme. "Good grief. Is she always like that?"
Rose beamed. "What? Exceptionally intuitive and bright? Yes."
"Are you alright, Jasper? I know you don't often like to talk about your military history." Esme asked, mothering as always.
I shook my head for clarity. In truth, I loved discussing military and wars, strategies and position. It was the evil portion of it that I hated acknowledging my own part in.
"I'm fine Esme. I'm just confounded by her. What normal child thinks in those terms?"
"Bella." Rose answered simply with a prideful grin.
"But Rose, she isn't. I don't think she's a normal child." No one answered me. We stood in silence for a few minutes, just pondering the mystery of the child we all let into our hearts so quickly. Rose left after a while to rejoin her husband and soon to be child, and I went to my own study. I tried to focus on the book I was reading, but I couldn't get the pale little girl with the floral smell out of my mind.
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