Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original character s, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.

The Major

A/N: BIG NEWS! Read the Author's Note at the bottom of the page!

If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo

Previously…
(Jasper's POV)

In the far corner, I immediately spotted the four Cullen's, staring at us as we entered, along with the rest of the students within the canteen. Again, just like in each of our classes when we entered the room, the whispering began.

"Hey guys," Hannah appeared next to us, carrying her tray of what appeared to be fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a brownie, along with a Snapple iced tea.

"Hey Hannah," Bella smiled at her while the rest of us greeted her.

Peter slung his arm around Charlotte's shoulder. "So, where are we sitting?" He asked.

"You can sit with us!" Alice Cullen said as she came up beside us with a bowl of salad in her hand and a hopeful look in her eyes, as well as her emotions as she gazed in my direction.

Chapter 16
(Jasper's POV)

Hannah's surprise at the offer flooded my senses, as well as Bella's reluctance, Peter's skepticism and Char's confusion. However, even threw the crowded canteen, I could feel the rest of the Cullen's emotions, as well, as they watched our exchange.

"Is she crazy?" The blonde known as Rosalie hissed to the large one named Emmett. "I swear, she's trying to get us all killed!"

Emmett only looked on with what appeared to be longing, as well as an intense familial love towards my mate. I doubt that he even heard what the blonde was saying to him. Edward, however, looked on in envy and need as he, too, stared head on at my mate. However, there seemed to be a bit of confusion and befuddlement mixed in with his cocktail of emotions. I wasn't sure what that was about, but it wasn't my concern for the time being.

Gritting my teeth at Edward's unremitting staring, I wrapped my arm around Isabella's waist, pulling her tightly into my side. His eyes immediately flickered down towards Bella's waist at the gesture, his eyes flashing with desirousness.

Edward wasn't the only one who seemed to notice this. Alice was still standing off to our side, waiting for our answer to her invitation when she noticed me pulling Bella into me possessively. Her expression, as well as her emotions revealed her disappointment and surprise, the latter leaving me dumbfounded.

I thought this pixie-like vampire was supposed to be psychic?

Before I could think more on the subject, Alice seemed to shake off her emotional stupor and turn her attention back up at Bella, knowing that she would be the one to give an answer to her invitation.

"Well?" She prodded, a bit less exuberant this time. I had the impression that it was because of what she had just witnessed, even if she seemed to brush it off.

"I think we'll pass," Peter spoke up, sensing the tension thicken between us.

Alice's eyes widened and she looked like she had just gotten slapped. "Why not?"

"Oh, I'll tell ya why not. You -" Peter was cut off by Charlotte as she elbowed him in the gut. "Damn it, woman! That actually hurt!" He narrowed his eyes at his mate, who shot him a glare over her shoulder.

"Mind your business," she hissed.

Bella let out a long sigh, knowing that she needed to speak up. "Listen Alice, it was very nice of you to offer us a place to sit, but you all made it clear where I stood with your family." She said, not wanting to say too much in front of Hannah, who was watching the exchange with rapt attention.

Hurt flickered across Alice's features as she stared up at my mate. "But Bella -"

She held up a hand, interrupting Alice before she could say any more. "We will all get a chance to talk at another time when we're not surrounded by overeager eavesdroppers, though, I don't know what you could possibly have left to say to me."

Dejected, Alice nodded, turning back to go to her table, but not before she shot one last look in my direction. Over her shoulder, I could see Emmett looking down ashamed and saddened, while Edward and Rosalie kept their expressions blank while their emotions told a different story. Regardless of what she had said, Rosalie was disappointed and chagrined as she reached under the table to take Emmett's hand, while Edward was feeling bitter and guilty.

I directed my focus away from the Cullen's table and on to my mate's face, taking note of the pain that lay hidden behind her eyes. I gave her hip a gentle squeeze, causing her to look over at me and smile appreciatively.

"Let's go get some lunch," Char suggested, breaking the tension.

"Yeah," Hannah agreed, breaking her stare from the Cullen's table to look down at her tray. "I'm starving." To emphasize her point, her stomach let out a low rumble, causing her to blush.

The five of us headed into the lunch line, grabbing a tray as we went to fill with our props while Hannah followed us with her own lunch. I didn't understand, at first, the need to waste money on food that we'd never eat, but according to Bella, it was because the humans would notice if none of us ever got food to at least pretend to eat every day and direct suspicion toward the four of us, Hannah being the first to notice. She said that Emmett Cullen had told her of a time when the school had pulled Rosalie into the guidance office to talk to her about her 'eating disorder' because someone had reported that they had never seen her eat. Apparently, it caused all kinds of problems for their coven, going as far as getting social services involved since she was playing a seventeen year old girl at the time. So, the last thing that we needed was bringing the humans down on us when it could have been avoided with an apple and an iced tea.

As we made our way through the line, I couldn't help but notice how unappetizing the lunch food all looked, even by human food's standards. I now understood all of the complaints that I would hear from the teenage humans back in Texas when I would occasionally head into the city for whatever reason. The hot dogs looked to have a greenish tint and the hamburgers looked almost rubbery. I had no idea how Hannah could even entertain the thought of putting that stuff in her mouth.

Finally making it to the register, I paid for Bella and myself. I had gotten a bag of Herr's potato chips, a Snapple iced tea, and an orange, while Bella grabbed a lemonade and an apple. The total came to $5.95, so I handed the cashier a ten and waited for my change.

Bella and I waited for the rest of the group to pay for their lunch, not quite knowing where to go to sit. We preferred to have a table to ourselves, but weren't sure which were already reserved for other students.

"We can sit at the empty table by the window," Hannah said, noticing our expressions as we looked over the sea of students as they chatted and picked at their lunches. "Nobody usually sits there."

"Well, where do you usually sit?" Bella asked her as we began to make our way across the crowded canteen towards the table that Hannah had spoken of.

She shrugged, "When I bother to show up, I usually just sit at one of the less crowded tables, but I don't usually talk to anyone. The food here sucks, so I usually just go out to eat down the road at one of the fast food restaurants off Main Street before coming back in time for next period."

"If you didn't talk to anyone, why didn't you just sit at this table alone?" Charlotte asked as we each pulled out one of the six chairs that were circled around the table.

"And look like a loser sitting at a table alone, by myself? Thanks, but I'll pass." Hannah scoffed, breaking apart the biscuit that came with her meal. She stuffed the piece into her mouth, chewed it and swallowed. "So, what was that back there with the Cullen's, anyway? Bella?"

I placed my hand on my mate's upper thigh as I noticed her tense and gave it a gentle squeeze before rubbing it in comfort. She gave me a quick appreciative smile and looked back over at Hannah.

"We've had a rough history," she answered uneasily, trying to convey as little as possible about her true history with the strange coven.

Hannah's brows rose at this in surprise. "You know them?"

She shrugged, playing with the lid from her lemonade. "Unfortunately. It's kind of a long story."

"They didn't part on good terms, fuckin' assholes." Peter muttered the last bit to himself.

"I kind of used to date Edward," Bella admitted, causing me to have to stifle a growl.

Hannah practically choked on her mashed potatoes upon hearing this, having to pick up her juice and take a sip before she finally managed to form a verbal response. "What?! You dated Emoward?"

Peter let out a snort and quirked a brow. "Emoward?"

She nodded, "He always looks so…I don't know… emo. I've never seen him date any of the girls that go to school here, he barely ever smiles and he doesn't talk to anyone outside of his family. So, I've always dubbed him Emoward in my mind."

We all smiled at this while Peter let out a chuckle. "I like it."

"It's kind of a habit of mine to nickname people in my head." Hannah absently waved before stabling into her food with her fork and taking a bite of her chicken.

"Do you have nicknames for us?" Charlotte asked as I began to absentmindedly draw random patterns on Bella's thigh.

She shook her head. "Not really, since we're friends and all. I just call you by your names."

"Damn," Peter muttered, "I was hoping that I would have something strong and masculine."

I rose a brow at him and smirked. "Like what?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"What about Peter Pan?" Bella suggested.

He looked at her like she grew a second head. "Does 'Peter Pan' sound strong and masculine to you?"

"No, but like you, he's a boy that refuses to grow up," Charlotte reasoned, narrowing her eyes at her mate. The three of us chuckled, seeing the irony of her words.

"Ouch," Peter muttered, picking apart his bagel.

The rest of the period passed by quickly with the occasional stares coming from the Cullen's table. We were able to pick apart our lunches and hide them from Hannah and the rest of the humans easy enough, throwing everything in one of the large trash cans on our way out of the canteen.

As the day came to a relatively peaceful end after the last two periods, I couldn't help but to feel a sense of accomplishment that I had completed my first day at a high school filled with hormonal teenaged humans. I knew that a large part of my success was due to Bella, keeping her mental shield around my mind so that the thirst from the other seven vampires wouldn't get to me. It was definitely a strange experience, as for the first time, it had really hit me how much times have changed since my transformation into a vampire. I knew that it would take some time getting used to, but with help, I could finish out this year and finally complete my schooling after around one hundred and fifty years.

Bella and I walked hand in hand through the hallways, ignoring the stares that had been following us throughout the day as we wove our way through the crowded halls towards the office.

Upon entering, we approached the counter as Mrs. Leery peered up at us from behind her desk. She gave us a warm smile, rising to her feet and making her way around to the counter.

"So, how was your first day?" She asked as we handed her our pink slips.

Bella shrugged as I smiled, "It was fine, thank you."

We heard the door open behind us as Peter and Charlotte's combined scents wafted in to meet our noses. The approached the counter, standing next to us and placed their slips on the counter top.

"And how about you two? How was your first day?" Mrs. Leery inquired to the couple.

"Good," Charlotte answered for the two of them, obviously not trusting Peter to give her a polite answer.

"That's wonderful," the secretary smiled. "I'm very happy to hear that all of you seemed to have a promising first day."

"Thanks," Bella said as she shifted her book bag on her shoulder.

Mrs. Leery let out a sigh, "Well, hopefully tomorrow will be just as good. I'm sure with four kids as smart as you all seem to be, you'll do very well this year." She praised before waving us off. "Have a safe trip home."

The four of us exited the office and made our way out of the double set of doors towards the parking lot.

"I'm glad that's over," Peter sighed. "I don't know how I'm goin' ta keep this up."

Bella rolled her eyes, "It's only for a couple more months."

"I think you'll survive." Char patted her mate on his arm in mock-comfort, smirking before she looked over at me. "So, Major, was it everything that you'd thought it'd be?"

I shrugged, "To be honest, I don't know what I was expectin'. It's far more different than I remember, I think. There's so many different classes an' so many students an' teachers, not to mention the technology. When I was in school last, about twenty or so students of varyin' ages all just gathered in a small school house an' stayed in there all throughout the school day. We were only learnin' the basics back then with a pencil an' paper. We used chalk boards instead of dry erase boards an' there were no gymnasiums, libraries or computer labs, let alone computers."

Bella looked thoughtful as she took in what I had said, "Wow. That sounds like a whole new world. Do you think that you'll adjust okay?"

I nodded and smiled down at my little mate, "I'll be fine." I said wrapping an arm around her waist as we continued to make our way towards the car.

"Shit," Peter mumbled, and we all looked over at him before following his line of sight to see what had brought out his reaction. I couldn't help but to internally groan at the sight that lay before me, now understanding his displeasure and annoyance.

Alice, Edward and the other two Cullen siblings stood near our car, obviously waiting for us in the nearly empty lot. The blonde, Rosalie, looked slightly irritated, though from her emotions, it was directed more towards Edward and Alice, who were standing nearby impatiently. The big brawny Emmett seemed rather uncomfortable and nervous as he stood with his large arms crossed over his broad chest.

Getting a better view of the couple, I could now see the bite marks peeking out from under their collars, alerting the supernatural world that they were a mated pair. Of course, the humans wouldn't be able to distinguish it with their weak sight, but that wasn't important.

"What could they possibly want, now?" Charlotte muttered, rolling her eyes.

I looked down at Bella with worry. She had a cocktail of mixed emotions swirling through her as she eyed the quartet of vampires waiting on us. Sensing my gaze, she turned her head and looked up at me, giving me an encouraging smile as she reached for my hand with her free one, lacing our fingers together and giving it a heartening squeeze.

From across the lot, I could feel Edward's jealousy spike at the affectionate gesture, as Alice's smile faltered with envy. I wasn't sure what her deal was or why she seemed to be imperceptibly pursuing someone, who was her 'best friend's' mate. I wasn't even sure if Bella had picked up on that yet, or if she was internally occupied with her own problems to notice the subtle hints that the pixie-like vampire was throwing out. Either way, she had nothing to worry about, because I loved her and no one could pry me away from the woman that I had waited so long to meet.

Taking in a deep breath, we resumed our headway across the lot towards the group of vampires and their unspecified intents.

A/N: And there you have it! What could the Cullen's possibly want now? Any thoughts on the chapter? What did you think of what Bella had to say to Alice at the beginning? Any idea what Bella will do when she learns of Alice's intentions towards her mate? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Review!

If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's note!

BIG NEWS! Due to the continuous requests that I had about my old story that I had removed called 'The Way that the Chips Fall', I have decided to do a rewrite and repost it! So keep an eye out for the first chapter! I will be posting it soon! To refresh your memory, here is the summary:

The Way that the Chips Fall: (All Human) To save her family home, impulsive bookstore owner makes a deal with the devil in the form of billionaire Jasper Whitlock – the powerful man who once shattered her heart. Jasper doesn't believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father's corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister's childhood friend in dire financial straits, he offers Bella a bold proposition: a marriage in name only with certain rules. Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year, so the rules shouldn't be that hard to follow, right? Except fate has a way of upsetting the best-laid plans. – Inspired by 'The Marriage Bargain' by Jennifer Probst.

To see more, go to my FF page: Xo Bella Italiana oX

If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will make exceptions on the characters depending on the plot. I am also accepting other story topics as well! PM me for details!
- Bellisma -
Xo Bella Italiana oX