A/N: real life got in the way Thrusday. So I couldn't post. Sorry. Better late than never though right.

Chapter Eight

Jasper

Last night was perfection. The feel of her body beneath mine, it's hard to describe just how happy she made me. I had to get up after she fell asleep to put out the fire she had started in the fire pit, as fire is bad for vampires and we couldn't have it catch something on fire if one of the sparks drifted to the woods or something. I also put her dishes in the sink. Now I'm laying here, taking in her scent as she sleeps on. She has an afternoon shift at the grocery store, just three hours though.

Peter texted me overnight and said they should be here by early evening. That should give Bella plenty of time to get home and shower and change or whatever she wishes to do. I'm heading down to the Res today to work with the new pups. Jacob Black phased back in February, Leah and Seth Clearwater phased the day their dad died at the end of March, Quil Ateara phased just before them and apparently two more have phased, boys named Colin Littlesea and Brady Fuller. They're newly phased, just a month old.

We haven't really figured out why some of the boys have phased. Peter and Char's last visit coincided with Sam phasing but that was about two years ago. Jared phased not too long after, but there was just a passing nomad when Paul phased. We have a theory though.

Sam can't have a pack if he's by himself and everytime there's been a generation that phased, there's been a pack of at least six to ten. The new boys make ten so we doubt anymore will phase. There aren't any more boys, or girls given Leah's phasing, that are showing signs of it. None bulking up, or having unexplained growth spurts. Granted that didn't happen with Leah or Seth, but then again the shock of watching their father die of a heart attack in front of them triggered their's. They wouldn't have phased that soon otherwise.

Either way they all need training. Especially the young ones- Seth, Colin and Brady. None of them are older then fourteen and as such think like teenage boys. They go in head first and don't think things through. At least the fifteen and sixteen year olds- Jake, Quil, Embry, Jared and Paul- pay attention to Sam and think about strategy. Although Paul's anger issues do cause problems. Leah's as well, but her's are understandable. She's the first ever female shifter. There isn't a thing anyone can show her to help her because there is no information. She's upset because she has to watch Sam and Emily canoodle and hear Sam's thoughts, a pack thing, as well as deal with the possibility of never having a significant other, or children.

It's unknown why, but she stopped having a menstrual cycle the day she phased. She has to watch her ex and cousin being in love, as well as Jared and Quil who also both have what's known as imprints- Quil's is Emily's fifteen year old cousin Claire, which adds fuel to the fire because Leah now feels as if Emily's side of the family gets all the luck in love. Then there's the probability that the other guys will get them eventually too. She can't stand the idea of being a lone wolf. I wish I could reassure her, but I've got nothing. Neither does Carlisle and he's a doctor.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by Bella. She stretches and her eyes open slowly. As she begins to focus, she looks me in the eyes and smiles.

"Good morning cowboy."

"Good morning darlin'. Did you sleep well?"

"You know I did. Silly man."

"Silly? I'll show you silly!" And I roll over on top of her and begin to tickle her.

She squeals and starts to try and wriggle out from under me, giggling all the while.

"Stop it Jazz!"

"Nope, I'm silly remember. I'm just showing you how silly I am."

But tickling leads to other things and soon I'm crushing my lips to hers and feeling if she's ready for me. Dipping my fingers between her folds I hear her moan and she pushes herself up into my hand. She's already wet, but I can't help pushing a couple fingers into her core. So tight. I pump my fingers a few times and then grab my cock and line myself up. I push myself in slowly, getting a feel for her. I'm sure she's sore from last night so I need to be gentle. I could take the pain but she's already shown she won't like that.

She has other ideas apparently, because she raises her hips and takes me in deeper. Her arms are wrapped around my back, fingers attempting to dig into my marble hard skin. Her legs are now wrapped around my hips, ankles locked, heels digging into my ass. I begin to thrust, not too hard and not too fast, just setting up a steady rhythm as she moans and arches, meeting me thrust for thrust.

It doesn't take long to push her over the edge, myself following behind a moment later. I roll off of her, so as not to crush her with my weight, and pull her into my arms. Our panting breaths mixing as we try to catch our breath. It's more habit on my part. Finally, she kisses me again and smiles against my lips.

"If that's going to be the way I wake up every morning, then sign me up 'cause I can get used to it! But now, I'm hungry. Feed me cowboy!"

I chuckle at her enthusiasm. I can certainly get used to it too. But my lady is hungry and I can finally show her I can cook too.

"Your wish is my command. What would you like?"

"Surprise me."

"Alright then darlin', come on."

I pick her up and carry her into the closet to grab something to put on, I may have gone outside naked last night. Setting her down I pull on a pair of lounge pants while she just pulls on a robe. Then I grab her hand and pull her into the kitchen, lifting her to sit on one of the stools at the island.

"How about french toast and fresh fruit?"

"Sounds delicious. Thank you."

"You're most welcome ma'am." I pull the ingredients I'll need out of the fridge and pantry and get to work.

"Peter texted me last night after you fell asleep, they should be here sometime in the early evening now instead of late evening. Your shift at the grocery store should still be done by then and you'll have some time to get ready for them, I'll hopefully be done at the Res so I should be here when you get home. Just remember to be yourself and they'll love you, ok?"

"So they're coming here? I figured they'd go to your place."

"They'll stop by there first to let Carlisle know they're here. They'll say it's just another visit, though. It won't be strange that they're here, especially when they tell him I called them and told them I met my mate and they wanted to meet her. They'll just tell him about how Garrett was with them and so they all decided to come together and see you for themselves. After that they'll give me a call and I'll head home and bring them here. We'll come up with some strategies. I'm sure Alice will see all this and probably join. You're the most important thing. Edward won't be back for two months but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared."

"I'll follow your lead Jazz. You're the expert. And I trust you with my life and if you trust them, then I do too."

"Thank you darlin', to know you feel that way makes me happy."

"I love you Jazz. Even this soon. You're my life now and I don't want anything to ruin it."

"I love you too. You're my life as well."

Bella

He pauses long enough to give me a peck on the lips before getting back to cooking. He stuffs the toast with a mixture of powdered sugar and cream cheese before putting it in the egg wash. Then he places it in the pan with some butter. The smell is delightful and my mouth is beginning to water. After the toast is done he puts it on a plate and cuts up some strawberries to place on top and then sprinkles it all with powdered sugar and drizzles it with a little syrup.

"Bon appetit."

I give him a smile and dig in. It's like heaven on my tongue and I can't stop the moan. He smiles at me and moves to clean up. It's not long before we're both done and head to take a bath. His words to get me to agree are sweet and simple.

"I know you have to be sore and I want to take care of you."

"Alright cowboy, lead the way."

He fills my tub with water and my lilac scented bath oil. Then he strips me and himself and steps into the tub, helping me in after him. He tenderly washes my body, kissing me as he goes. When he's done I go to return the favor but he just pulls me up against him and leans back. Laying between his legs, the combo of his cool skin and the hot water, relaxes me further and I find myself drifting off a bit.

Before long the water begins to cool and he moves to get us out. As the water drains out of the tub he grabs one of my big fluffy towels and dries me off, taking great care with my hair which is a nightmare to dry as it's so long. He let's himself air dry, putting me first. Then he pulls me back to the closet and picks out my outfit for the day. He takes down my black sleeveless mini dress with tied dye print and a pair of black flats. I know it isn't because he wants me to have a certain look for his friends, he just liked the look of me in that other dress Tuesday.

As I get dressed so does he, his standard long sleeve shirt, jeans and boots. It's a sexy as hell look on him. By the time we're done it's almost noon and I have to get to work. After several kisses I finally get him to head out the door and myself to the grocery store.

Sam

When the Major arrives it's almost 12:30. He isn't usually here this late. Must be that mate of his. Our truce with the Cullens was something I fought the elders for strongly. We aren't ecactly friends, but we aren't enemies any longer either. We tolerate each other more than anything. After all the years they lived here when Ephraim Black led the pack and now the two years they've been here this time, it's clear they really do eat only animals- with the exception of the couple of slips from the big guy, Emmett, because he met what is known as a singer. When they explained what that meant we could understand how hard it had been for him to resist.

I realized that they could be beneficial for us, after I learned all I could about them that is. With a trained warrior who has fought vampires most of his life we could learn a number of things from him and in exchange we leave them and their criminal eating friends alone. When I first phased and then Jared and then Paul, I also realized that the doc could come in handy since we had medical things that couldn't be explained to humans. So it's a win/win scenario; and the elders eventually agreed. They get left in peace, we get trained to fight the bad members of their kind and free medical aid when we need it which isn't often for us shifters.

We also amended the treaty so it was possible for them to bite a human if the human asks for it. We get that some people want to become a vamp. But they have to be responsible for them and if they turn against Carlisle then the pack will end them. It's a good thing we put in that particular change as Jasper's mate is human and will more than likely wish to be turned. I liked what I saw yesterday at the diner. She's a brave one. Looking at him now, it's clear the girl is good for him already.

The relaxed pose and smile on his face is the look of a man clearly in love, I know it well. It's a good look on him. Now if I could put it on two other people's faces I'd be happy. Paul is just so angry all the time. It's a chore to keep him from phasing over the smallest slight. He blames the Cullens for him becoming a pack member. We all know they're not to blame. Sure, it was probably because of them that the nomad had passed through- checking out the vamps that claimed this area as their territory-, but if Jasper's theory is correct it's also because of me.

As for Leah, I still love her. It's just not the same way anymore. Emily is my life now and as much as it killed me to hurt Leah that way, it wasn't like I had a choice. Genetics pushed me to the most worthy person for me, the one I'm most compatible with and there's no going back now. I know how hurt Leah is seeing Emily and I together. In the back of her mind she understands, especially now that she knows what I am.

But it doesn't change much. We were all stumped when she stopped her period, which of course means she stopped ovulating. Which scares her. Because now she doesn't know if she can ever have what Emily and I have, or kids. Thankfully we have plenty of time to find out. We stop aging until we can stop the phase. So she has a while to figure things out. Right now my attention needs to be on what the man who walked up beside me is here to do.

"Late start this morning Major? Kind of hard to do that when you don't sleep."

"Haha, funny Sam. Sorry, spending time with my mate was too enticing this morning."

"Ah, I figured it was something like that. Ready to get to work now though?"

"Naturally. So is the pack ready."

"Yeah, they're down on the beach. Emmett is down there too, and the new one, Alice I think Carlisle said?"

"Yeah. That's her. What do you think of her?"

"Well she's fucking tiny! But there's something about her, I don't know. She's more than she seems. Bubbly as hell though, she walked right into the house, up to Emily and hugged her. I didn't know what to make of it, neither did Emily. She told me to tell you to think about it, that you would need her today."

"Yep, that sounds like Alice. She's only been with us a few days and she's already integrated herself into the family with her personality. Rose loves that Alice loves to shop. Em, that she laughs at even the stupidest of jokes."

"Yeah that sounds about right, she started talking about cars and Jake was in love."

"Well, I don't think she's mated. But I doubt Jake has a chance." I'd have to concur, especially as she's a vampire and they smell disgusting to us, same as we do to them. It's one thing to be around each tower every so often but on a daily basis would be a bit too much I would think.

Jasper

We walk down to the beach and I think about why Alice should be here. I can't think of a reason, that is until I see her. She's wearing clothes that would be good for fighting. Tight jeans, a tight long sleeved t-shirt, and sneakers. Then it clicks. Her gift. I may be the only one who knows about it besides Bella, but her gift would give her an advantage in a fight. She'd see whatever moves they made long before the fight even began.

Then there's her size. She's even shorter than Bella. And as huge as Em is, he'd think he would have the advantage. This could be a good way to teach the pack not to underestimate any vampire, no matter their gender or size. She's right. I'll need her. Sam steps up and begins talking.

"Alright. Everyone here, except Colin and Brady, know why Jasper is here. Colin, Brady, let me explain things to you. This man is Major Jasper Whitlock Hale. He is the most feared vampire in his world. He was a commander in one of the Southern Covens, directly responsible for training newborns. He has never lost a battle. Not one. He's here to teach us how to defeat vampires. You will watch, and you will listen. Understand?"

"Yes, Sam."

"Yes, Sam, but can I ask. Why is he training us how to kill him," Colin says with a smirk. I have to chuckle at that. Young pup, so full of himself.

"Let me tell you something Colin, not even I could kill this vampire. He could decimate this whole pack by himself. Never underestimate him. Ever. He's teaching us how to fight vampires, but only ones we would wish to kill. As you've been told, we have a treaty with the Cullens. The Cullens hunt only animals, that's why his and Em's eyes are gold. Their friends hunt only criminals. The vampires we would wish to kill are those that kill indiscriminately, that kill innocents and would disregard our treaty. He's teaching us how to stay alive when we face those particular types of vampires."

"Didn't the small one say she's a Cullen now? Why are her eyes still red?"

"Because she's new to our diet, Brady. She just joined us a few days ago. It'll take a couple of months for her eyes to change. Before that, though, she did kill criminals. Right, Alice?"

"Yes Jasper, that's right."

"Alright, anymore questions? No. Good. Take a seat and watch."

With that Sam goes and joins his pack and they take a seat in the sand. I turn to Em, who's face is full of glee. He loves the sparing. It's his idea of fun.

"Remember Em, don't hold back."

"Not in my nature, bro."

And with that he charges. I dodge him easily. He's too busy charging around like a bull in a china shop to use his head. It takes nothing more than seconds for me to put him on his ass in the sand.

"Never lose focus."

Then I motion Alice forward. I think about how I want her to let him take her down the first time, I need to show them what happens when they turn their backs on the enemy. She gives me a subtle nod and turns to Em.

"Do you think you can take me small fry?"

"Let's see shall we?"

She stands and waits for Em to make his move. They circle each other for a moment before Em takes a swing at her, aiming to grab her around her head. She dodges it easily and the fight is on. I can see her trying to lose, her moves are stilted. Controlled. Finally, Em grabs her around the waist and lifts her up and slams her into the sand. She's a vampire so I know it didn't hurt.

He turns around and starts doing a victory dance and that's when she strikes. She's off the ground in a second, the grace of a vampire making her silent and deadly. She jumps, and land on his back, tilting his head to the side, teeth at his throat. We hear a laugh and I turn to see Rose has joined us. I then turn to the pack and see they're all laughing as well. Em begins to pout.

"Never turn your back on your enemy, Em."

"Rosie why are you laughing at me? It isn't funny."

"Sorry dear. But you should see the image you make right now. A tall tree with a monkey on it's back!"

And then we're all laughing again. Em and Alice joining in.

"Rematch," Em yells and Alice climbs off and they begin circling again. This time she doesn't hold back. It gives me a perfect idea of how her gift would help her in a fight. She's dodging every move he makes. His swings, his legs swipes, everything. Finally, she takes him down. Swiping her leg out she catches him in the knee, causing it to buckle. Once he's on his knee she knees him in the chin, knocking him onto his back. Then she jumps on him and puts her teeth at his throat.

"The lesson is over. Never underestimate someone just because they're smaller than you. Then there's the two most important things to remember. One, never let a vampire get their arms around you, they won't hesitate to crush you. Two, never go for the obvious kill, your enemy will anticipate it; and you will lose. Everyone understand?"

They all nod their heads. Every one of them, including Rose and Em, looking impressed at Alice's skill. I can see the gears in Rose's head turning. I can feel her emotions too, she's suspicious. She can clearly see there's more to Alice than she told us. I just hope she keeps it to herself and doesn't ask about it. Wouldn't want Alice's cover blown or Edward finding out. She did say it was imperative he didn't learn of her gift.

Just then she walks up and puts her hand on my arm.

"Don't worry Jazz, she won't figure anything out. It'll be fine."

"Thanks Alice. For your reassurance and today. They needed to learn the lesson you helped teach."

"Of course."

And with that she bounces off after Rose, distracting her with a plan to go shopping in Seattle. Women. Why do they like shopping so much? I just don't get it. She does say something that catches my attention though. She mentions possibly taking Bella and Emily with them. Rose acts like that would be the worst thing ever, but I can feel her happiness. She likes the idea! Well Bella must have impressed her more than I thought. Good.

I glance at my phone and see it's almost time for Bella to get off, so I tell everyone I'll see them Friday, the girls and Em that I'll see them tomorrow and head off. I want to surprise Bella with a lovely dinner and so I need to get moving. Thankfully she has all the necessary ingredients, which I noticed this morning. When I get there I take a quick shower and change. Sand is not pleasant in the places I had it.

Then I go into the kitchen and grab the stuff I need. I'm making lasagna. I quickly put it all together, at human speed instead of vampire and then cover it in foil and place it in the fridge until I need to put it in the oven. I'm just finishing the clean up when I hear her car in the driveway. A moment later she's opening up the front door.

She doesn't know I'm here for sure since I said I wasn't sure I would be done before she got off or not, so I make some noise so she won't be frightened.

"Jazz, is that you?"

"Yeah darlin'." She appears in the doorway a second later and places her purse on the dining table.

"Well hey there cowboy, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I wanted to cook you dinner, so I came by to make it. Everything is ready for later, so what would you like to do?"

"Do you know when the others will be here?"

"Not totally sure. I haven't heard from them yet, but I'd say we have an hour, maybe two."

"Good, how about we just sit out in the backyard? I'd love to just lay with you a while. That sound good to you?"

"Yeah, let me just grab one of my books."

"Ok. I'll get the fire pit started. I didn't get my s'mores last night."

"Sorry."

"Oh don't be, I'll take making love to you over chocolate and marshmallows and graham crackers any day. Besides, you taste like chocolate to me."

"Really? Well I taste vanilla when I taste you." And I give her a wink.

"Careful cowboy, I may just need a taste again."

"We aim to please, darlin'."

Then I grab her and plunge into her warm wet mouth, our tongues entwined and our arms around each other. It's a possessive kiss. Nothing gentle about it. She nips my bottom lip and I cup her ass and bring her against my steadily growing erection. Unfortunately a throat clearing, a giggle and a "well I'll be damned" break us out of our embrace. Looks like I was wrong, we didn't have any time before the pests arrived. Pity.