A/N: it is still Thursday July 7th, this is just a little filler after laughing at Tanya. Don't worry, there is more drama to come. Promise. ;) Oh and umm, a special treat. This chapter is only Jasper's POV. I had to go back to chapter four and fix Jasper's age because he would have been 18 at graduation so he's 'turning' 19 and 161. He isn't yet. Sorry if I've confused anyone. Rose is 'turning' 19 to the townspeople of Forks but of course will forever remain 18. But she's really turning 88. I found no information about how the food smells to them, only how it tastes. So I'm assuming with the way things smell and fell and such to them, that human food would still smell good, just not taste that way.
Chapter Fifteen
Jasper
I know Bella has to be curious as to why I stayed in the store while Charlotte walked her home, but I couldn't help myself. As I watched her laugh her ass off over Tanya's attempt to frighten her, I decided she needed something special done for her tonight. So I'm going to make her a delicious meal on the grill while she sits by the fire pit, then she's going to make those s'mores things she loves so much and we're going to lay out under the stars. I might even make love to her out there.
Hopefully Edward will be too preoccupied trying to maintain his distance from her for now, so it'll be safe to not focus so much on our surroundings. I know it won't last, it'll become compulsive for him to try to get closer and closer until he eventually snaps, so I'm taking advantage of his absence for now. When I get back to the house, Bella and Charlotte are sitting in the living room pouring over something on her laptop laid out between them.
I came in through the front as if I was coming by after her shift, hopefully no one saw me leave earlier which could lead to awkward questions- though I'm sure we both could come up with a ready excuse. I can't wait until I can move in and it won't be strange for me to come in the front door when she isn't here anymore. They look up as I walk towards them.
"Hello ladies, what are you two up to?" They quickly close the computer and Bella shoves it under her ass; and now I'm intrigued.
"Nothing for you to know mister! It's for your birthday." I had honestly completely forgotten my birthday at the beginning of August, the fifth to be exact. I'll be nineteen to the good people of Forks, whih is of course my true immortal age. To my family I'll be 161. Has it been that many years already? Time truly does fly by when you make no note of it. Every move Rose and I switch birth dates. She was really born on the sixteenth of August. So since our birthdays are so close together and we're pretending to be twins, we just use each other's birth dates.
Looking at Bella and seeing she's hiding something from me and plans to surprise me makes me excited. I wonder what she's planning. I look to Charlotte but she's just as tight lipped as my mate. Smiling at me she winks and moves around the couch, heading to the back door. "You won't get it from me Major, I've been sworn to secrecy and this time my loyalty is to Bella."
"Traitor." They both laugh at me until Bella notices the bags in my hand. Charlotte heads out the back door to give us privacy, calling Peter as she goes.
Bella pulls my attention back to her. "What's all that then?"
"Your dinner. You want to come outside with me while I fix it? I'm sure Charlotte is ready to get back to Peter. But she won't leave until she gets to officially say goodbye." We head out the back door, me refusing Bella's offer to take one of the bags, and find Charlotte just getting off the phone. She turns to me and I see why she probably called her husband.
"Judging by your eye color Char I'd say you need to feed." Her eyes are still red, but they're not as bright as they normally would be when she's full.
"You're right about that Major, I'll see your two later." We watch as she runs into the forest before I turn to the table on the patio and begin to remove my purchases from the bags. Scallops, salmon and asparagus and the chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows for the s'mores. Looking at it all it makes me wish I were still human just so I can taste it, but then I'd have never met Bella and that would be a travesty.
I fire up her grill and go back inside to prep everything. When I come back out I see she's grabbed a blanket and laid it out on the lawn, adding some throw pillows on top. When she's done evening it all out she turns to me and smiles.
"Do you need me to do anything?"
"Nope. Just sit down and relax and read that book you brought out with you." So she does. I notice she's reading The Merchant of Venice, an massively tattered copy, and I make a mental note that she seems to like that one a lot. So far I've seen her read this, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Wuthering Heights. That's a lot of reading for the short amount of time we've been together, especially considering the amount of pages each book contains. And they're all well worn. So some first editions might be just the thing to get her for her birthday, they're hard cover and won't wear as easily as the paperbacks she currently has.
Shaking myself out of my daydream, I turn back to the grill and start putting the food on. Asparagus first. I've sprinkled it with some Parmesan and garlic and I hope she likes it. After it cooks a few minutes I add my lemon slices and lay my salted and peppered salmon out on top. Then I add the scallops a few minutes after that. You would think with my being a vampire I wouldn't know how to cook, but I'm always helping Esme when she does.
She loves to make things to take to the various places she takes them, the Res clinic, the homeless shelter in Port Angeles, various meetings she attends. She even pops over to some people's homes, like the two old men that like to sit outside the diner. They're bachelors and getting up there in age, so she figures they like a home cooked meal every once in a while. I don't know what everyone will do when we have to move again, but hopefully that won't be for another four to five years. Everyone thinks I'm eighteen, soon to be nineteen. Same with Rose and Em. So we started off fairly young this time.
Her food is done in no time and I plate everything and join her on the blanket. She sets her book aside and smiles as I hand her her plate.
"This looks delicious Jazz, thank you."
"You're most welcome." I watch with pleasure as she takes the first bite and moans.
"Oh my god! It IS delicious. How do you guys do it? I mean you haven't eaten human food in so long you'd think you wouldn't be able to cook it anymore, if you ever did. I just don't get it."
"Superior sense of smell. Yes it tastes like dirt to us, but it can still smell good. Plus we can smell if there's too much of something on or in a dish. Plus I usually help Esme all the time. Now not so much, but neither of us are complaining. She gets my desire to be with you all the time." She just nods as her mouth is full.
She finishes the meal in record time and we lay back on the pillows after I run the dishes into the house. She reads to me from her book and I close my eyes and relax for the first time in what seems like forever. This whole Edward thing has had me so on edge. This is what I wanted, just some relaxing alone time with my mate.
Soon the sun is touching the western horizon and I go to start her fire pit, as long as I'm not leaking venom I'm perfectly ok. She goes to grab the bag of marshmallows off the table while I head into the woods to find two sticks that will work for skewers. Soon we're both roasting marshmallows, me giving her the one I make. After a couple s'mores she heads inside for a moment. When she comes back out she's in a light jacket and smells like she's brushed her teeth.
After our first time together I made a joke about tasting the steak she ate and from then on in she's made sure she brushes her teeth so I don't have to taste the after effects of her meals. We lay back down on the blanket and watch the sky as the stars come out. This time we play a game, to point out as many constellations as we can. I win and take my prize, rolling over I lean over her and kiss her. Gently at first but then it becomes more passionate, my hands threading through her hair to hold her in place, slanting my mouth to deepen it.
Our tongues entwine and she wraps her arms around my neck. I need to take this inside. I need to feel her body naked beneath mine, wrapped around me. I stand, not breaking the kiss, and carry her inside. I'll take care of everything else later. Carrying her into the bedroom, I stand her on her feet and swiftly undress us until we're both just in our underwear. Before I can move her to the bed she drops to her knees in front of me and reaches for the band of my boxers.
I pull her hair aside gently so I can see her face. She looks up at me and I smile. "Bella, darlin', you don't need to do that."
"But I want to. You always give me such pleasure Jasper, with your mouth, with your body. I want to return the favor." With that she slides my boxers down my thighs and pushes me back to sit on the end of the bed.
Her delicate fingers gently wrap around my length and I suck in a breath. How is it one tentative touch can bring such a powerful response? A drop of precum has already beaded on the head and she licks it off so gently. Then her lips are wrapped around me and I groan. She moves her mouth up and down my shaft and it isn't long before I'm close to coming. I don't want to come in her mouth, I want to come inside her body.
Tugging her gently I move her to the middle of the bed and kiss down her body. Paying close attention to her erect nipples. Sitting up I move my hands down her abdomen, closing in on her core but avoiding it, causing her to gasp and her breath to start coming in pants. I watch as her belly moves in and out with her breaths for a minute as I ever so softly run my fingers down her cleft.
Pushing two fingers inside her I feel she's already soaking. I can't stand it anymore and move between her thighs, sheathing myself within her and groaning at the pleasure I feel. She's so wet and tight and it's the greatest feeling in the world. Moving in and out of her I lean down on my elbows so we're face to face and kiss her as she winds her fingers into my hair and gives it a tug.
Moving faster I push us both closer and closer until she's crying out my name and I'm crying out her's. Rolling to my side I pull her so she's laying spread out on top of me as she catches her breath. It doesn't take long for it to even out and I know she's fallen asleep. She's probably exhausted from all this stress. Rolling her off me I go outside, totally naked- because I don't care- and put out the fire and bring her things inside.
Then I crawl back in beside her and wrap her in my arms and close my eyes and drift off to thoughts and daydreams of the future, our future. It's the closest I'll ever get to sleeping. This zen like state.
The next morning comes far too swiftly. Leaving her to sleep I move off the bed, turning to look at her as she lays there, the sheet having come down off her slightly with my movements. It reveals her sexy back and perfect skin. The play of the rising sun giving her a healthy glow. Exquisite. Sighing, I leave her lay there and go out into the kitchen where I call Alice. I need to know what, if anything, Tanya may have said about her encounter with Bella yesterday. She picks up before it even has a chance to ring.
"Hey Jazz. I saw you would call; and why. Tanya got back here yesterday in a tiff. She wouldn't tell anyone why, but Edward clearly read her thoughts. He dragged her off into the woods when he thought no one was watching and I followed them. The gist is he's angry at her. He was shouting about how he's not her property and she shouldn't be giving anyone else that impression, how she's just a good fuck and nothing more and she needs to get that through her head.
"He told her it didn't matter because he's only fascinated with Bella because he can't hear her thoughts and he doesn't know why. Though why Eleazar didn't say anything about Bella having a gift is unclear to me. I know he had to have seen it. I haven't seen a decision from him on what he plans to do with the info. It could be he'll respect your privacy and talk to you two about it first.
"That is Eleazar's gift after all; and why the brothers use him from time to time. They don't force gifts to join them anymore but they still want to keep tabs on gifted vampires and such, you know, just in case the enemy might think to utilize them they know what they might be facing. So the keep a census of sorts.
"Anyway, totally off track. Sorry. She suggested he talk to Eleazar, that he might be able to explain it and he agreed. They haven't done it yet, but only because Eleazar and Carmen went shopping in Seattle this morning and were hunting last night so he hasn't gotten the chance. But he's going to. I don't know what Eleazar will tell him, if anything, but I thought you should know. It's not going to matter yet of course because it won't become a physical shield until Bella's a vampire, but if he gives that information to the enemy?
"About how she's powerful enough as a human to block him, they may realize the potential if she's a vampire and make a move to come for her. I'll see it ahead of time and we can do what's needed to protect her, but I just thought you should know."
"Thanks Alice. Man, can't we catch a break just once here? I mean it's great he's keeping his distance, but you know that won't last much longer and we will have all kinds of trouble then. Add in an enemy we don't have any information on. It's like one big clusterfuck. I hate this Alice. I just want to kill him and end the potential threat, but I know I can't. You're gut says he's an important piece in the bigger game and I always say people should trust their gut instincts because they never steer you wrong, but I can't help but wonder if eliminating his potential involvement with the bigger enemy might not actually give us an advantage."
"I wish I knew Jazz. Truly. But I don't; and I won't until he makes more decisions. I just don't know how they're keeping me from seeing them. No one knows of my gift but everytime I look for them- there's nothing but the vision of death and destruction and the fall of the Volturi. No faces."
"I'm sure that's frustrating Alice and I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't."
"I know. Don't worry, it'll come eventually I'm sure. I'll let you get back to Bella. Eleazar and Carmen won't be back until later anyway. I'll call you and let you know what happens."
"Thanks Alice." She hangs up and I head back inside to find Bella standing in the doorway of the bedroom wearing this tiny pink tee shirt.
"I was going to continue what we started last night, but I woke up to find you gone. What were you doing?"
"Called Alice to see what happened when Tanya got back yesterday after her little attempt to scare you. Apparently she pissed Edward off good. Anyway, he's apparently going to ask Eleazar about the possibility of you being gifted."
"How would he know?"
"That's right, you don't know yet. Sorry, I hadn't even thought to tell you about our cousins. Eleazar has a gift. He can see other gifts. He used to work for the brothers until he met Carmen and they gave him his freedom to leave in exchange for coming to them whenever they call to help them see if someone has a gift. It doesn't work as well on humans as vampires because most human's gifts are dormant until they're changed. But in cases like yours, probably Alice's, and the twins- Jane and Alec are Guard members I'll tell you about them later- he could see them while you were all still human because they've manifested in your human lives.
"Alice had her visions and that's why she was institutionalized. Jane and Alec were almost burned at the stake for witch craft when Aro swooped in and saved them. Their gifts have become more physical since becoming vampires but they still had some ability while they were humans- that's why Aro took an interest in them when they were younger. They were fifteen when he had to save them and change them. Then there's you. You can block Edward's gift; and mine when you set your mind to it. I bet you could stop Jane's gift too. Maybe even Alec's, I'm not sure. Their's are mental gifts as well though Alec's shows up physically, it works in the mind- blocking the senses.
"Jane creates pain just from a thought. But it's all in your mind. Anyway let's get back to the Denalis. The three sisters are all from Slovakia. Their real mother was killed for breaking the law by creating an Immortal Child."
"Immortal child? What's that?"
"Just what it sounds like. A child turned into a vampire. They were forbidden because being frozen at the age they usually were kept them from growing and changing and becoming aware of good versus bad and so on. They could kill entire villages because they didn't understand it was wrong. The brothers had no choice but to ban their existence because too many were giving away our secrets to the humans by killing indiscriminately. The sister's mother broke that law and paid the price with her and the child's death. The sisters were lucky not to meet the same fate.
"Tanya still hates the brothers for what they did but Kate and Irina understand better now that they've had the many many years since to think about it. Irina met Laurent about three, four months ago and they've been inseparable ever since. He was a human eating nomad until then. He's around three hundred. He's from England like Carlisle, but doesn't remember much more about is human life.
"To be honest, we were all surprised when it happened because the sisters are considered, well to put it bluntly- the female version of a womanizer. They would sleep with anything that was male. It was quite uncomfortable for me and Edward- well maybe not so much now we know he's been fucking Tanya all this time- but me?
"Constantly having to fend them off. I was very glad Irina found Laurent and Tanya backed off, probably when she and Edward started their affair. Now Kate has Garrett and at least she and Irina are settled. Kate is gifted but her sisters aren't. They kept it from the brothers all this time because they were afraid they'd steal her away but if what Alice has told us all, they're not like that anymore. Of course only you and I know that she knows this all first hand. The others are still leery. They won't believe it until they see it."
"What's her gift?"
"Oh. She can produce an electrical current. She zaps people. It used to be that she couldn't control it, it was whenever she was touched anywhere on her body, but she's learned to channel it and it only comes when she needs it and only through her hand unless she chooses otherwise. She can also regulate the frequency, make it soft or strong enough to knock out an elephant."
"Sounds handy in a fight."
"Well, if Alice's vision is right, we may well find out just how handy."
"Yeah." She grows quiet for a minute before she smiles at me. It's a sly smile, like she's got something up her sleeve.
"So cowboy, you gonna show this girl how much stamina you have? Or are you too tired?" With that she turns and stretches as she walks away, revealing the fact that she's naked under that shirt. I chase her into the bedroom and grab her just as she gets to the bed and throw her onto it after I strip us both naked and proceed to show her just how much stamina I truly have.