So here is the surprise chapter of the day... and it is all preparations for the wedding.
Chapter 38.
Bella sat waiting for Esme and Rose to get back from an impromptu shopping trip they'd gone on; it was amazing what could be achieved in organizing a wedding in the space of a few hours. They'd already decided there were no guests to invite; other than those already in Volterra. Jasper had gone with Emmett and his father to sort out rings and their suits while Rose and Esme were sorting out the dresses; Bella had spent hours the previous evening browsing dresses online and they both had an idea of the style she was looking for; Esme was going to do any alterations once they got back with it. In just a few hours time her and Jasper were going to be having a meeting with the brothers to discuss the ceremony itself and then they were ready for the actual day; which was tomorrow.
Bella still couldn't believe that this time tomorrow she would be getting ready to marry Jasper. As had happened several times over the last day her thoughts kept turning to Edward and Alice as she tried to imagine what her life would be like if events in Phoenix had turned out differently. Her instincts told her that marrying Edward would've been something she would've been very reluctant to commit to but with Jasper; it seemed right and she was looking forward to it. The only negative thing she felt was the fact her parents couldn't be here; she really wished she could share this day with them but she knew it was impossible because they thought she was dead; which technically she was.
Her thoughts were drawn back to the room when the door opened and Jasper walked in. He smiled at her as he walked across the room and hung up the suit hanger he was carrying; appearing at her side as soon as he could and kissing her. "Missed you," he mumbled against her lips.
"I missed you too."
"What did you do while we were gone?" His mouth moved across her face and then down her neck as he crawled up onto the bed and pushed her to lie on the mattress.
"Nothing much. I was just thinking about everything that's happened; trying to imagine what my life would've been like if they hadn't died."
He pulled his body off her and looked down at her face, "Is that something you want?"
"Yes and no. I would prefer it if they hadn't died; I wish they were here with us but I'm glad I'm marrying you; I wouldn't want my life to turn out any other way." She stared into his eyes; trying to see if he believed her but it was too difficult to tell, "Do you believe me?"
"Yes." He answered her simply, "I can feel the truth in what you're saying."
"Then why did you ask? You know I love you, don't you?"
"I do… but I can't help thinking it would be different if Edward and Alice were here; we wouldn't be together."
He was sitting beside her now; looking across the room and she could feel his confusion as he spoke to her. "You know Aro said some things to me before I left with Felix and Demetri; he was telling me what he'd seen in your thoughts."
"He said he had after you were taken."
"Did he tell you what he told me?" She didn't think he had or they wouldn't be having this conversation.
"He told me he thought we would be good together; that our relationship would be strong."
"That wasn't all he told me." Bella sat up as Jasper turned his head to look at her. "He told me some of the things you thought about me when I first arrived in Forks and before I got together with Edward."
Jasper frowned at her, "The only thing I remember thinking was that you'd be dangerous to the family and I thought about killing you after the accident at the school; I thought it would be better for us if you weren't an issue. What could Aro have told you that could possibly be good from that?"
He looked disturbed by what he'd admitted to her, "There were other things you'd thought; although he did say the thoughts were probably subconscious." He didn't say anything so Bella carried on, "He told me you liked me the first day I went to the school; you noticed me in the cafeteria and you wanted to know me. He said you hated the fact Edward wanted to be with me; you were jealous of how he felt about me; you could feel his emotions and it made you feel even worse because you didn't ever think you'd be able to feel that way about me; not openly." His eyes were darkening as she spoke to him and she could feel the love he was projecting to her; she looked away from him; needing to tear her eyes from his as she said the last thing Aro had told her, "When Tyler's van was skidding towards me, Aro said you nearly came to rescue me first; you were nearer than Edward was and you wanted to make sure I was okay but you held back because you weren't sure you'd be successful; you thought you might not be able to stop it in time and I'd get hurt; then if it was too bad you'd drain me in the parking lot before anyone could stop you."
Silence fell on the room and then Jasper finally broke it, "I would've done too."
"I'm not so sure; part of me thinks you would've been able to control yourself. If you had gone to do it I think you would've stopped before doing anything."
Jasper was silent for a moment; a look of shock appearing on his face, "You really do believe that, don't you?"
"Of course. I've never doubted your control, Jasper. I know how strong you are and I know how difficult it is to resist the call of blood but you do it; even after everything you've been through."
Jasper reached for her and pulled her so she was straddling him, "I love that you think that way; it's nice to have someone believe in me so strongly."
"Get used to it because that's never going to change."
He craned his neck and kissed her on the mouth; his fingers grazing up her sides and settling on her breasts. Slowly Bella pushed him so he was lying on the mattress behind him; ensuring she shifted on his lap and pressed against his already hard cock; an effort which caused him to growl deep in his chest. He began to pull her clothes from her body until she was just wearing her underwear as she sat astride him. Her hand drifted down his body and moved to undo his jeans so she could free his erection; it was just disappearing within the denim when the door to their room slammed open; startling them both and they turned towards the intruder growling.
It was Rose; who seemed completely nonplused by their anger. "Enough of that you two; we've got things to sort out." They both continued to stare at her and she strode over to them both, pulling on Bella's arm to try and drag her behind her. "Come on! Mum wants you to try on the dress."
"Rose, we're kind of in the middle of something here. Can't this wait?" Jasper said.
"Jasper Whitlock, you will have the whole of eternity to get your rocks off with Bella; we have just a few hours to prepare for your wedding. Now, Bella is ours for the next few hours until you have to meet Aro and the others and then after that she's back with us."
"Rose…" Bella whimpered.
She stared at her sister and finally gave in, "You have ten minutes but if you take one second longer than that I'll be sending Emmett in here to retrieve you and I'm sure you don't want that." She turned and began to walk out of the door, "Oh and Bella; don't bother getting dressed again but please have a shower; we don't want your dress to reek of sex; at least not until after the ceremony."
The door slammed shut again behind her and Bella turned back to Jasper. "Fancy showering with me?"
He lifted his body from the bed and kissed her mouth softly, "I can't think of a better way to spend the next ten minutes."
"Not quite that long, I'll still need to get myself ready before I go to mum's room." As she talked she was crawling from his lap and edging to the end of the bed; eagerly followed by her husband to be. As they both got to their feet Jasper lifted her over his shoulder and ran them the rest of the way to their bathroom. They were under the water in less than thirty seconds and the temperature of the room definitely heightened as they kissed each other. Bella ripped her mouth from his, "We don't have time for this." She said; a hint of desperation in her voice.
"You're right, we don't," Jasper said; thrusting his cock into her awaiting body. Bella moaned loudly and her arms clung to his body as he continued to pump in and out of her; now was the time for hard and fast and they were both eager for it. Jasper moved his mouth over as much of her body as he could reach as she clung to him with her arms and legs; he was desperate to taste her and love her; knowing he was going to be separated from her for some time before they got married. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea but his sister was right; he would have an eternity to spend with her so a few hours seemed pretty trivial. His movements sped up as he thought about the fact he might not have an eternity with her; he could lose her in a matter of days; when James arrived.
"Jazz, what are you thinking?" she gasped.
"Nothing," he mumbled against her neck.
Her hand brushed down his back and she dropped her legs to the floor; ceasing all movement. "I can feel your pain; what is it?"
"I just realized I could lose you in a couple of days; once James turns up, you might be taken from me." He whispered.
"We're going to have to make sure we get this right then, aren't we?" she said as she lifted his head and stared into his eyes.
"Do you think it's that simple?"
"I hope so; if we love each other enough it should be." His eyes were fixed on her face and she could almost see the cogs turning in his mind as he thought about what she'd said. "Are you going to finish what you started?" she asked him; her question relating to both their current situation and what they were about to face.
"When have I ever let you down?" he replied; picking her up again and resuming their previous dance. All too soon they reached their goal and both cried out as the passion overflowed; both frantically trying to get closer to one another as they kissed and caressed the other. Neither of them wanted this moment to end but they knew it was going to have to; even if it was just to avoid the embarrassment of their brother walking in on them.
They dressed quickly once they were back in their room and then Jasper sat and watched as Bella brushed her hair. He walked over to where she was and took the hairbrush from her; his fingers brushed through her hair; pulling it away from her shoulder. Gently he worked the tangles out of her hair; each stroke of the brush increasing the sexual tension between the two of them. "What are you going to do while I'm getting the dress sorted?" she murmured.
"I don't know. I'll find something." He whispered in her ear, "I'll miss you though. I wish we didn't have to spend all this time apart. I just want to be with you."
"I do too." She said as she turned to face him. Her hair was still damp so she pulled it up into a messy ponytail and kissed him on the lips; the moment slightly shortened by the heavy knock on the door by their brother.
"Open up, you two. Rose sent me to come and get you, Bells."
Bella walked to the door and opened it; returning to Jasper for one last kiss before she finally departed. "See you in a couple of hours."
*B-o-B*
She opened the door to Esme's room and poked her head round it; seeing her mother and sister sitting there waiting for her.
"You took your time," Rose teased; a smirk on her face that would rival her husband's.
"Yeah, well, I had to do my hair," Bella replied, sticking her tongue out at Rosalie when she snorted with laughter.
"Girls." Esme said softly.
Carlisle walked into the room and made his way to his wife's side; kissing her cheek gently, "I'm going to go and spend some time with the boys; we'll be back in a couple of hours." He walked over to Bella and kissed her gently on the forehead, "I'll look after him." He said softly, "Try and have fun." He reminded her.
"We will." Rose said. The door shut as he left the room and Rose sprang to her feet. "You're going to love the dresses," she said; zoning her inner Alice as she bounced across the room. "What do you want to see first?"
"How about you both show me your dresses?" Bella said. Both of them smiled and grabbed the dress bags that hung in the closet Rose had just opened. It was only a minute before they both walked back into the room; looking stunning in the dresses they'd chosen. Esme's was green in color; coming to her knees in length and fitted around the waist. Bella looked at Rosalie and was taken aback by what she was wearing; the dress was a darker shade of green than what Esme was wearing and was floor length; it had a fitted bodice and very thin straps on her shoulders. "You both look amazing," Bella whispered. "I love them both."
"We saw them and we thought they were very appropriate; the green goes very well with your coloring and its Jasper's favorite color." Rose explained. She tilted her head and looked at her sister, "Do you want to see your dress?" Bella nodded quickly; her eyes shining as she looked at them both, "We'll just go and change so we don't ruin these." They were back before she knew it and then walked back to the closet and pulled out another dress bag. They both looked at her as they pulled the dress from the bag; wanting to see her reaction to it.
Bella stared at the dress in wonder; she sat down on the edge of the couch as her eyes drifted over the most amazing dress she'd ever seen. "Oh my god." She whispered. "I can't wear something like that; it'll look so wrong on me. I can't do a dress like that justice."
"Trust us, Bella. You're going to look stunning in it." Esme said.
"You can totally pull off a dress like this, Bella. This dress was made for you." Rose urged her. Esme held the dress as Rose walked to her, "Come on, we need to try this on you to see if mum needs to do any alterations." She pulled Bella to her feet and then began removing her clothes; quickly and efficiently as Bella stood; still staring at the dress; much like a rabbit would to approaching headlights. Once she was down to her underwear Esme walked over and the two of them pulled the dress onto her; fastening the bodice and brushing their hands over the skirt; flattening any creases and bumps in the material. Rose took Bella's hand and dragged her to the closet; opening the door wider and revealing a full length mirror on the inside of the door.
Bella's eyes were caught by the reflection she saw; they'd been right; the dress was made for her; it was just perfect. The bodice hugged her and made her cleavage look more impressive; a fact Bella was happy about. The skirt clung to her hips as it fell to the floor but wasn't too clingy. The sleeves were off the shoulder; the whole dress was beautiful and it made her feel beautiful as she looked at herself in it. "Thank you." She whispered to them both. "I don't think I would've chosen anything different if I'd been there."
Esme moved in front of her and began to fiddle with the top of the dress, "I had a couple of ideas of what I could do to improve it," she said, catching Bella's eyes quickly. "It doesn't need much but," she turned and picked up a bag from the floor; opening it and revealing the contents to them both, "I brought these and I thought I could sew them into the top of the bodice," she indicated where she meant with her fingers, "and then it would tie in with Rose's dress and would just be a little extra."
"That's a lot of sewing, mum," Bella said, "You don't have to do that." It would take her ages to put all those little dark green stones onto the dress.
"Don't be silly, it won't take me long at all and I want to do it. Jasper will love you in the dress but these will blow his mind completely."
"I guess I should take this off then." She said.
"While mum's doing that, I'm going to do your nails for you and we also brought you some other bits for tomorrow."
"Other bits?" Bella said; feeling her nerves flare again.
"Underwear and something for you to wear in the evening." Rose smiled at her, "Don't look so frightened, Bella. Anyone would think I was trying to kill you."
"Stranger things could happen." She smiled at Rose; relieved to see she'd taken her comment as a joke like she'd intended it to be. The dress was removed and Esme moved to the far side of the room and began the embroidery on the dress. Rose pulled two more bags from the closet and rummaged through the contents until she found what she was looking for.
"This is for you to wear under the dress tomorrow." She said; holding up some simple but very revealing underwear and smiling at her as she saw Bella wince. "Jasper will love it when he sees it and you know it."
"Why am I letting you torture me again?" Bella muttered; unable to think of any other response to her sister's comment.
"Because you love me and want to look even more beautiful for Jasper tomorrow." She went back to the bags and pulled something else from within it. "This is for tomorrow night, obviously," she said as she held a tiny gown; in an almost identical shade of green to the dress she was wearing herself in front of her body. "This will definitely get a reaction from him." She said, smiling.
Bella sat down again as she stared at the item she held up; it would barely cover anything and she realized that was probably the point to it. She was pragmatic enough to admit it didn't really matter because she knew she wouldn't be wearing it that long anyway; and knowing her future husband as she did; she probably wouldn't ever have to wear it again either because in all likelihood he would rip it from her body. That thought alone made Bella smile until another thought occurred to her. "When do you think James will turn up?"
The room was silent for several minutes and she knew neither of them knew how to answer her. "Maybe he won't come…" Esme said; the hope evident in her voice.
"He'll turn up." Rose said bitterly, "I don't think Jane intended to mention it because it means we've upped the timeline so we can get the bond in place. I think it'll probably be in a few days' time. Maybe we'll have left before he gets here. You don't need to worry, Bella, everything is going to be okay."
"As long as it works." Bella said quietly.
Rose had set aside the lingerie and was now sitting beside Bella. "Everything will be okay." She said firmly. "We won't let him take you away from us, Bella."
"What if I want to go?" Bella whispered. "What about if this doesn't work and I choose to leave with him. It'll kill Jazz and I don't want to do that to any of you."
Rose hugged her tightly and let Bella dry-sob into her shoulder, "It's gonna be okay, Bella." Esme had walked over upon hearing Bella's words and her hand was rubbing Bella's back.
"Bella, don't let this worry you. Everything will work out the way we want it to."
Bella didn't say anything; her thoughts spiraling as she decided that none of them knew what was going to happen and she just hoped she got to spend some time alone with Jasper before James arrived. She wanted to believe everything would be okay but in her heart she knew that nothing was ever simple or went the way she'd planned in her life; why would now be any different?
TBC
A/N: So there you go. What did you think? Let me know and send a review. Okay, two chapters tomorrow and I think you'll like them. There's more wedding preparations and the meeting with the Volturi leaders.