Chapter Twenty-four
Mynxi is amazing. I love her so.
Twilight is the property of Stephanie Meyer.
BPOV
I was lying on my stomach, knees bent and ankles crossed, staring at the laptop in front of me. Sighing in frustration, I clicked on the final link on the Canadian real estate page I had opened. The others were all out hunting, so I had taken the opportunity to start looking for a house Jasper and I could use for my change and newborn period.
Unfortunately, there isn't high demand for houses in the middle of nowhere, so pickings were slim. Our needs weren't over the top: two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a working hot water heater would do us. However, even that short list was eclipsing the shacks on the market.
A glint in the sunlight caught my eye, and I looked up to see Jasper standing in the door to our room, the afternoon light reflecting off of his face. I felt my stress melt away at the sight of the man I loved so much. He smiled at me and walked into the room.
"What's got your pretty little knickers in a bunch?" he asked in a husky drawl. Peter and Char were definitely rubbing off on his accent and speech, which caused me to lose my train of thought quite frequently due to lust.
"I'm not wearing any knickers," I answered breathlessly. He was beside me on the bed in a flash, his amber eyes darkening to brown, so dark I couldn't see his pupils.
"Is that so?" he asked, raising his eyebrow and running a hand over my ass. My yoga pants quickly revealed the fact that I was telling him the truth.
"I would never lie to you," I teased arching my back and tipping my head up for a kiss. His cool lips met mine, and I smiled against them.
"Better not," he grunted, giving me a light smack on the ass. "Now, tell me what the problem is so I can fix it and then have my wicked way with you," he ordered, tugging me into a sitting position on his lap. I filled him in on my search for a decent temporary home for my change.
"Relax, Sweets," he said, rubbing my shoulders as we looked at the computer together. "I can put Jenks on it. He's probably missed us these last few weeks," he said, grinning down at me. "Why don't I give him a call so you can stop worrying about it?"
"Sounds good," I said, relieved. He stood up and pulled out his cell phone to make the call, quickly filling Jenks in on the situation and our needs. Jenks jumped on it, promising a list of options by the end of the day, and even making tentative plans for us to fly up to northern Canada in two weeks to check things out in person.
"Wow," I said after Jasper had ended the call. "This is real, huh?" Suddenly, my anxiety was back, full force. I wanted nothing more than to spend eternity with Jasper, but the reality that my human life was close to its end was overwhelming.
Jasper reacted immediately, wrapping me in his arms. "Whoa, Sweetheart," he soothed, "Take it easy. We are in no rush here. If you need more time, we'll take more time." His words calmed me, and the sudden anxiety faded away.
"No, I'm okay now," I assured him, leaning back to look at his face. Regret stabbed me when I saw the worry and hesitation in his eyes.
"Are you sure this is what you want, Bella?" he asked in a whisper. "I can't imagine existing without you, but I will never push you to change for me."
My heart broke at the hint of fear in his expression. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if our positions were reversed, and I was facing the possibility of eternity without him.
Kneeling up to bring myself to his level, I took his face in my hands. "I am absolutely certain that I want this," I told him earnestly, brining his hands to my heart as if it would help me push the feelings into him. "I want to be your partner, your equal. I have no doubt that this is the future I want. I got a little overwhelmed by the details for a minute, that's all. It's a big change, and the unknown is scary sometimes, but I'm certain that my future is you."
His face relaxed slightly, and I closed my eyes to mentally remove whatever it was that shielded my emotions from him. "Feel this," I whispered, concentrating on the love I felt for him and how sure I was that I wanted forever with him. I could feel the muscles of his face moving under my fingertips, so I opened my eyes to see his blissed-out smile.
His smiles were precious to me, so I took a few seconds to enjoy the sight before I leaned forward to kiss him. He met me half way with an open mouth, but before he could deepen the kiss, I broke away. He pouted down at me, so I gave him a wink as I leaned back over him to press a wet kiss against the hollow of his neck.
He groaned when I ran my tongue along the scar there, so I continued along his neck until I reached the top of his shirt. Wordlessly, he raised his arms to allow me to tug it off. Obstacle removed, I brought my mouth back down to his chest, giggling when he pulled us both backward so he could recline in bed.
I moved my hands along the hard planes of his chest and abs as I licked and kissed from scar to scar. "I love your scars so much," I said huskily between kisses. "Every single one of them is a reminder of what you've overcome to become the man I love." His hips thrust upward when I brushed the top of his jeans with my fingers, and I smiled, quickly unbuttoning his fly.
"Great minds think alike," I murmured, noticing his lack of underwear. His only response was to hiss my name when I wrapped my hand around his length, pumping him as I sucked on one of his nipples. I continued kissing down his abdomen, alternating between caressing his dick and rolling his balls together as I licked along the V of his groin.
Deciding to be merciful, I stopped teasing and trailed my tongue along his dick, licking the entire length before taking the head into my mouth and sucking. He moaned again and wrapped his fingers gently in my hair. I hummed in approval, smiling around his dick. He was usually hesitant to take charge when I gave him blow jobs, always worrying that he would push too hard. I loved it when he guided me, enjoying the fact that I was helping him pleasure himself, and I was eager for the day when I would be durable enough for him to fuck my mouth.
All too soon, he was tugging me off and up his body. "Want to be inside you," he growled, pulling my tank top and pants off quickly before kicking his jeans off. His fingers dipped inside my folds, making sure I was ready for him, even though he had to realize I was dripping with arousal already.
He quickly pulled me forward so I was straddling him before sliding me slowly down his hard length. I closed my eyes to better enjoy the sensation of being filled by him, smiling at the sound of his throaty moan. Slowly, I moved myself up and down a few times, gasping when he reached up to carefully pinch my nipple between his cool fingers.
"Lean back," he ordered gruffly, gently pushing me backward so that I was leaning on my locked arms. He repositioned my legs so that I was spread open to him, allowing him to tease my clit with his fingers while he thrust in and out of me. Tossing my head back, I moaned at the exquisite sensation, feeling my insides begin to tighten as I drew closer to coming.
"Look how beautiful you are while I fuck you," he said softly. Opening my eyes, I looked down to watch him play with my clit. He picked up the pace of his thrusts, and I moaned again at the sight of his dick moving in and out of my entrance. The tension grew tighter within me, and I bit down on my lip as I tried to move my clit closer to his fingertip.
"Not yet," he teased with a smile, moving his finger away. I keened in protest, but he quickly brought both of his hands to my hips, pushing me further down onto his erection, hitting me just where I needed it. "Right now," he finally commanded, moving one hand to pinch my clit hard.
I screamed his name as my orgasm hit me, rippling from deep inside my body along every nerve ending. He chanted my name back at me and thrust wildly, eventually stiffening as he released inside of me. With the last of my energy, I shifted my legs around and allowed myself to fall on top of him, chest to chest.
"I can feel your heart beat inside me," he said softly, his deep voice rumbling against my ear.
"Will you miss it when it doesn't beat anymore?" I asked idly, as the thought popped in my head.
He gently tipped my head up to meet his earnest gaze. "I'll guess I will miss the sound some, Bella, but it will be so worth it to know you're mine forever. I love you. I love you now while you're soft, and warm, and fragile. I'll love you just as much when you're not so soft and not so breakable. Besides, vampires have perfect memories, so I'll never forget how it felt and what it sounded like while you were human."
"Will I remember?" I asked hesitantly, unsure I wanted the answer. Nothing would change my mind about becoming a vampire, but I hated the thought of forgetting my human life.
"Everyone's different," he answered gently. "Carlisle remembers much of his human experiences, while my human memories are just flashes here and there." Tears pricked my eyes, and I turned my head, not wanting him to think I was having second thoughts. "Don't worry, Bella," he ordered, pulling my face back toward his. "You have me. I'll help you remember."
"Thank you," I whispered, resting my head back on his chest. We spent a few minutes cuddling before he carried me off to the shower. Peter and Char returned home not long after we finished cleaning ourselves up, and we all spent a fun evening playing Wii.
Feeling drowsy, I excused myself to bed early in the evening. Jasper offered to come to bed with me, but I just gave him a kiss and told him to stay downstairs and have fun kicking Peter's ass at whatever shooting game they were playing. He agreed, and I drifted off to sleep remembering how happy he looked while he relaxed with his family.
I woke up alone in the early morning light, immediately wracked with chills and unable to swallow around the rawness in my throat. Every muscle ached, and I moaned as I tried to wrap the blankets tighter around my body. I hadn't had a cold since I'd moved to New York in the fall, but apparently this one would make up for all the misery I'd missed out on during my winter of good health.
I heard the door to our room open. "Bella?" Jasper called softly. I knew I should answer, but I just couldn't draw the necessary energy to do so. "Are you okay? I heard you groaning." In the next moment, he was next to me on the bed, his hand shockingly cold when he pressed it against my face.
"Shit, Sweetheart, you're burning up," he muttered, brushing my hair out of my face. "I should have checked on you earlier. I just didn't want to wake you up…"
"It's okay," I whispered. "It's just a cold." I intended to continue reassuring him, but a fresh wave of chills hit me and I was unable to continue speaking. Huddling in the covers, I vaguely registered the sound of Peter knocking on the open door.
"What's up?" he asked Jasper, his voice uncharacteristically somber.
"She's sick," Jasper answered tersely. "She says it's a cold, but she's burning up. Grab me a couple Advil from the bathroom, would ya?"
Peter was back in a flash and Jasper gently helped me into a sitting position, steadying the water glass when my hands shook.
"You don't look so good, Little Bird," Peter said, his red eyes full of concern.
"Thanks, Peter," I mumbled. "It's just a cold." I allowed myself to slide back down into the covers, hoping they would take a hint and give me some peace and quiet. That hope was dashed when Charlotte blew into the room like a small tornado.
She began firing a barrage of questions at me, which I patently ignored. Jasper answered to the best of his knowledge, and the three vampires fell into some sort of conversation about the severity of my symptoms and the chances that my illness was serious in nature. They were grating on my last nerve, but I finally put two and two together when I heard them whispering words like "influenza", "hospital", and "sudden death" back and forth to each other.
"Guys, it's the twenty-first century. Human medicine has come a long way, and there is no need to panic over a cold," I rasped out. "If I'm not better in a few days, I'll go to a doctor and get some antibiotics. This isn't the Spanish flu; no one is dying here today."
"Now Bella," Char said gently, "Some people have died from that pig flu this year, so I think we need to be careful, Sugar."
"She hasn't been around any pigs," Peter exclaimed indignantly. That comment struck my funny bone even in the midst of my misery, and I laughed out loud. I paid for my mistake with a coughing fit that left me gasping for breath. When I recovered, I filled Peter in on the interspecies transmission of H1N1.
"I don't need a hospital," I emphasized to the little crowd of worried vampires hovering over me. "I need fluids and rest. If you need something to do, you can go buy me some NyQuil or something." Rolling away, I wrapped myself up in the comforter again, hoping to make my desire for peace and quiet evident.
Char muttered something about chicken soup and Peter volunteered to go to the pharmacy. I felt Jasper's weight shift on the bed as he lay down next to me. He tucked the blankets securely around me before wrapping an arm around my body. I drifted back to sleep to the relaxing sensation of his fingers gently running through my hair.
He woke me several times to sip warm tea and take a few bites of the soup that Charlotte had made for me. Peter returned with a package of every cold medicine available for purchase and I smiled weakly while the three of them argued about which miracle medicine would be best. I finally demanded good, old fashioned NyQuil just to shut them up before I drifted back into a feverish sleep.
My dreams were vivid and disturbing, and Jasper woke me several times to soothe me, his eyes full of worry each time. At first, I tried to minimize my misery, but by the time the sun rose I was moaning weakly in discomfort. Everything hurt, and it was becoming difficult to inhale without coughing.
"I'm takin' you to the doctor, Sweetheart," Jasper told me quietly, moving the blankets away and assisting me into a sitting position. I nodded my agreement, leaning against him while he and Charlotte helped me put on a pair of yoga pants and some shoes. They slid my heavy coat over my arms, and Jasper picked me up to carry me out to the car.
Sitting in the backseat with Jasper, I clung tight to his shirt during the short ride into town. Peter and Charlotte were silent in the front; even in my fevered mindset I realized how worried they were. I knew I was far from critically ill, but I just felt too awful to try to reassure them.
Peter pulled the SUV into the parking lot for the urgent care office and climbed out to open my door. Jasper began to lift me out, but I stopped him. "I can walk, Jasper. If you carry me in there, they'll probably call an ambulance or something."
Peter mumbled something about an ambulance being a good idea, but thankfully Jasper didn't argue with me. He carefully handed me out the door to Peter, who held me tightly until Jasper was out of the car and back at my side. Leaning heavily on Jasper, I made my way to the door and into the clinic. The waiting room was mercifully empty and before long I was sitting on the exam table facing the kind, middle aged physician.
He gave me a thorough exam before agreeing that I probably had swine flu and prescribing Tamiflu. He was patient, although confused by, Jasper's state of near panic and did his best to ease his fears. He explained that I should be feeling much better by the end of the day tomorrow after the antiviral medication and that within the week I would be completely recovered.
"He never gets sick," I explained to the doctor, "So he thinks it's the end of the world when I do." The doctor smiled and made some comment about love sick boyfriends before sending us on our way. I slept the entire way home, completely unaware when Jasper carried me back to bed and tucked me in.
I spent another restless night, waking up only to sip liquids and pee before Jasper soothed me back to sleep. When I woke the next day, I felt slightly better and asked for some toast with my tea. The three of them looked so relieved that I was better, I felt bad about how much they had worried for me.
"You don't understand, Bella," Jasper said softly, running his hand through my hair as I lounged beside him on the bed, Peter and Charlotte sitting comfortably at the foot. "Flu was a killer when I was human. I don't remember much about my 'life', but I remember being afraid of influenza."
"Even before I was changed in the forties, it was a big deal," Peter chimed in.
"I know, I know," I answered impatiently. "However, I'm sure being a part of Maria's bad ass army didn't include keeping up to date on human medical progress, which has been vast since then. Not saying another flu epidemic is impossible," I clarified, "But I'm clearly out of danger for the time being."
Jasper snorted and Peter made a smart comment about me being constantly in danger. I rolled my eyes and demanded more of Charlotte's soup, which was surprisingly good. She beamed when I complimented her, admitting that it was her mother's recipe and the only thing she truly remembered cooking as a human.
After finishing my soup, I was more than ready for a nap, so Jasper shooed the two of them out and let me get some rest. When I awoke, I was achy and miserable again, so Jasper got me more Advil and helped me into the shower. It felt great while I was under the water, but I was wracked with chills when I stepped into the cold air.
He wrapped me up in blankets and got me more hot tea before rubbing my back through the heavy blankets. "I won't miss this after I'm changed, that's for sure," I groaned.
He laughed lightly in agreement and I smiled as I drifted off to sleep. I slept the night through and woke up feeling much better the next morning. Jasper's relief at my improvement was written all over his face, but his eyes were black and rimmed with deep shadows.
"You need to go hunt," I ordered softly, running my fingertips over the purplish skin under his eyes. He didn't put up much of an argument, taking off with Peter for company while I headed downstairs to eat breakfast. Charlotte joined me at the table with a stack of recipe books while I ate my toast, eager to plan our next culinary project together. We spent a very pleasant hour together before I noticed that she was looking intently out the window.
"What is it?" I asked casually, trying to brush off the ominous feeling creeping over me.
"Someone's outside," she answered shortly as she stood and walked to the large back window. "Vampire," she continued, confirming my worst fears, "and one who's tryin' to be sneaky from the sound of it."
I sat frozen at the table, watching her dart from window to window, her face serious as she looked for more signs of the interloper. Grabbing her cell phone from the living room, she joined me in the kitchen again. "I don't like it, and I'm gonna call Peter back here," she said firmly, her expression grim. I nodded wordlessly in agreement, trying to focus around the panic that threatened to overwhelm me.
She held the phone up to her face, but before she could speak, the front door crashed into the living room. Char whisked me out of the chair and into a corner before crouching down in front of me. The invading vampire ran into towards us, coming to a stop mere feet from Charlotte.
I took a ragged breath as I looked up into the face of the vampire I had given my heart to back in Forks. His appearance had altered since I had seen him last, his wild bronze hair the only unchanged feature I noticed. His onyx eyes stared back at me from his gaunt face, his expression agonized. He reached out a hand toward me, completely ignoring Charlotte's presence.
"Bella, love, come with me," he said softly. My stomach sinking, I realized we were about to become players in a major drama. I sat unmoving on the floor, holding tight to Charlotte's vibrating body. Edward frowned at me and took a half step forward. Charlotte growled and crouched tighter, so I quickly released my grip on her.
"I can't imagine what Jasper was thinking when he brought you here to them," he said in a puzzled tone. "But I'm here now, and I'll take you somewhere safe."
Finally breaking free of the shocked paralysis that had overtaken me, I shook my head negatively. "No, Edward, I'm not leaving with you. This is my home, and Charlotte is part of my family," I said, my voice soft but clear.
Disbelief spread over his face. "What do you mean this is your family? Bella, these vampires are dangerous to you. You belong with me, Bella," he insisted, trying to step around Charlotte's protective body.
Char reached one hand behind her to help me from the floor. Edward stared at her, clearly trying to read her thoughts. Her face was taught in concentration as she attempted to block him.
"Music and foreign language work best," I murmured quietly, hoping we could keep Edward in the dark long enough for Peter and Jasper to return home.
Edward tried to step around Charlotte again, and she finally spoke to him. "You need to back the fuck up, Cullen. You're not in control, and she said she doesn't want to go with you, so she's not goin' anywhere."
His face twisted with rage at her words, he snarled at Charlotte, "You will never keep her from me!"
Before I could react to his ridiculous statement, he lunged for Char. She sprung deftly away from him, using her petite stature to evade his blatant attack. She glanced at me and nodded her head toward the other side of the island, so I quickly scooted myself there, hoping to stay out of Charlotte's way without putting myself in Edward's hands.
He recovered quickly and sprang at Charlotte again, but this time rather than stepping away, she used her body as a pivot point for his momentum and tossed him violently into the stainless steel refrigerator. The appliance caved in around the impact of his body, but he was on his feet again in seconds, leaping over my hiding spot and knocking the pot rack off of the ceiling in his charge toward my sister.
I covered my head with my hands as the pots and pans rained down around me and began to scoot backward out of the kitchen area. Edward saw my movement and changed direction abruptly, reaching a hand out toward my retreating legs.
"You're going to hurt her, you fool," Charlotte growled at him, diving forward to grab him just before he reached me. She landed a fierce kick to his midsection, which propelled him back across the room. Shaking his head, he sprang for her yet again, and I wondered if he would ever stop.
Char's year of fighting for Maria had left her very prepared, and she held her own against him. Leaving him to the offense, she simply reacted to every type of attack he used, moving on reflex alone so that he couldn't read her thoughts to anticipate her moves. Their movements became a blur to me, but I gradually recognized that Char was struggling against the disadvantage of trying to keep both of them away from me.
Edward seemed temporarily unaware of my existence, and several times I had to duck quickly to avoid impact when he jumped near me. On the other hand, Charlotte was constantly checking my position and doing her best to direct the battle away from me. Finally, the situation caught up with her, and Edward landed a shattering blow to her face.
I watched in horror as fracture lines appeared across her cheek and she fell to the floor. Still quick to react, she rolled away from Edward, but I could tell the blow had shaken her. I quickly crawled over to her, ignoring her when she told me to run. Taking her hand in mine, I turned to face Edward, who was stalking toward us, his gaze fixed on Charlotte.
"Stop this, Edward," I begged, fear for my friend causing a cold weight in my stomach. Without speaking he whipped his hand out and grabbed my free arm. Before I could react, he tugged me sharply toward him.
"No! Bella let go of me!" Charlotte screamed, but it was too late. I felt the pop before I felt the pain of my shoulder joint separating from the force of Edward's pull. The world went grey for a moment, as the pain ran over me in waves. I faintly noticed that Edward had released my arm and was now lying on the ground near me. I heard Charlotte speaking rapidly to someone and realized that Peter had returned home.
Finally, my overwhelmed brain processed the fact that someone was repeating my name urgently.
"Bella," the voice pleaded again, and I forced my face to turn toward the sound. I smiled slightly at the sight of Jasper's face and reached up with my good arm to touch his cheek.
"I knew you'd come for me," I whispered, the pain from my shoulder making me breathless. A tear escaped from my eye as fear began to bubble up through the shock I was experiencing. "He tried to take me, Jasper," I gasped. "And he hurt Char." The sobs broke through and I collapsed against him.
He wrapped me in his arms, ignoring the growls Edward was now making from the floor. Standing he walked me over to the couch, sitting me down next to Charlotte. Peter was kneeling in front of her, running his fingertips gently over her injured face.
"It's okay, Bella," she said softly. "I'll be good as new once I get a chance to hunt." I nodded my understanding at her, but even my relief that she wasn't seriously injured couldn't stop my tears. Suddenly, Peter and Jasper both shifted their positions, clearly picking up some sound that my human ears missed.
"Well now," a voice with a heavy Scottish accent called out, "it appears that I might've come at a bad time. I'm Malcolm, and I hear tell that you're lookin' for me."
AN- thanks for the wonderful reviews last chapter! They really motivated me to write quickly!
So, anyone from Scotland reading this? If so, I could use some help with Malcom's dialog. I'd like some input on how to write the accent accurately. I wasn't able to find what I needed online. PM me if you'd be interested in helping!
Dearest MM- hope you're completely recovered from your sexy shopping trip! Maybe someday we can go together *waggles eyebrows suggestively*! Thanks for everything you do and say to keep me sane!
Finally, go read BaltiK and Pheonix1855's collaboration, Obsessed. It's AH, BxJ with a twist that rocked my socks! Leave them love- their story is woefully underappreciated in the reviews department!
Love you all,
Heavy