AN: My apologies, folks, but it's spring break, and I'm busy with my family this week, so updates are going to be sporadic. I don't have any internet where we are staying, so the only time I can get online is when I go to the local McDonald's and use their free wifi. I'll try to get at least one more chapter out before the weekend, and then next week will back to regular updates. Thanks!

Chapter 31 - Hunting

I didn't bother trying to hide my snickers as Peter and Charlotte slowly joined Bella and me out in the backyard, dragging their feet like toddlers heading off to bed or teenagers told to take out the trash. Their emotions were so full of reluctance, nervousness, and dread, it was as if they were facing a firing squad.

"Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad," I taunted. "It's not like we told ya to eat human food."

"I'm not sure that wouldn't be better," Peter grumbled. Char smacked him on the arm, giving him a warning look.

"Well, in that case, we should arrange a comparison," I teased, my eyes gleaming with amusement. "I'm sure Emmett wouldn't mind setting up a taste test for ya."

Char glared at Peter, her expression clearly shouting 'I told you so.' For his part, Peter was disgusted. He immediately began shaking his head.

"That won't be necessary, thanks. I'm gonna pass on that one. I did my fair share of tasting shit when I was a newborn, and unlike Emmett, I learned my lesson quickly and permanently," he declared emphatically. "Fine, no more complaints about the animal blood. It may taste shitty, but at least it's blood."

I grinned at his expression of disgust. Grabbing Bella's hand, I led the way into the forest, Peter and Char on our heels. We ran for a few miles before my senses alerted me to a herd of deer about a half a mile away to the northeast. Signaling for the others to be quiet, I adjusted our pace and direction accordingly.

We snuck up on the herd, silent as ghosts. Thinking back on the amount of teasing and crap Pete and Char had given me over the years for my animal blood diet, I decided to play a little trick of my own. Wrapping my arms around Bella to hold her back, I sent her a little mischievousness and amusement to let her know I was about to mess with the others. She turned her head and smirked up at me, resting her back on my chest, content to remain in my embrace for the time being.

I flooded the herd with lethargy, trust, peace, and calm, quickly overloading their systems with it. As soon as I saw a few eyelids start to droop I turned to Char and whispered, "You go first, Char. Try to sneak up on one of them and grab them gently. If you're quiet enough, you won't spook the rest of the herd, and we'll all have a chance to feed."

She nodded, filled with grim determination, and slowly approached the nearest doe. She was feeling smug and full of pride as she reached for it, no doubt certain she was a natural. As soon as she touched it, it swung its head to look at her with its big brown doe eyes. Thanks to the emotional overload I'd just sent, overwhelming it's synapses, it had a greatly delayed response. In fact, it appeared to be trusting, peaceful, calm, and content as it met Char's eyes. To my great amusement, it even nuzzled its velvety soft muzzle and cold, wet nose up against Char's cheek. It may have even licked her, though I wasn't entirely sure.

I was doing my utmost best not to project my amusement as Char, overcome by feelings of awe, began petting the doe instead of eating it. Naturally, Peter couldn't resist the sight of Char treating the deer like a beloved pet instead of dinner, and he raced out there just as my emotional mischief wore off, allowing the entire herd to respond naturally to the presence of two dangerous predators in their midst. They took off like rockets, leaving Peter confused and disappointed and Char pouting.

"Ya scared them off, ya idiot! Why'd ya do that?" she fussed, smacking his chest.

"How the hell didja get the deer to just stand there and let ya pet it?" Peter demanded, awestruck. "Do ya think ya have a gift with animals?"

Char wrinkled her brow and shook her head in the negative. "I don't thinks so. I've never had an animal let me approach it like that."

"Didja ever try? Or didja just figure they wouldn't, so ya didn't notice?" Pete wondered. "It's not like we've spent much time around animals, after all."

"Well, none of the ones that ran through the backyard wanted anything to do with me," Char declared, biting her lip.

"Yeah, but they were already runnin' for their lives," Pete pointed out to her. "They were already scared and woulda run from anything at that point. Besides, I was standin' right next to ya, so they woulda been scared of me anyway."

She shrugged, nibbling her lip now. "I guess."

Peter clapped his hands with excitement. "We should do some experiments!"

She furrowed her brow, before groaning, "But how am I supposed to eat 'em when they look up at me with trust in their big, innocent eyes?"

Ha! Payback for all the times they teased my Bella for not wanting to kill any puppies or kitties.

Bella laughed, recognizing her opportunity. "Does this mean we can have a pet after all, Momma?"

Char smiled at Bella sheepishly. "Okay, I can understand your point of view now, but you know as well as I do, if we try to keep an animal at the house, it'll either die of fright or get eaten by one of the family members in a moment of hunger."

"Does this mean yer gonna swear off deer, like Bella swears off canines and felines?" Peter demanded with a grimace.

"At least the humans we ate were all guilty as sin, and ya could see their black souls in the depths of their eyes," Char muttered in protest. "That deer looks so sweet and cute and innocent . . ."

Peter huffed and rolled his eyes. "They're called 'doe eyes' for a reason, doll."

"Like puppy eyes," Bella agreed, nodding her head.

Peter frowned, aggravated that his point had backfired. "I meant, that they look innocent, but that doesn't mean they are. It's just us personifying them, granting them emotions and morals they don't have."

I grinned, "Oh, absolutely, Pete. Why, that doe was far from innocent. She seduced the buck away from her sister, and I have it on good authority that she has been waving her tail in a suggestive manner to any and all male deer, elk, moose, and reindeer that manage to cross her path. Not only that, but she seems to have a shady deal going with the local fox. I've seen them making exchanges of small packages in odd locations, looking around furtively to make sure none of the rest of the deer are watching."

Peter just stared at me as if I'd grown another head. "You are so full of shit," he deadpanned. "You're not helping here, veggie boy."

I smirked and shrugged my shoulders. Bella smiled up at me, her eyes full of adoration. She loved it whenever I was acting playful, which only encouraged me to be more outrageous than I would normally.

"You're both full of shit," Char growled, throwing up her hands in frustration. "That does it! I'd rather eat evil people than innocent animals!"

Bella raised her eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "I'm telling. I'm gonna tell Mommy and Daddy you didn't even try animal blood AND that both you and Papa said the 's' word."

Char was shocked at her own slip, using a cussword in front of the baby, and clapped her hand over her mouth in remorse. Like that would actually help. Isn't that like shuttin' the barn door after the cows got out?

Peter winced and approached us cautiously, hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Now, sugar, there's no need to be hasty. Ya don't wanna be a tattletale, now do ya?"

Bella stuck her tongue out at him. "Mommy's gonna wash yer mouth out with dish soap!" she chanted in an annoying sing song. Esme had done that to Bella the first time she used foul language she'd learned from a careless Emmett, and my sweet girl never made that mistake again. In fact, Esme had gotten Emmett with the dish soap too, and he swore he couldn't get the taste out of his mouth for a week. Needless to say, he's a lot more conscientious of his language around Bella now.

Both Peter and Charlotte were horrified at the prospect of Esme getting them when they least expected it, squirting dish soap into their mouths to teach them a lesson. That's what Esme had done to Emmett. She didn't bother trying to hold him down. She simply waited until he was fully engaged in his favorite video game, and he started yelling at the screen like usual, then snuck up behind him and shot the stuff into his open mouth before he even realized she was there. It wasn't just a drop either, like she carefully put on Bella's tongue. No, she squeezed that bottle with her vampire strength and shot a good stream right into her target, though she'd gotten a good amount all over the rest of him too. Yeah, we all felt a deeper respect toward Esme after that, as well as a healthy dose of fear about triggering her maternal protective instincts.

Pete and Char began begging and pleading, offering Bella all sorts of bribes to keep her mouth shut. Bella just giggled, enjoying their wild promises of cars, motorcycles, speedboats, and cabins in the country.

Bella squeezed my hands and looked up at me with her own red 'doe eyes' and sweetly asked, "When are ya gonna tell them, JasPurr?"

"Tell us what?" Peter inquired suspiciously. Char narrowed her eyes, trying to stare me down.

I simply smirked, not intending to say anything, but Bella blurted it out anyway. "That he was just messing with Char and the herd. He sent them an emotional whammy right before he sent Char out to catch one."

"You're not supposed to tell 'em, darlin'," I protested, not really upset with her. "Now I'm gonna hafta get you for ruinin' my fun."

I proceeded to tickle her mercilessly, having her writhing and laughing in seconds.

"Momma! Papa! Help!" she shrieked, in between helpless giggles. "Save me from the Tickle Monster!"

Bella's giggles and laughter always brought a smile to our faces, no matter what was going on in our lives at the time. If I could bottle it up and sell it as an antidepressant, I'd make another fortune, hands down. People would be lining up to get their hands on it.

Peter and Char were now grinning at us, their earlier panic mostly forgotten, though it still fluttered beneath the surface.

"I tell ya what, princess. We'll rescue ya, if ya promise not to tell anybody anything we said on this huntin' trip today," Peter offered. "Deal?"

"Deal!" Bella quickly agreed. Truthfully, she could get away by herself if she really wanted. I wasn't holding her against her will, but this was all part of the fun. I allowed Peter and Char to attack me and hold me down, while Bella quickly moved to turn the tables on me. She straddled my hips and proceeded to tickle my underarms and sides, laughing just as hard as she was when I was tickling her. I wasn't really ticklish like she was, but her giggles and guffaws triggered my own, thanks to my gift, so she was able to believe she had me at her mercy anyway.

It wasn't the first time we'd played this game, but there was a slight change this time. When she decided I'd had enough, she paused, with her hands on my chest, and looked at me. Whatever she saw caused a very brief, but distinct, tinge of self-conscious awareness. She jumped up off of me, and I was hit with her nervous uncertainty and embarrassment.

"Let's go hunt!" I enthusiastically suggested, jumping to my feet and taking her hand in mine, not wanting her to feel awkward or uncomfortable around me.

She smiled up at me, relaxing, and we ran after the wayward herd. Peter and Charlotte remained unaware of our little exchange, but I treasured it close to my heart. It was the first time she had thought of me as a man and herself as a woman. She was going through 'puberty', but without the normal human aspects that drove girls crazy, thank heavens. She still had a ways to go before she'd be ready for mating and all that implied, but she had taken that first crucial step on her journey from girlhood to womanhood.

xxxxxxx

AN: I know some of you were dying for some confrontations, but hey, we can all use a little fluff now and then, right? At least there was a bit of progress there for Bella and Jasper too.