AN: Well, the good news is that this is the longest chapter yet - over 10,000 words! There was so much to cover, that it took a while to get it all done. Oh, and I hope none of you are allergic to citrus, because the Major suddenly decided to get just a tiny bit frisky . . .
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Chapter 39 - Family Reactions
"Punish her, Daddy!" Bella demanded fiercely, pointing at Kate but speaking directly to Carlisle. "Punish her for trying to steal MY Jasper!"
Carlisle was filled with concern, guilt, and jubilation all at the same time. I'm still her Daddy, even with Charlie here! He thought, the cause of his joy. I need to get Kate out of here, before Bella attacks her! I didn't think to warn her that Jasper was Bella's mate now. I never expected her to make a move on Jasper, though I can understand why she would, thinking perhaps to console him over his loss of Alice. These thoughts were the reason for his concern and guilt. Poor Bella is on a hair trigger right now and could easily lose it. If she allows her instincts to take over, she'll attack anyone who approaches them, and with Jasper's gift, if she feels threatened, his own instincts will kick in, and we could all end up in pieces before they regain rational thought.
He jumped to his feet to begin an intervention, hoping to prevent anyone getting hurt. "Everyone needs to leave now. Back out slowly, please," he quietly commanded, his voice resonating with authority.
Realizing what happened and how volatile the current situation was, Tanya grabbed hold of Kate and started backing out of the room, pushing Billy behind her the whole way. Esme gently grasped Kate's hand, moving her body to block Bella's view of Kate, and helping Tanya to get her out safely.
Watching their slow, careful progress, Jake smoothly got up to join them, sneering at the hostile Bella, with venom dripping down her chin as she bared her teeth and snarled warningly to everyone. What the hell is wrong with her? She's acting like an animal! Ew, she's disgusting! She's worse than a feral dog. That is definitely not my Bella! I don't even want to imagine taking that thing to bed, he thought disparagingly. She'd be liable to turn on me and try to bite me while we were going at it. I guess my Bella truly is gone. This creature she's become, part child/part wild, savage beast, is gruesome. I don't want any part of her now.
Jasper's secret plan had been working most effectively. He had steadily been increasing the negative emotions Jake felt immediately following any lust directed Bella's way and allowing those unpleasant sensations to diminish or disappear as soon as the lust disappeared. Over the course of the time they'd sat there talking, Jacob's body and mind had quickly determined that thinking of Bella in a lustful way was something to be avoided. Seeing her behave like a vampire and not a human, had been the final nail on the coffin of his physical attraction to her.
Charlie, startled and alarmed by his daughter's strange reaction, ignored Carlisle's calm command and moved toward Bella instead. As soon as he moved toward the couple, trying to get around behind Carlisle, he crossed the invisible border line of Bella's comfort level and encroached into what her instincts identified as 'dangerous territory'. She issued a deep warning growl, her alarm instantly triggering Jasper's instincts to move into protective mode.
Within the next two seconds, all the vampires still remaining in the room had drastically changed positions. Peter and Charlotte, along with Rosalie and Emmett, were desperately dragging a struggling, protesting Charlie out of the room. Carlisle had moved to block the doorway, not allowing anybody past him into the room. He was in a protective crouch, his back to Jasper and Bella, carefully indicating to the Major that he was on their side.
Jasper was in full Major mode, with Bella carefully sequestered in the corner of the room away from the windows. He was crouched protectively in front of her, snarling viciously, pressing his backside into her, needing to feel that she was safe behind him. Bella had her arms wrapped around him, pressing herself against him, chanting, "MINE! MINE! MINE!" under her breath, while randomly leaning forward to kiss his back. Major's black eyes carefully assessed the situation around them, ensuring his mate's safety. He noted Carlisle's stance and position, confident in Carlisle's loyalty, due to him presenting his back to the enraged Major, trusting him not to attack while he was vulnerable and distracted. Our mate's Daddy is protecting her with me, as first line of defense. Good man. We will keep him close to us, Major's thoughts strategized. He also noticed how Peter, Char, Rose, and Emmett were keeping the one who'd made Bella feel threatened from getting any closer to them. Our trusted brethren are helping keep her safe too. They shall be rewarded for their efforts on her behalf. This foolish man will not be allowed to upset our mate ever again.
Relaxing now that the situation was under control, and there was no longer any reason for his mate to feel threatened, Major set about calming her the way only a mate can. Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her over to the chair he'd been sitting in before. With her curled up in the fetal position in his lap, his arms wrapped around her securely to help her feel safe and protected, he began to purr.
Hearing the purring, Carlisle allowed himself to relax as well, knowing the Major was now calm enough not to rip his head off without provocation. He stayed by the doorway, not leaving the two alone, knowing his presence would help remind the Major not to claim his mate yet. After an incident like this, where vampires felt their mates had been threatened, it was normal for them to check each other for injuries, sans clothes, and then proceed to remind each other how much they love each other in a very physically intimate way. The Major's mating instincts would be calling for him to do this with Bella, but his possessive instincts would make him very hesitant to disrobe his mate in front of another male, not wanting to expose her naked assets to Carlisle's view. This internal struggle with conflicting instincts would force the Major to evaluate the situation rationally, rather than acting instinctively. His rational mind would then remember his mate's immature emotional status and resist doing anything that could potentially cause emotional damage, scare her, or push her away. So despite his longing to check on Esme to make sure his own mate was uninjured, he stayed in the room with Jasper and Bella.
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Outside, in the front yard, Esme was busy talking with Kate, calming her down and apologizing. "I'm so sorry, dear. None of us thought to warn you that Bella is now Jasper's mate, due to the trauma Edward put her through before her change. Obviously, Jasper hasn't claimed her yet, since she is still mentally a pre-teen or young teenager. He is waiting for her to reach emotional adulthood, which we all fully expect to happen, likely within the next month. Her growth seems to come in sudden spurts, so it's hard to guess exactly how long it will take for her to age another five to six years worth."
Kate scowled, feeling frustrated, disappointed, and lonely. Why did he have to be mated already? Why couldn't I have had a little time with him first? Wait, he can't claim his mate for another couple of weeks . . . "Hey, he must be feeling rather tense, considering he is around his mate, but can't claim her," Kate murmured, glancing over at Esme to gauge her response.
Esme had no idea Kate had ulterior motives in discussing this, so she naively continued the discussion, pleased that Kate seemed to be snapping out of her shock and disappointment. "Oh, yes, I do believe it is difficult, though she's certainly worth it, of course. I can't imagine looking at Carlisle, watching him, and not being able to touch him the way I want. Jasper would never do anything to upset or hurt his mate, so he'd never push her into anything she wasn't ready for yet."
"Maybe it would help if he were to spend a little time away from her then, giving her time to finish growing without having to sit back, unable to do anything but watch," Kate suggested. "We have plenty of room at our house, and with our new members, there'll be plenty of interesting things going on to distract him."
Esme chuckled and patted Kate's hand. "That's sweet of you to offer, dear, but it doesn't work that way. You wouldn't realize it, since you've never been mated and your sisters are so new to their own mated status that you probably haven't been able to get them alone long enough to ask any questions. It is physically painful for mates to be parted. The longer they are apart, the worse the pain. Given time, it will even surpass the burn of the change and can drive vampires insane. That's why it's so important not to ever come between two mates. They will destroy anyone and everyone in an attempt to get back to one another."
Kate furrowed her brow, expressing doubt and confusion. "But Carlisle works long hours at the hospital, and that doesn't seem to bother you."
Esme giggled and grinned. "What you don't realize is that I visit him at the hospital at least once during his shift. Plus, we talk on the phone about every two hours on top of that. If he's going to be there for more than eight hours, I actually visit him more than once, as it starts to get distractingly painful after four hours. We are usually able to go that long away from one another, because we each keep a piece of cloth with us that has been deliberately scented by our mate. Breathing in your mate's concentrated scent helps fool your body into believing they are nearby. Haven't you ever wondered why I don't have a job too? Housewives are becoming a rare breed in this day and age, however, it would be much harder on us if I weren't able to drop everything and go to him whenever either of us needs it."
Kate frowned, unhappy with this news. She knew mates were bonded, but hadn't realized they were quite so dependent on one another. Still, four hours would be long enough to have a little fun. "I didn't realize mates needed to be in each other's pockets like that. I think that might drive me crazy. I suppose we all should have realized then that Alice wasn't Jasper's mate, considering her shopping trips frequently lasted all day."
It was Esme's turn to frown as she considered it. "I suppose you're right. We all figured they were using some of the same tricks Carlisle and I do, to allow us to be away from each other longer. We also thought Alice's gift allowed her to feel more secure, because she could effectively keep an eye on her mate at all times, so she always knew he was safe. On Jasper's side, we figured his empathy allowed him the ability to remember the feel of his mate's love, which would help him push aside his fears and pain, filling himself with her positive emotions as if she were still in the house with him. We never asked either of them though, which it's obvious now we should have."
Kate nodded, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Well, Jasper is welcome to come over any time, even if it is for just a short visit. A couple of hours away from his mate would probably help with the impatience he must be feeling."
Esme smirked and shook her head. "Oh, no, honey, that would only make it worse. You know newly mated vampires are the worst, but he's even worse than that. Since the mating process has already begun, which started as soon as their eyes met and their souls recognized one another, every aspect of his being is begging to lay claim to her and mark her as his own. He has to fight that instinct every second of every day, which is enough to make even a saint become hostile and grumpy. The only thing keeping him sane while we were all talking inside the house earlier, and Bella was running around outside with the white wolf, was the fact that he could sense her emotions the entire time. She instinctively stays within the range of his gift, which extends well past the limits of our hearing, especially for her. He could tell by her emotions that she was happy and safe while she was out of sight."
Kate decided to be more direct, since Esme hadn't caught on to any of the innuendo in her suggestions. "Well, I'd be more than happy to meet him somewhere outside of Bella's hearing and relieve his tensions for him. She'd never even have to know."
Esme's eyes widened and then her face hardened, her molten honey eyes becoming cold and hard. "I can't believe you even considered that. Should I keep an eye out for Carlisle? Should I warn Rose to keep Emmett out of your path? Why on earth would you even think about trying to cause a serious rift in our family, by trying to tempt Jasper to betray Bella? It's obvious you know very little of mates. Otherwise, you would already know that a mated male vampire is incapable of achieving an erection without the scent of his mate's arousal. His body wouldn't respond to yours anyway."
Kate was shocked and slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry, Esme. I had no idea. I didn't think they could be truly bonded until he claims and marks her."
Esme sighed and eased up a bit. "I understand it's hard being the only single one in a large group of couples. I know it can lead you to make desperate, foolish choices. We all learned that from Edward, so please try to relax and think before you act. I'd really hate for you to do something to cause Carlisle to banish you from our family as well."
Kate recognized that statement as both a concern and a warning. She felt ashamed that she had let her fear of being alone cloud her judgment. She had never gone after another woman's man before, and she certainly didn't plan to start now. She'd been able to handle it fine when Irina found Laurent, since she and Tanya were still in the same boat and could commiserate with one another whenever the new couple's lovey-dovey stuff got overwhelming. She now understood that the realization she was the last of her sisters to find someone, that she could be alone, truly alone, for another thousand years before finding her own mate, had driven her into a panicked desperation that had led her to deliberately seek out a companion, with a level of aggression she had never used in the past.
She had lost sight of her own morals, integrity, and dignity in her frenzied effort to ward off her fear of a mateless future. Visions of the brooding prude Edward Cullen had floated through her mind, likening herself to him in his decades of suffering, being surrounded by happy, loving couples. Something within her had reacted in horror at the thought of becoming like him, worse than an old bitter harpy with dozens of house cats, and had sent her into overdrive to find a solution before it was too late. She figured it was likely similar to the feeling a woman in her early thirties gets when she looks around and realizes all her childhood friends are now married with children or children on the way. Her biological clock starts ticking, making her suddenly feel the overwhelming need to find a husband and start a family as quickly as possible. Seeing her sisters all happily mated, had triggered her need to find that happiness for herself, whereas before she'd been fairly content with her independence and the transitory affections of the human males who swooned for her beauty.
Having come to this conclusion after a brief bout of soul searching, Kate turned back to Esme with a contrite smile. "I'm so sorry, Esme. Tanya's mating on the heels of Irina's mating overwhelmed me, and I lost myself for a little while, allowing my fear of loneliness to control me. I knew I wasn't anybody's most important person anymore, now that both my sisters had mates of their own. You needn't worry anymore though. I'm in control of myself once again, and I'd never do anything to hurt you or anybody else in your family. I don't covet other women's men, whether human or vampire, and I'd lost sight of what truly mattered in my panicked haze. I'll apologize to Bella personally after she's calmed down, so she knows I'm not a threat to her or Jasper."
Esme smiled warmly and gave Kate a big hug. "Thank you, dear. Try to remember that you are somebody's most important person, even though we don't know who it is right now. Don't lose hope - you'll find your special someone too, eventually."
Kate gave her a weak smile, knowing Esme meant well, but didn't have a clue what it felt like to be alone and unmated. Her mate has always been there. Esme's mate was the one who changed her. How could she possibly understand the emptiness, the longing, the fear that I'll never find my other half, or the fear that I missed him - that he came and went on this earth already, without me ever knowing the difference?
"I'm going to go check on Carlisle," Esme murmured, gently squeezing Kate's shoulder. The pull she felt to follow her instincts and make sure with her own eyes that he was unharmed had finally gotten too strong for her to resist any longer. She hurried back into the house, but approached the living room very slowly, giving Jasper and Bella plenty of time to be forewarned of her presence. Seeing Carlisle relaxed against the doorway into the room, eased the tight bands of apprehension that had been squeezing her chest. She smiled widely upon meeting his tender gaze, which he fully returned, just as pleased to see her safely returning to him as she had been to see him in one piece.
She peeked into the room, peering around Carlisle's body as he protectively placed himself between her and the unstable couple. She grinned with delight to see them snuggled up together, inhaling each other's scents, and purring for each other. It was the first time anybody had heard Bella purr, though Jasper had purred for her more than once when she got upset about something.
Venom tears suddenly filled her eyes as she realized this was another pivotal moment in Bella's growth. She was actually starting to be able to take care of her mate in some of the ways he took care of her. She had finally passed the threshold needed to prove to the Volturi she was not an immortal child and to justify her continued existence.
While this brought with it a significant amount of relief, it was still a bittersweet moment for Esme and Carlisle as parents, as they realized their youngest daughter was one step closer to adulthood and independence. While parents are always proud of their children's milestones and achievements, there is always part of them that has a hard time letting go of the memories of the little girl or little boy who adored them, hero-worshiped them, and needed them constantly.
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Meanwhile, outside, having seen that Jake was sufficiently out of harm's way and Kate was in good hands with Esme, Tanya had pulled Billy off into the wilderness to reaffirm her bond with him and claim him once again. Jake had eavesdropped on Esme's conversation with Kate and was now considering the beautiful vampire in a different light. Bella was no longer on his radar, his inner wolf was horny, and Kate seemed to be 'hot to trot.' He licked his lips, letting his eyes roam over her attractive figure.
As soon as Esme returned to the house, Jake approached Kate. "So, little lady, I understand you're looking for a little fun while you wait for your mate to show his face, hmmm?"
Kate raised an eyebrow and stared at him disapprovingly. Does this child really consider this an appropriate conversation for us to be having? He's only fifteen! "What do you think your father would say to hearing you talk to me this way?"
He grinned. "No need to bring my dad into this. He's way too busy shagging Tanya out in the woods somewhere. Though I'm sure he'd encourage me, having spent the past few years in a wheelchair with no feeling in his dick. He's warned me before to use it before I lose it." He thrust his hips forward after his last remark, in a rude and repulsive manner that would only find favor amongst other adolescent boys.
Kate rolled her eyes and sighed. Why are adolescent boys so obnoxious? She wondered to herself, not for the first time. It's like a little switch turns on in their brains, around age fourteen, causing all neural pathways to point to sex, regardless of the original topic! No matter what anybody says, their minds inevitably end up in the gutter, at least until they finish going through puberty anyway, though some guys never seem to outgrow it, and others, like Edward, never seem to have that switch flipped on in the first place. "What is it you want, Jacob?" she growled in frustration.
Jacob smirked and wiggled his eyebrows, thinking it made him look more mature and sexy, when it really just made him look foolish. "I'm single, you're single. How about you and I become friends with benefits, baby? We can go off into the woods ourselves and bump uglies, while we're waiting to be allowed back inside the house. What do you say?"
Kate grimaced in disgust. Does he think I'm a cougar? He's just a child, a puppy really. Even if I were a cougar and had the hots for younger men, I'd never go for him. Besides the fact he's not even legal yet, cougars are cats, and wolves are dogs. Everybody knows cats and dogs usually fight, though they sometimes get along if they belong to the same family, but they never ever fuck each other. Does he have any idea how long it would take to rid myself of his unpleasant body odor afterward? "That's gross, Jacob. I'm not about to get down and dirty with my nephew! That's beyond sick." Heaven help me if I'm ever desperate enough to sleep with a wolf or a child, either one.
Jake growled. "I'm not really your nephew! Get real. You're horny, I'm horny, let's fuck. What's so hard about that?"
She leveled him a look of disbelief at his crassness and simply turned her back on him. "You don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting with me, pup," she called over her shoulder. "I don't sleep with children or animals, and you're both."
Jacob growled angrily and raced off in the opposite direction, snarling to himself the whole way. He didn't even realize Chief was following him, until he finally came to a stop high up in the mountains. He took off his clothes and phased, lying down on the snow, protected by his wet blanket of fur. Chief settled down beside him, offering him the comfort of quiet companionship until Jake was calm again.
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While all of these other things were happening, Rosalie, Emmett, Peter, and Char managed to drag Charlie far enough away from the house that they could no longer hear any of the conversations of the others or even smell them. Eventually, realizing there was no way to get free, Charlie stopped struggling against them and changed tactics.
Turning on the full force of his gift, Charlie demanded, "Why did you do that? What happened? Why did Bella react like that? Why wouldn't you let me calm and comfort her?"
Once again, Rose was the first to cave to his compulsion to confess everything. She sighed, "Look, Charlie, I will tell you everything you want to know and more, but I need you to promise you'll stay right here and listen to all of it before you react. The last thing any of us need, including Bella, is for you to go off half-cocked and race home prematurely without understanding everything. In fact, that would be the perfect way to cause somebody in our family to get hurt or killed, which is what we were trying to prevent in the first place, understand?"
"I understand," Charlie growled, frowning darkly. "I assure you, I won't go running back 'half-cocked'."
Peter smiled encouragingly at him. "Great, Charlie. I know you wouldn't want to do anything that could end up hurting Bella. Now, since Charlie has decided to behave rationally, I need to go for a little run. I'm needed elsewhere for the time being, but don't worry, I'll be back soon," he announced, giving Charlotte a quick kiss and racing off further into the woods.
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Before long, Peter came upon Kate, sitting in a tree and staring dejectedly out at the view. She didn't even bother to acknowledge his presence, not knowing he'd come specifically to talk to her. He jumped up into a nearby branch so they could meet each other eye to eye. She raised her shadowed eyes to his and couldn't even muster up a smile for him.
"Don't fret, Kate. Your mate is coming soon. I don't know who or when, but I can say you'll find him within the next few months, so hang in there," Peter encouraged, giving her a smile. He watched as his words sank in, along with the remembrance of his gift, and saw the moment the hope dawned in her heart and mind.
Her eyes wide, she begged, "Was it your gift? Did your gift tell you I'd find my mate within the next few months?" She knew that, unlike Alice's gift, his was always concrete and always right.
He grinned, his eyes twinkling, and nodded, happy to be able to deliver some good news for a change. Most of the time his gift issued warnings of impending danger, rather than impending joy.
Kate squealed with excitement and pulled him into a hug, knocking him off balance and nearly sending them both tumbling to the ground below. "Thanks, Peter! You're the best!"
"That's what Char always tells me," he retorted with a smirk.
Laughing, Kate jumped down out of the tree and decided to hunt before heading back to the house to apologize and attempt to do some damage control. Peter watched her go with a sense of satisfaction, then headed back to where his mate sat, helping to guard Charlie.
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After Peter left the group in the woods, they all sat down on the forest floor, trying to make it seem less threatening to Charlie. None of them had forgotten Charlie was a newborn, except perhaps Charlie himself, and they were hoping to get through this little chat without any violence or venom shed.
"We pulled you out of there for your own safety and for Bella's safety, as well as for the safety of the entire family," Rose began. "You need to remember that you're still a newborn and so is she, and newborns are notorious for extreme emotional outbursts and mood swings. Newborns are more prone to act with violence as a first line of defense, to fight now and ask questions later, than older vampires. Young vampires are also usually led more by instinct than rational thought, as are newly mated vampires. While you, Bella, and Billy all have an exceptional amount of control over your emotions and impulses, once a certain line is crossed, you will each be given over fully to your instincts. I'm sure you've experienced this when you hunt, giving yourself over to your senses and focusing solely on your prey?"
"Yes, of course," Charlie agreed, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "But what does that have to do with Bella? I would never hurt my own daughter."
Char patted his knee gently, "I'm sure you wouldn't, Charlie. However, while fully given in to the animalistic fight or flight drive, only one's own mate is truly safe from attack. When your conscious mind takes a back seat, all vampires other than your mate are potential threats if they startle you or get too close to you. That's why you should never interrupt a feeding vampire, because he will fight to defend his kill, just like a wild animal would. When in that wild haze, the only vampire you can recognize is your mate. Any others, you don't see their faces, just their potential to hurt you. You then fight or flee depending on whether or not you think you can win against them."
"Yeah, I even attacked Esme when I was a newborn," Emmett admitted. "It's a miracle Carlisle didn't kill me. I know I would've been tempted if someone had done that to my Rose. That's why Carlisle will always be my hero. I don't know of anyone else who could forgive as much as that man has and still be the loving, compassionate guy he is. He is truly one of a kind."
"I attacked her too," Rose confessed. "Though I mainly went after Edward. For a long time I was going after him at least once a day. I couldn't stand that smug, self-righteous prick, with his know-it-all attitude. Unfortunately, since he could read my mind, he was usually able to dodge and minimize any damage I was able to inflict."
Charlie couldn't help but chuckle as he realized Rose was more upset about her attacks being ineffective than about attacking Edward in the first place. "Okay, obviously nobody in their rational mind would consider Esme a threat and attack her, so I see what you mean about losing control of yourself. However, I was perfectly fine. I mean, I was upset, but I was in control of myself."
Emmett snorted, "Yeah, but Bella wasn't, which meant the Major wasn't either."
"The Major?" Charlie asked.
Charlotte and Rose exchanged a speaking glance, before Charlotte took the floor. "Jasper was turned by a sadistic vampire who basically wanted to take over the world. She needed somebody to run her army for her, so she stole Major Jasper Whitlock away from the Confederate Army. She had a gift for hypnotism, able to convince a vampire that whatever she said was true. She convinced Jasper he loved her and would do anything for her. Whenever he questioned her or tried to break away, she tortured him mercilessly. She convinced him there was no other way to live and forced him to kill thousands of humans and vampires over the decades she held him, until he was finally able to escape from her. While she had him, she had the most powerful army in the world, with Jasper in charge of and having trained all of the troops. She had taken over huge amounts of territory, but was never satisfied, always wanting to expand more and more. In order to survive the hell of that world, feeling the emotions of his victims, both human and vampires, but unable to get away, he dissociated his caring, loving, decent side from his killing, feeding, fighting side. He tucked away the 'human' side of himself, the Jasper side, the chivalric southern gentleman side, hiding himself within his own mind, and allowed his animalistic 'kill or be killed', 'fight or flight' side, the conscienceless, remorseless, merciless side, to take control, dropping his human name completely and going only by his title. As the Major, leader of Maria's unstoppable army, he was the most feared vampire in the entire world, known across the globe as 'the God of War'. After he got away from Maria, he tucked the Major back up in his mind and allowed Jasper to take over again. However, if his instincts are triggered, if he feels threatened, the Major comes back out to handle it. Whenever that happens, you need to immediately flee the scene or get into a submissive position and hope you survive."
"What?" Charlie shouted, as he suddenly realized how they'd left. "You left Bella in there with him! Why didn't you let me go to her?"
He'd hopped to his feet now, ready to run back to the house, just as the others had feared he would do. Luckily, Peter arrived just in time to push him back down in his seat. "Relax, Charlie. I assure you, Bella is perfectly fine."
Charlie did relax, knowing he was still broadcasting his gift and that Peter would not have been able to lie to him. He still wasn't happy however. "Why is she even around him, if he's so dangerous?" he demanded.
Peter frowned at him. "Charlie, have you already forgotten Jasper is the one who saved her life in the first place? Jasper is my sire and Charlotte's too, which makes Bella our venom sister. Jasper has saved my life countless times, and he saved Charlotte too, allowing us to escape after Maria had ordered him to kill her. He was severely punished for letting us get away and for disobeying her orders, but he let us go anyway. Char and I owe Jasper our entire existence, and there is nothing we wouldn't do for him."
Charlie ducked his head in shame, knowing Peter was right. He'd been rather impressed with Jasper before hearing of his history, and he was wrong to let his new knowledge color his opinion of the man Jasper was now, though he still feared for his daughter's safety in a way he hadn't before.
"Can you take it from here?" Peter asked Emmett and Rose. He and Char weren't used to denying their instincts and trying to appear human the way the Cullens were. He needed to get her alone and go through the ritual of checking her for damage and making mad, passionate love to her, before he'd be able to feel calm and settled again.
Of course, Emmett and Rose understood. They wanted to do the same for each other, but had much more practice controlling that side of themselves. There were often times something happened when out in public, leaving them with the need to reclaim each other, and they'd have to wait until they could get to a private place before they could act on those instincts. Hence the occasional use of the janitor's closet at each of the local high schools they attended.
"Sure, go ahead," Emmett agreed, waving them away. Peter and Char quickly took off deeper into the woods, running hand in hand.
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As much as Carlisle wanted to sneak Esme off to their bedroom to perform the rituals that would soothe his troubled soul, he knew the Major would both hear and feel what they were doing and would act likewise with Bella. At the moment, he was feeding Major his own restraint and resolve to resist the temptation to act on his instincts. If he gave into his instincts, Major would likely do the same, so he contented himself with simply running his hands over her clothed body, checking her for any sensitivity or pain. She returned the favor, both of them getting at least some relief from the process.
Watching them, Major then began running his own hands over Bella, but growled in frustration at the limitations posed by her clothes. Carlisle could see he was beginning to get agitated again, which could only end badly, so he cautiously made a suggestion.
"Major, I think it might help if you and Bella were to don swimsuits, and then check over each other. At least that way you'd be able to view the majority of her skin, without crossing the lines of impropriety."
Major stared at him with coal black eyes before nodding slowly. The idea of seeing his mate in a bikini was very appealing. The idea of holding her in his lap with that much of their skin in contact, while purring for each other, was irresistible. He knew it would help calm both of them as the closest they could get for the time being, though now that his mate was purring for him, he knew the end was in sight.
By Volturi standards he could claim her now, as she had developed to the approximate mental age of fourteen, fully capable of abstract thought and problem solving. After all, in Carlisle's time it was still entirely socially acceptable for a fourteen year old girl to be married to a man twice her age or even older. In Esme's time, it was still considered reasonable, though less common, for sixteen year old girls to get married to men twice their age. For this reason, Jasper found it somewhat odd that Carlisle considered Esme too young for him when he met her at age sixteen. Neither her parents nor others in the community would have objected to him, even at whatever age he was pretending to be, courting her, thanks to his profession and position within the community. As an educated man of wealth and good social standing, her family would likely have felt honored by his interest in her. In fact, it was only within the past fifty years that the age of legal consent for marriage had been raised to anywhere from eighteen to twenty-one, in most of the western world. Even now, in the Twenty-first century, in the state of Massachusetts, girls could marry at age twelve with parental consent, though the media would most likely cause a major uproar if anyone ever took advantage of it.
Jasper could remember in the time before he went of to war, the girls in rural Texas would get married as young as thirteen, though more were around sixteen. The girls who grew up in the cities and more populated towns, however, often chose to enter the workforce before marriage, leading many of them to put off marriage until their early to mid- twenties. Of course, back then, there was a lot more difference between the cultures, experiences, and opportunities of city girls and country girls than there were now.
Jasper was aware it didn't really matter what girls did back in his day and age. Bella and Charlie were both products of the modern age, when most girls went to college and then out into the work force before marrying, raising the average age of first marriage to 25 for women. Nowadays, people didn't even associate marriage with sex, viewing them as two separate and distinct topics. As a result, despite the average age of first marriage steadily climbing higher over the years, the average age of first sexual intercourse continued to stay low, around sixteen to seventeen. Knowing modern humans would frown on a girl with a mental age of fourteen having sex with, much less getting married to, a man with an apparent age of twenty, Jasper was resolved to wait a bit longer.
It didn't take long for Esme to help Bella into a bikini and for Major to change into swim trunks. He came into Bella's room with Carlisle following behind him. To the Major's delight, Bella started purring as soon as she saw Jasper's naked chest. Carlisle and Esme snickered to themselves at her reaction, choosing to gather together on a loveseat in the corner and talk quietly with one another, pretending to ignore Jasper and Bella, but ready to intervene if needed.
That's right, purr for me darlin', my beautiful mate, Major thought as his eyes skimmed over Bella's body. He was, of course, purring for her as well. He stalked over to where she was standing, waiting for him, and circled around her, one hand trailing all the way around her waist. Her breathing increased dramatically, and her eyes darkened with desire.
Starting at the top of her head, he gradually ran both his fingers and his face over every part of her body, memorizing every last dip, curve, and contour. For the first time in her new life, her nipples pebbled with arousal, responding to his light caresses along her bare skin. While Jasper's touches were sensual, they were not inherently sexual, for he knew he had no intention of bedding her then. Upon reaching her breasts and seeing her nipples standing at attention, he paused. With a quick glance to make sure Carlisle wasn't watching, he slipped just his pointer fingers under the fabric of her top and lightly swept over the surface of her breasts one time, before pulling his fingers out again. She whimpered in disappointment, and he smirked at her.
"Soon, my love," he murmured against her skin as he rubbed his cheek against her chest, deliberately coating her with his scent, subtly marking his territory. He continued memorizing the feel of her body all around her back, her rear, and her legs. Once again checking to make sure he didn't have an audience, he slipped his hands beneath her suit to rub her behind in the same way he had the rest of her skin. He slipped them out again, purring even louder than before. Rubbing his cheeks against her inner thighs placed his nose right in her sweet spot. He inhaled deeply and barely held back a deep moan of satisfaction.
For the first time, his mate's body was starting to respond physically to his touch with the symptoms of arousal. The scent of her natural lubrication was finally present, calling to him, promising a sweetness he'd never tasted before. He knew she would need to a little more time to understand her body's reaction to him and become comfortable with it, but she was now on the last leg of her journey to womanhood. She was beginning to think of him as her mate, not just hers. She was thinking of him as a man, an attractive man, one whose body she enjoyed looking at and touching, one whose lips she would enjoy kissing. She was developing a natural desire for him, though her innocent mind didn't yet know the extent of what that meant. His scent no longer provided only comfort, but now triggered arousal as well. She was slowly but steadily growing more receptive to the idea of his embrace bringing more than comfort, bringing pleasure of a different kind, along with longing, needing, and wanting. She was gradually starting to crave his touch on her body in more than the standard places, finding parts of her literally beginning to ache for a relief only he could bring.
Major allowed himself one single brush of her feminine folds under her suit, though he desperately wished he could give her more, especially after feeling the clear liquid coating his finger with just that one pass. He carefully withdrew his finger from her suit and didn't even attempt to resist the temptation to taste the glistening wetness he saw on it. Watching him place that finger in his mouth and then seeing his eyes roll up into his head with sheer pleasure was more than Bella's animalistic side could handle.
"My turn," she groaned, dragging him up and onto the bed so she could return the favor of learning his body under the guise of 'checking for injuries'.
Major was in heaven, feeling his mate's small fingers moving over his scarred skin without hesitation or disgust. She felt no fear when she rubbed her cheek along his jaw and neck, all along the many bites found there.
With the taste of her arousal lingering on his tongue and the scent of it clinging to his face, he was hard as a rock. This situation wasn't helped by the fact that she had pushed him to lie down on his back and was draped across him, inadvertently moving against him as she explored his face, all the way down his chest to his waist. Bella hesitated at the waistband, vacillating over whether or not to sneak beneath his swimsuit as he had done with hers, but at last chickened out and kept her hands on the outside.
Even so, the feel of her hands rubbing curiously against his harness, exploring the length and width, the shape and strength of that part of him was almost more than he could bear. The pleasure of her touch was so intense, so much better than anything else he'd ever felt, and that was with his trunks still on, with fabric separating their skin from one another. He couldn't even imagine how it would feel when she touched him for real the first time, running her fingers over his silky smoothness, much less what it would feel like to be seated deep within her body, buried to the hilt, driving his essence into her with enthusiastic thrusts. Then she moved her head down, rubbing her cheek against him where her hand had been before. Looking down and seeing her mouth so close to his cock, even if it was still covered by his trunks, was his undoing. He came right then and there, in his shorts like a school boy, telegraphing his orgasmic pleasure to his mate with his gift everywhere their skin was touching. This, of course, triggered her own orgasm, which she fed right back to him, the dual pleasure bouncing back and forth between them causing mind-blowing bliss.
They lay there on the bed, slumped together, boneless and sated, calm and content, when a the quiet clearing of a throat brought the Major crashing quickly back to the present. He snarled in response, a clear warning for Carlisle and Esme to keep their mouths shut and not do or say anything to embarrass his mate or taint their first sexual experience with one another. Carlisle and Esme had no desire to discuss what happened. They were already embarrassed to have been in the same room at the time. Even though they had kept their gazes carefully averted, their excellent hearing had told them more than enough. They were just relieved the young couple had remained clothed. All in all, it was a relatively innocent way to express those feelings and a good first time for Bella, being non-threatening but extremely pleasurable.
"I need to get cleaned up and redressed before our family begins returning to the house," Jasper murmured, gently stroking Bella's back. The Major had retreated, having been assured of Bella's safety and having thoroughly marked her with his scent.
She smiled up at him shyly and nodded. "Okay, Jasper. I'll do the same."
"Don't wash off my scent, darlin'," he warned. "It makes me so happy to smell my scent all over you."
"What about you?" she pouted. "You're going to wash off my scent?"
He smirked at her and chuckled. "No, darlin', the area I need to clean is covered by my trunks, so it doesn't bear your scent yet."
She ducked her head and would have been blushing if she were still human.
"Okay," she whispered, rolling off of him, allowing him to get up and go to his own room.
Carlisle swiftly left the room as well, not even looking in his daughter's direction, uncomfortable with considering her a sexual being. He knew the time was soon coming, but intended to be out hunting whenever that actually happened. He believed some things were better left unknown, especially when it came to Daddy's little princess.
Esme took advantage of the time alone with Bella to make sure she was okay and then explained that Kate hadn't realized Jasper was Bella's mate. She assured her that Kate was sorry and wouldn't ever try anything with Jasper ever again. Covered in Jasper's scent and still full of bliss from her Jasper-induced orgasm, Bella was feeling inclined toward forgiveness, so she accepted Esme's request to allow Kate to apologize. Esme sighed with relief, believing they might actually make it through this small crisis with little or no casualties.
xxxxxxx
After Peter and Charlotte disappeared out of hearing range, Charlie thought back over what he'd been told. He remembered Emmett saying Bella wasn't under control, which meant the Major wasn't either. The first time around, he'd reacted to them speaking of the Major, but now he wanted clarification on Bella. "Why wasn't Bella under control? One minute she was fine and happy, the next she was ready to attack Kate. What happened?"
He saw Emmett and Rose exchange a look and pushed out his gift, knowing they were trying to hide something.
"Jasper and Bella have a special bond," Emmett blurted out uncomfortably. "Um, it's not the same as when she was human. We didn't realize it at first, but it soon became obvious the way she always gravitated to him, especially when she was scared or upset."
Rose smiled at Emmett, giving him an approving look, and he smiled back, proud of himself for wording it so carefully, even under the influence of Charlie's gift. Still learning how things worked, Charlie had made the mistake of relaxing his gift as soon as Emmett started talking. This had enabled Emmett to put his own spin on the truth without Charlie being aware of it, since it was still the truth. Without the active compulsion pushing him, Emmett didn't have to tell the whole truth, allowing him to essentially lie by omission.
Ah, that is probably the sire bond. I know I feel more protective of and closer to Tanya and Kate than the other vampires, Charlie postulated. I wouldn't be surprised to find that bond went both ways. I would imagine a sire bond, if not parental, would at least be one of a big brother or big sister, feeling a sense of responsibility for the vampires one created.
"Bella has always felt possessive of Jasper ever since she awoke to this existence. She usually has his undivided attention," Rose quickly volunteered, not wanting to give Charlie a reason to use his compulsion again. "When Kate latched onto him, Bella became jealous and felt threatened by her actions. Overwhelmed by those emotions, Bella then went into an instinctive territorial attack mode, protecting what was hers. Jasper was supporting her and calming her, allowing her to regain enough control to ask Carlisle for help in dealing with Kate. In Bella's young mind, Kate had betrayed her by trying to 'steal' Jasper and thus deserved to be banished like Alice and Edward. Carlisle recognized the potential danger, knowing Bella could easily snap again given the slightest provocation, which could easily have led to widespread disaster."
"Widespread disaster?" Charlie asked skeptically. "You don't think that's a little overdramatic?"
Emmett raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Are you kidding? You really don't have a clue, do you? You have one unstable newborn just itching for a fight in a room with two other newborns and a werewolf. Not only that, but the enraged newborn ready to commit random acts of violence is being held by the empath who would be absorbing all her fury in an effort to keep her calm. One false move to tip the scales, one small distraction to make Jasper lose his focus, and all that rage would be pouring through the room like a tsunami, pushing every single one of us to the edge of our control, filling us with fury that needs an outlet. That would create a circuit, that could easily lead to our entire annihilation, since all our rage would then be pounding back into the poor empath, amplified a dozen times, sending the Major into nuclear meltdown. I don't know how fast you can hit the dirt, Charlie, but that might be something you should practice. The most submissive position I know is flat on your stomach, face down, legs out straight, and hands folded behind your head. It's not comfortable, but it might save your life."
Charlie was getting agitated again at the reminder of how dangerous Jasper could be. "Okay, I can see how that would be bad. Please continue your explanation, Rose."
Rose smiled half-heartedly, knowing Charlie wasn't happy. "Carlisle knew the best chance of keeping Bella calm was to remove any potential threat and clearing the room would also help Jasper keep calm, reducing the effect of other's emotions on him."
Charlie nodded unhappily, recognizing the logic behind Carlisle's actions. "Well, it makes sense to remove everyone else, but why couldn't I stay? I'm her father! I could have helped calm her."
"With everyone moving, even though they were retreating, she was pretty much in full instinct mode," Emmett explained. "She couldn't recognize you through her 'fight or flight' haze. You were simply a potential threat in her animalistic state. When you came at her instead of backing away, you triggered her. As soon as you crossed that invisible line into her personal space, she felt threatened by you. As soon as she felt threatened, her emotions triggered Jasper into Major mode as he moved to protect her from anything and everything threatening her. Unfortunately, at the moment, that was you. If we hadn't gotten you out of there, he would have instinctively attacked you in an attempt to protect her. You weren't Charlie, Bella's dad, or Chief Swan to him then. He didn't see your face, nor did Bella. That's what we've been trying to tell you. Both of them would have dismembered you or possibly even killed you in the heat of the moment. Sure, they'd feel bad afterward, when they returned to their rational minds, but it would be a little too late then. I mean, we all felt awful about attacking Esme, and she forgave us all, but the damage had still been done, those scars will never fade away."
"Oh," Charlie mumbled, his shoulders drooping. "I didn't realize. I mean, I'm her father."
Emmett sighed. "I know it's harsh, man, but I've been in that state myself, lots of times, and I've seen it with various members of my family. The only one you can recognize in your haze, the only one you'll never hurt is your own mate."
Charlie frowned again and sighed heavily. He stared down at the ground, lost in thought, absentmindedly crushing small rocks to powder between his fingers as he worked through his thoughts.
"I know you only wanted to help, but really, it was for the best for us to evacuate you from the building. You would have unintentionally made things worse while trying to make them better, simply because you didn't understand what was happening and why," Rose explained.
Charlie huffed to himself, but didn't try to contradict her. "So why did Carlisle get to stay? Wasn't he in danger too if they wouldn't recognize him?"
"Carlisle has over fifty years experience living with Jasper. He knows how to defuse the situation with his body language, taking a submissive stance to demonstrate he isn't a threat," Rose offered with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Why didn't he just leave with the rest of us?" Charlie grumbled, jealous that Carlisle got to help calm Bella when he didn't.
"Well, somebody has got to play chaperone to make sure the Major behaves himself with Baby Bella, right?" Emmett snickered, knowing how much the Major would be wanting to check his mate for injuries and claim her after this little incident. He missed the glare Rose sent his way, but Charlie didn't.
"What do you mean, behave himself?" Charlie demanded angrily. "What would he do? Is she in danger? Is that why Carlisle stayed? You're afraid to leave her alone with him? You're afraid he'll hurt her if there's nobody there to intervene?" He sent a massive wave of compulsion through them, worried about Bella and wanting some straight answers.
"Oh, no!" Rose quickly protested. "He would never hurt her. I promise, she's not in any danger from him. Carlisle stayed to keep the Major grounded in reality so he wouldn't lose himself over to his instincts."
"Yeah!" Emmett agreed, nodding emphatically. "She's totally safe with him. The rest of us have cause to worry, but Bella is completely safe with the Major."
Completely safe with the Major? How can that be? They just said the only one who's safe is your own mate . . . but . . . that would mean . . . "She's Jasper's mate?" Charlie shrieked. "Bella is the Major's mate?"
Emmett and Rose both winced and then reluctantly nodded their heads in the affirmative.
xxxxxxx
Esme and Bella joined Carlisle and Jasper down in the living room, each snuggled up with their respective mate, while they waited for the rest of the family to return. Kate was the first one back. She entered the house and then the room, carefully, slowly, and in a submissive position, not wanting to provoke another attack.
Upon seeing the relatively small audience, she breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing it would be easier to humble herself in front of fewer people. "I'm so sorry, Bella and Jasper. I was unaware of your bond, as it hadn't yet been mentioned to me. Had I been aware you were mates, I never would have flirted with or touched Jasper the way I did. Will you please forgive me?"
Bella nodded solemnly, but didn't speak, watching the vampire in front of her warily. Kate smiled tentatively. "I promise you have nothing to worry about, Bella. Peter informed me I'll be meeting up with my own true mate within the next few months."
Both Jasper and Bella smiled at her then.
"Oh, that's wonderful news!" Esme exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Me too!" Carlisle happily agreed. "Congratulations!"
Kate grinned widely and clapped her hands in excitement. "I can't wait! I'm practically giddy with anticipation!"
"I'm so glad you'll finally be united with your other half," Jasper drawled, then nuzzled playfully into Bella's neck. Bella giggled at the sensation and relaxed, knowing a mated vampire would never threaten her bond, having her own bond to protect.
"I forgive you for your mistake, Kate," Bella announced. "I'm happy you won't be lonely anymore."
Carlisle and Esme were overflowing with relief and happiness that it was all going to work out for the best. At least, they were until Charlie came bursting through the front door, literally. Instead of opening the door like a normal person, Charlie had run right through it, pulverizing everything in his path.
"Get your fucking hands off my daughter, you pedophilic pervert!" Charlie roared at Jasper, trying to grab Bella out of his arms.
In the next second, Bella was back in the corner and the Major was facing off with Charlie, both sets of black eyes blazing as they glared at one another.
xxxxxxx
AN: So, how's that for a cliffy? Before you get too upset with me for leaving you hanging here, just remember that every division 'xxxxxxx' is a place I could have ended the chapter, but kept going for you guys, knowing you'd all want to see Charlie's reaction. *grin* Hey, at least you got a little Major loving, right? He kinda surprised me with that one. That section wasn't in my original outline, but I guess he was starting to get a bit impatient. *snicker*