Another chapter, as promised! This is a little bit of Jasper/Bella fluff, but I thought the two deserved a nice day out.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I didn't know how long I'd live, but I was pretty certain I wouldn't ever be used to running with Jasper in the time I was given. Clinging tightly to his back, I witnessed a wide array of colors, blending from one blade of grass to the next as we quickly raced through the forest. At first I thought he was taking me to a simple nature spot, such as a meadow or cave. That was the only real experience I had running with him, and he couldn't really take me out since I was technically a missing person.
I expected him to slow down after a few minutes of running, but he never slowed for us to reach our destination. Where are we going? He must have felt my confusion and anticipation growing after about 20 minutes of holding onto him. He turned and looked up at me with a twinkle in his eye and mischievous grin on his face. "Do you have something you'd like to ask, Bella?"
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him, and decided that two could play at that game. "No sir. Just happy to be along for the ride!"
I could see his excitement and ego deflate when he realized I wasn't going to ask. In my stubbornness, I smirked. I could suck it up and wait for an answer, just to win. He quickly recovered from my counter and played right along with the game we had started. "Darlin', I'll take you on any ride you ever want to go on." His eyebrows wiggled suggestively, and he answered my deep blush with a wink. I didn't reply. He knew he had won.
After running what had to be another hour, we arrived at a car rental place. I looked up at him in disbelief. "Seriously? We run for an hour and a half for you to rent a car?"
He just smiled and kissed my cheek. "Happy birthday Bella," and led me into the building. I didn't pay much attention while Jasper went directly to the front and spoke to the man behind the counter. I let my thoughts wander to marvel at where life had taken me in a few short days. I was living with the most generous people I had ever met, made a new best friend, fallen in love, discovered the man behind my lifelong dreams, and was now celebrating my birthday in a random car rental building outside of… My thoughts stopped when I realized I had no idea where we were. What if someone saw me and Charlie found out?
As if on cue, Jasper waltzed over to me swinging the keys around his fingers. He pulled me close to his side and whispered delicately in my ear. "Why the sudden anxiety? You're safe with me."
I buried my head in the crook of his shoulder. "Where are we? What if Charlie finds us?"
He took my face into his hands and looked me directly in the eyes, unwilling to let me escape from his bold gaze of love and protection. "I wouldn't bring you anywhere I thought was unsafe. We're in Pennsylvania."
My jaw dropped. "Like the state?"
"Yes Bella, like the state. You fell asleep for some of the run, but it only took about 2 hours to get here. I'm sorry I did it that way, but it was the quickest. We have 3-4 hours to spend here before we need to head back for your party."
I wanted to be a human and argue all of the logical fallacies of the situation, but I knew it would be pointless. I just shook my head, trying to accept this information without really thinking too hard about it.
"C'mon sweetheart. We have a car waiting outside and I think you'll like where we take it."
I took his hand and followed him outside, to the awaiting bright red convertible. I didn't know much about cars, but I could tell this was a good one. It had that classic look to it, and knowing Jasper it probably cost a pretty penny to rent for the day. I looked up to check the sky and found it to be overcast with clouds, so I felt better knowing we wouldn't have to worry about covering up my sparkly mate from curious onlookers. He opened my door, ever the perfect southern gentleman, and helped me slide into my seat before making his way to his own. We listened to all of my favorite songs as he drove entirely too fast, and he tried to distract me with conversation. We talked about his human memories of birthdays growing up. He didn't remember much, but recollected that his parents always scraped up the money to buy him one gift, usually a wooden toy.
I stared at him in amazement while he spoke, completely awestruck at the fact that I was listening to my boyfriend talk about his life in the 1800s.
"Speaking of my upbringing…" He trailed off as we pulled up to our destination. I had been so distracted listening to his stories that I hadn't even realized we were so close to arrival.
I looked at the sign at the front of the parking lot, then back at him. "You brought me to Gettysburg?"
He smiled at me sheepishly while he opened my car door and helped me out. "I haven't ever come back to see it. I thought, since you liked to study the Civil War, it would be a nice thing to just share with you." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking like a nervous human boy asking me to prom. "We can leave if you'd rather do something else. It is your birthday, after all."
I cut him off with a deep kiss to the lips. He responded passionately, and pulled me in to kiss me deeper. After I was running out of breath, I pulled back. "I am so touched that you would share this part of your history with me. Thank you Jasper… This is already an incredible birthday."
Looking deep into my eyes, he appeared to be searching for something. He must have found it, because he rewarded me with a smile so filled with emotion that my heart almost exploded. I would do anything, go anywhere with him just to see this man smile like that again. He altered our position so his arm was around my shoulders before leading us forward into the battleground park.
To say that I was deeply moved was an understatement. As a history nerd myself, I was already sucked into the significance of the place. But to watch Jasper go through it with me, now that was something to behold. He was a living piece of history walking the grounds, and he gently explained everything to me in ways that no trained park tour-guide could have ever dreamt of. I could tell he was emotional, but he kept himself together well enough to enjoy the experience. As we walked through a field, he suddenly stopped and pointed to an empty patch of grass. I didn't see any sign with a historical explanation, so I was filled with confusion.
He slowly began to move us to the spot, and I followed with a careful concern. "Jasper?"
"Here." He said, just barely loud enough for me to hear.
"What happened here?" I gently asked, trying to be soothing with my tone.
"One of my closest friends and I were shot here. There used to be a bush."
I looked up at him, shocked. Never before had he mentioned any of his military friends, and certainly not that he had ever been hit.
"His name was William. He was well on his way to outranking me, or so he always tried to convince me." He gave a subtle laugh before continuing. "We were hidden behind the bush, shooting behind that tree over there when the bullets came our way. He died instantly, and one of my privates had to come stitch me up roughly because I wouldn't leave him."
"Oh, Jasper…"
"We both came from the same area of Texas. We grew up together, and got back in touch with the war."
"You never mentioned him."
"I guess I had almost forgotten until I saw this spot. To the rest of the world, he's just one of 50,000. To me, he was a little piece of home on the battlefield."
I looked down at the spot of plantation, and tried to picture a human version of the man I love, writhing in pain on the ground out of stubborn refusal to leave his dead best friend. I could see it, and the picture filled my heart with pride.
"I'm so sorry that you lost him, Jasper."
He didn't reply, but simply raised his hand in a silent salute to the ground. The beautiful tribute to his long gone friend and comrade brought tears to my eyes, and I just squeezed his hand before joining him.
After he knelt down to touch the ground, he stood to keep moving. I didn't want to keep him here if he needed to move on, so I decided to lighten the mood. "Have I ever thanked you for your service? I think you're supposed to thank veterans."
He rolled his eyes at me while we walked, giving me a side grin before answering. "I believe I was on the losing side, Bella. Most Americans today would probably stone me if they knew I fought for the confederacy."
"I'm sure you had your reasons. Wanting to stand up for your state doesn't mean you were a slave owner."
He hung his head and laughed. "Nevertheless, I believe you're only supposed to thank the heroes."
I reached on the tips of my toes to kiss him on the cheek. "You're my hero."
He simply shook his head at me and kept walking. As we made our way through the fields, I was once again taken aback as I reminded myself that I was touring Gettysburg with a surviving Confederate soldier. What has my life turned into? I laughed at myself. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
We stopped to have a picnic lunch, which was really beautiful. Jasper had arranged for a complete meal to be prepared for me and delivered, complete with a basket and blanket. I was giddy as we sat and talked. While I consumed my food, I listened to the love of my life entertain me with more military stories. He told me about the pranks they used to pull on Union soldiers, and how he made sure his men were always the best at them. "If the war had been based on sheer immaturity and cleverness, our pranks would have won it for us. Those rotten Yankees couldn't handle what a few cowboys threw at them." He laughed heartily at the memories. He ran a hand through his long curly locks before settling down a little bit. "I don't ever talk about this with anyone. It feels good. Thank you for coming with me."
I reached out to take his hand, finishing my sandwich. "Thank you for bringing me here. I know I already said it, but this has truly been the best birthday I've ever had."
He helped me up, and grinned as he replied. "The day isn't over, little lady. It's about time to head back for your party that you're so excited about."
I just rolled my eyes and kissed him. I would have been perfectly content to continue doing so if I had known what that stupid party held.
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