Disclaimer: Twilight and all recognizable plots and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement or plagiarism intended.

Chapter 3

JPOV

We had passed into Wyoming about an hour ago and had another hour left until we reached Peter's. On straight roads, I could have made it faster, but Bella wasn't quite indestructible yet, so I was only going about 70 through the winding mountain roads. I was impressed that she hadn't succumbed to screaming so far, I don't know how she was doing it. I could literally feel the agony she was in, but I could also sense the determination from her and I could only guess what she was being so damn stubborn about. Knowing her as I do, even just watching her from afar for so long, I think she was bound and determined not to scream so she wouldn't increase the pain I felt at watching her suffer. She knew that Emoward would have been feeling guilty over something happening to her and her being in pain, so she was trying to hide it. Well, that shit just wouldn't do, he may have been my brother for the last 50 years, but I was not Edward Cullen, and as soon as we were in a better place for this discussion, she was going to learn that lesson good.

As we passed through Yellowstone National Park and the Teton National Forest, I thought about all of the hunting opportunities that would be available and almost started salivating at the mere idea. I thought about everything that Bella would have to relearn , all of the things that would be different for her and how much her life had just changed. I could still feel both the pain and determination coming from her, so I figured the least I could do was distract her from it for a while, give her something else to focus on aside from the pain.

"Hey darlin', we're about 40 minutes away now, we're surrounded by woods and forest, so it'll be perfect for your newborn years. I reckon everythin's a jumble for ya right now, but it'll all be better soon and we have the rest of time to get everything straightened out. There's gonna be some great huntin' around here, we'll have a blast helpin' you figure out what ya like best. Of course, nothing's better than human" I felt some mild indignation coming from her at that one, I just chuckled and continued "sorry, darlin', but it's true, you'll understand soon enough. As you know, Emmett likes to get his revenge on every damn bear he can find, he can't seem to get over losing that first fight. And of course Doucheward likes his mountain lions. As for me, maybe it's left over from my days as a human, but I love some good ole bison, give me a massive buffalo any day."

She was projecting small amounts of amusement followed by curiosity toward me, so I just kept on talking to her like she was responding with words instead of emotions. "If you like that nickname for him, I got about a million more that should entertain you," I snickered. "But what is it that's got you so curious sweetheart? My mention of my life as a human?" when her curiosity only increased, I figured I was on the right trail. "I grew up in Texas, darlin', and was turned back in 1863 after evacuating a colony of women and children from Galveston. I'll tell you all about my early years to this life at a later date when you're not in so much pain, but from what I can remember, I had a simple life in Texas. I'm nothin' more than a simple country boy, a real cowboy at heart. I could ride a horse before I could run and used to spend my days riding around the ranch, tryin' to get things done. Of course, when the Confederacy was lookin' for soldiers, I lied about my age and enlisted before I ever should have; but all those years of ridin' horseback and my, shall we say, natural charisma, led to me bein' the youngest Major in the Texas cavalry. Yes ma'am, you heard me right, I was a decorated soldier long before I ever became a vampire; had the uniform with all the decorations to boot. If we hadn't been half decimated by the damn Yanks already, I'd a had myself a burial of honor with all the pomp and circumstance when I went missin'."

I felt a decent amount of amusement, and even a hint of lust coming from her listening to me talk about my past, so I just kept right on talking. Anything to keep her distracted from the pain of the venom coursing through her veins while traversing bumpy mountain roads. I tried to remember stories from my human years, my early years as a vampire were too dark to talk about right now, and the Cullens would just remind her of everything and everyone who had just walked out on her. I told her stories about fishing in the lake on the ranch, racing against my older brother, Isaac, through the pastures, taking care of my little sister, Melanie, when she would scrape her knee, and even a few stories of me and Isaac sneaking some of Pa's moonshine back behind the barn.

It felt strange to be talking about my human life, I hadn't thought about it in well over a century, but it seemed the more I talked about it, the more memories kept popping into my head. I also couldn't help to notice that I seemed to be slipping more and more into my natural Southern drawl that I'd struggled so long to repress. Between the Carlisle wanting to make sure we didn't stand out and Alice wanting me to be more "civilized" than my country roots, I'd spent years making sure my natural accent didn't slip out and give us away. Now, however, it seemed to just come out naturally; maybe it was being away from the strict rules of being a Cullen, maybe it was going to see my old pal, Peter, maybe it was talking about my past, or maybe it was just another step in reclaiming the real Jasper Whitlock and shedding the cloak of Jasper Hale.

Whatever it was, I couldn't fight the grin that spread across my face as we pulled up to the sprawling log "cabin" and I saw Peter and Charlotte standing on the porch waiting for us. Peter had his arms crossed and was trying to look stern, but I knew better; he was happy as a clam to see me away from Alice, who he'd always felt tried to turn me into everything I never wanted to be.

"Well hell on wheels! Char, call them folks at Channel 13 and look what the cat dragged in!" Peter boomed from the porch before I could even get the car in park. I just laughed before gently picking Bella up from the passenger seat and heading toward the house with her in my arms. "And lookey what else we got ourselves, if I ain't mistaken, I'd say we got a new baby vampire in the makin' right there. Well you have been a busy little Major, haven't ya, come inside, we'll make my new baby sister as comfy as she can get, given the present situation."

"Hey Fucker, you're just all kinds a funny," I retorted with a chuckle. "Now get out of my way and do something productive while Char helps me get settled in with Bella, get our bags out of the back and then go pick me up a pack of smokes."

"Well damn, I hoped, but never thought I'd see the day that I'd get to see Major Jasper Whitlock again, it's good to see you bro," Peter sniffled while pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "That Jasper Hale character was a pussy and dressed like a queen, glad to have you back, and if that chickadee in your arms has anything to do with the reappearance of the cowboy boots, then I will be forever indebted to her. I can't wait to see the look on the crazy pixie's face when she sees your "new" look, I'm going to have to capture that on film so I can watch it again and again for the rest of eternity."

I followed Charlotte up the stairs to the guest bedroom, chuckling to myself as I thought about how nice it was to be around my true family once again. These weren't people who wanted to mold me into what they thought I should be, they accepted me as I was and didn't make any excuses about who they were or what they were. This truly was the perfect place for Bella right now, it was isolated so I could help her learn how not to massacre entire towns, she could go buck wild overturning trees, and she could finally figure out who she really was, without Edward and the rest of the Cullens trying to tell her what they thought she should be.

A/N: Thanks for all of the great reviews, I hope this lives up to your expectations.