It's time, it's time! Halloween for Bella and Jasper! So, as usual, everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters. Beta-ing done by the wonderful EdwardsMate4Ever.
Shopping, Vampire Style
Chapter 2– The Forest
He leaned across the table, and seemed to be reaching for her hand when Marge appeared with the food. Guess it was her turn to check out the newcomer.
"Mushroom omelet with dry wheat toast," she said as she put Bella's order in front of her. "Freshen your coffee?" she asked Jasper.
Jasper shook his head. "Still letting it cool," he replied.
"So, what are you doing for the rest of the evening?" Jasper asked as Bella finished her meal.
"I have to finish getting my house ready for tomorrow," Bella replied.
He stared at her, as if asking her a question.
"Tomorrow is Halloween, so I get the house ready for Halloween," she said.
"Of course," he said. "Are you having a party?"
"Just trick-or-treaters."
"Maybe when you're done you can come look at one of the properties I was considering."
"Sure," she said. He wants to come back to the house? What will Charlie do when he seems him? Most of the high school boys Bella had brought home had found the chief of police quite daunting.
Jasper insisted on paying, and oddly, that felt OK to her. When they left, she found he had taken her hand. It was weird, as he had his gloves on, but it still felt just right as they walked side-by-side in the dark to her truck parked on Forks Avenue just past the store.
He paused in front of her truck when they approached it.
"This is mine," she said. He glanced at her, excitement in his eyes, and she realized he had been staring at it because he found it interesting, not because he knew it was hers. She usually apologized for it, but he seemed to like it.
"They just don't make them like this anymore," he said, looking at it admiringly. He patted the bulbous places in the body that covered the wheels with one hand, almost like he was touching a horse. "Glad to see they're still being used."
"Yeah. Some people don't like my truck," she said. "They think it's too old."
"Nonsense. I assume it runs just fine?"
"It does," she replied. "A little noisy, but it gets me where I want to go."
"I used to have one something like this. It was a long time ago," he added. As they made their way to her house, she pointed out the hospital and the houses of a few friends along the way.
Once they arrived, she parked her truck and Jasper follower her in. She looked around the familiar yellow kitchen, wondering how it looked to him. Plain, ordinary, she thought. He sat down at the small table by the window and looked at the pumpkin sitting in the center of the table.
"Jack-o-lantern time," she announced. "Scary or silly?"
"Your gourd," he replied.
"Silly, I think," she said as she grabbed newspapers from the recycle bin to set beneath the pumpkin.
He helped her carve the pumpkin and hang lights on the front porch. He was so tall he didn't need a ladder. They were done very quickly. When he had hung the last string, he came down to join her in the yard. The house looked appropriately halloweened with the lights up, pumpkins on the porch and step, and the jack-o-lantern set on a stool next to the door.
"My turn?" he asked with a purr.
"Of course," she said, feeling a blush rising.
He leaned forward to touch her cheek. "You don't have to be afraid, you know. I'll never let anything happen to you." His eyes were mesmerizing, and she felt herself being lured into their orbit which promised both excitement and danger. The feeling made her shiver.
"Chilly?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think I'll grab my jacket," she replied.
She returned to the porch to grab her jacket from the porch swing, casting a last glance at the jack-o-lantern as she passed it. For some reason she felt a pang, a sense of loss as she passed it.
Out in the yard, her boots sloshed in the mud. There had been a light drizzle while they were inside, but it had ended. She headed toward her truck in the driveway, but Jasper stopped her.
"Let's take the Jeep," he said. She looked toward K Street and saw a hulking vehicle looming on the other side of the drainage ditch in front of the house.
"Where did that come from?" she asked.
"I asked my brother to drop it off. He's been looking at the properties today and was headed to the diner to eat, so I called him and he left it."
"How will he get back?" Bella asked.
"We're just staying at the Pacific Inn across from the diner."
As they walked up to it, she saw the red Jeep was streaked with mud. He lifted her up and then climbed in on the other side.
"Looks like he put in some gas," Jasper said as he turned it on.
He drove easily in the night. For someone new to the area, he seemed very confident.
"So where are we going?" she asked
"I'm looking at a few acres outside of town. I want to build there."
"What would you build?" she asked.
He rubbed his chin with his hand. "It would be like a hunting cabin, but more than a cabin. I grew up in Texas, and I like the rustic look."
After a few minutes of driving, he pulled off Bogachiel Way, drove over a stretch of open land, then parked by a grove of willow trees. "Here we are," he said as he jumped out.
She laughed nervously. "How did you find this? I didn't see any markers."
"The stream we just passed runs through the middle of the plot. C'mon," he said. He leaned over her to turn on the headlights. They lit up a section of trees in front of the Jeep and looked quite ghostly.
Perfect for the season I guess.
Jasper reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a flashlight then extended his hand to her.
She climbed out of the car seat, and he lifted her to the ground
In the darkness, his blond hair glistened white. His obvious excitement contrasted to her fear of being in the forest at night, leading to a heady mix of both emotions.
He shone the light at their feet as they walked into the willow grove. The cluster of trees opened onto a small creek. He splashed into the creek then turned and, in a surprising movement, lifted her and carried her across the stream. He set her on the rocky bed on the other side.
Her heart beat faster from the unexpected contact with him as well as the spooky surroundings. It was dark, and there weren't many sounds. She couldn't hear traffic from the road, which couldn't be far.
"I saw some elk here earlier today," he said, his voice startling her so close to her ear. "They're still close by."
"How can you tell?" she whispered.
"I can smell them."
That was an odd thing to say. But maybe…She decided to try for herself. She took an exploratory sniff, but she couldn't smell any elk. She did pick up the forest scents, including the damp, the slight smell of the decaying logs intermingled with the fresh smell of the rain. But nothing that smelled like an animal. Since he's used to hunting, he must be more sensitive to their odor.
He led her forward, shining the light on the ground at their feet. Soon they were back into the trees and the going was tougher. Smaller undergrowth meant unsure footing for Bella.
"Listen," he whispered in her ear. The excitement in his voice was catching, and anticipation started to push back her fear of the dark. She listened and was surprised to find she could hear something. Small sounds of shuffling and a few low grunts.
"You hear them, too?" he asked.
Bella nodded.
He handed her the flashlight, pressing it into her gloved hand. "Want me to catch one for you?"
She glanced up at his eyes and nodded again.
Then he was gone. She didn't see him leave, but a few seconds later she heard a rumbling and a moan plus snorts from the darkness in front of her.
Then his outline emerged from the shadows, carrying something.
She stood frozen as he lay an elk at her feet.
Stunned, fright and excitement raced through her as she looked at the enormous animal in front of her. She bent over to touch it. Its fur was thick and shaggy, but warm.
She shivered and looked up at Jasper, then shivered again at the sight of blood at the corner of his mouth and dotting his chin.
"It doesn't frighten you, at least, not completely," he mused. "You're not afraid of me. You're a natural for this."
"What are you going to do with it?" she asked him.
"Feed, before…" he said.
He bent over and pulled her next to him. She reached out and wiped away the blood on his chin. He held still, an amused look playing across his face.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "How does it taste?"
He laughed, startled at the question. "It's not all that appetizing, but…"
Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and lifted. Growls sounded throughout the area. A man appeared between herself and Jasper and she heard a roar. It sounded as though it came from Jasper.
"Jasper, wait. Think about this," the man standing between them said.
"Leave him alone," she cried out.
"We're not going to let him hurt you. You're safe now," a woman said from the shadows.
There are more of them? Bella wanted to turn to see who else was there, but she couldn't take her eyes off Jasper's shadowy figure in the darkness ahead of her. She could see the blond man in front of her turning, so she followed his motion, occasionally seeing Jasper's outline appearing then disappearing in the darkness.
"It's not what you think, Carlisle," Jasper's voice came out of the dark.
"Just calm down," the man who must have be Carlisle answered.
"She wants to be with me, and I want to be with her."
Carlisle stopped moving, so she guessed that Jasper had as well. Jasper moved forward out of the shadows so that he was fully in view, standing directly in front of Carlisle, but Carlisle didn't budge. She could see his lips moving as if he was speaking to Carlisle in a voice too low for her to hear. He saw her looking at him and he smiled.
"Let me explain it to her," Jasper said.
Carlisle nodded and stepped aside. "It's OK, Emmett," he said, and the arms that had been holding her relaxed and released her.
"Thanks," she said, turning to see a huge man with dark hair and a boyish face. He was looking at Jasper intently. Emmett nodded at her.
Bella went forward to Jasper, who removed his glove before holding out his hand to her. When she made contact, she felt his hand was cold, hard as marble. His eyes were intense and he seemed to be waiting for her reaction. When she slipped her hand to the side of his and closed it around his thumb and palm, he pulled her toward him, clasping both her hands in his and putting the other arm around her waist.
He stood above her looking down, and she stared. She realized it was quiet again, only the sounds of dripping from the forest. She wanted to look to see if the others were gone, but she didn't want to look away.
"They left," Jasper said. "It's just you and I now."
She smiled and leaned in, pulling one hand free to set it on his chest.
He kissed the top of her head. "Ready?" was all he asked.
She looked up at him and nodded. She knew she was leaving everything she loved behind, but the pull of this…being—not man, but something else—was so strong.
He lifted her into his arms and she tucked her head into his chest.
As he took off running into the darkness, she curled against him. Whatever came next, she was where she belonged.
THE END
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