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.
(Mysterious Jasper)
Diner – Chapter 2
Bella had borrowed one of Angela's old costumes. Thank heavens Angela got into the spirit of the season, but also her mother made her costumes, so she had one for Bella to borrow. It was an outfit for one of the elves from Lord of the Rings. The costume consisted of a necklace, tiara, and long cloak. Who was she supposed to be again? Arwen, Aaragon's elf girlfriend. Yeah, I look just like Liv Tyler, she thought.
Bella looked in the mirror, considering her makeup. She just couldn't deal with pointy ears so she put on the cloak, tiara and jewelry, then went down to the living room, and turned on the porch light.
At 8:00, a knock on the door startled her. She hadn't heard anyone come onto the porch. When she opened the door, she found a handsome Confederate soldier on her front porch.
"Lady, you look lovely," he said with a bow.
"Thank you. So do you. I mean, you look handsome." Finally she blurted out, "My name is Bella. What's yours?"
"Major Jasper Whitlock, at your service."
He put out his arm, and she walked down the steps. Bella thought that his costume must have taken some work. He had the full uniform, including a hat and sword.
He led her to a black Mercedes and opened the passenger side door.
"Wow," she said.
"Not a steed, but I hope it meets with your approval, my queen."
Once she was seated, he closed the door and got into the other side. They drove into the night, the car just gliding along the road. Quite a contrast to the bumpy ride in Bella's beloved beast of a truck.
A short distance out of town, he pulled off of the main road and pulled in front of a large farmhouse. The wraparound porch was lined with pumpkins that also cascaded down the steps. All the carved pumpkins had been done artistically, with a variety of faces, ranging from scowls to grins. Bella's own jack-o-lantern had triangles for the eyes and a hole for the mouth. Anything else meant risking death by knife.
As she walked in, she heard the strains of old-fashioned music. She glanced up at Jasper.
"My mother prefers Cole Porter," he replied. "My father favors classical music and opera."
A woman wearing an elaborate carnival mask and ball gown stepped into view. The gold ball gown stretched around her womanly curves, enhancing them in an old-fashioned way, like a movie star from the 1940's.
Her companion looked regal, dressed like prince from an old master oil painting.
"May I introduce my mother, Esme Cullen, and my father, Carlisle Cullen," Jasper said. The woman dipped her head and the man bowed.
"Pleased to meet you," Bella said to each.
"Enchanted," said the man, Carlisle, extending his hand.
"A pleasure," said the woman, Esme.
She heard a rustling noise behind her, like the sound of material against wood, and turned her head.
An enormous bear—No, that's got to be a man in a bear costume, but it looks so real—leaned out from the doorway. "Rawr!"
"And this is my brother, Emmett," Jasper said. "Who, if he doesn't turn it down a notch, I may have to hunt. Shorten the leash, Rose."
A statuesque blonde walked around the bear, and Bella noticed she had a small decorative chain in her hand which connected to a collar.
"Sorry if he frightened you," she said.
"It's OK. Everybody's entitled to one good fright on Halloween, right?" Bella said, trying to recover gracefully.
"Exactly," said Esme. "And that was your one prank for the night, Emmett. Bella is Jasper's guest."
The bear made a gesture that looked like a shrug, and Bella giggled.
All of the Cullen's eyes snapped in her direction at the sound. Esme looked relieved.
"Well, come in," Esme said, showing Bella and Jasper into a living room. Bella suppressed a gasp. The room was beautiful, and looked like it should be featured on a page of Architectural Digest instead of belonging to house outside of Forks, Washington. Exquisite rugs and antique furniture filled the room, which had been adorned with seasonal décor. Some fall boughs and swag ornamented the windows and mantle, with Halloween décor interspersed between the foliage. Bella wanted to walk around, just exploring and touching each little figurine peeking out from between the greenery.
There was a table with cider, fruit and Halloween cookies. Jasper poured them both a cup and handed one to Esme.
"My sister and mother go all out on these events," he said as Bella sipped the cider.
"When are the other guests arriving?" she asked.
"It's just a family thing," Jasper replied. "But my mother wanted you to join us."
"She did?" Bella asked.
"She was very specific on that point," he said.
Bella turned to see how Esme would react to this statement, and saw that they were alone in the room. The others had quietly slipped out while she was tasting her cider. Jasper set her tumbler down, put his arms around her waist and pulled her close, as if to dance.
She pushed back and he looked puzzled.
"I can't dance," she admitted. "I have enough trouble just walking without falling on my face."
He smiled. "Then let me guide you. Just close your eyes and feel."
She took a deep breath and picked up an incredible smell. Was that his aftershave? But all thoughts of aftershave flew out of her head when he pulled her close. He moved quietly and confidently, and she relaxed, trying to match his motion.
He tightened his grip around her waist so that her face lay against his chest. She took another breath. That scent was him.
After a few minutes, there was a bang from the next room.
She pulled up and looked back.
Jasper looked annoyed. "Emmett just knocked over a dresser."
"Dresser?"
Jasper looked at her and gave a quick smile. "He's very strong and likes to horse around. Let's go upstairs."
She followed him up the stairs, up two flights. They walked down a hall where he opened a door and stood aside, allowing her to enter.
She peeked inside. The room was full of cases with weapons, maps, and uniforms. They appeared to date from the Civil War.
She went in. "Are these from the Civil War?"
"Texas Cavalry. I'm from Texas, so I've done a bit of collecting," he said.
She walked from case to case, finally coming to a large four-poster bed that was covered with a cream colored bedspread.
She turned around and he was right behind her. She gulped and asked, "Which is your favorite piece?"
He turned and looked around, considering. Finally he walked over to a set of spurs and hat. The hat was worn and looked as though it might have been wet at one point.
"We think these spurs and hat belonged to a member of the family from the 1860's, one Major Whitlock. It's hard to be sure of the provenance, as he vanished and his body was believed to have been swept away by the river. However, when his friends looked for him, they found the hat. They returned it to his sister, and eventually I acquired it."
He had such a far-away look in his eyes that made her feel as though she was intruding. Then he turned back to her. The way his eyes focused on her made her knees go weak.
He closed the distance between them and put his hands on her waist.
"Let's try dancing again," he said. She snuggled against his chest and he swayed gently. "Close your eyes," he whispered, and she did. She felt the back of her knees bump against something, and she was sure it was the bed. He pushed her gently down on to it, leaning over her. When he leaned forward, she slowly sank back, so that he nearly lay on top of her, leaning on his elbows.
"Hi," he whispered.
"Hi," she said back. He touched her lips with his. She was startled that they were hard and cold, but decided she would see what she needed to do to warm them up. He blew across her face, and she drank in his sweet breath.
He began nuzzling down her neck, shifting her under him until they lay side-by-side on the bed.
"Close your eyes," he whispered.
She did, reluctantly, wanting to stare at him, the planes on his face, his blond hair.
She heard another "bam" from downstairs and started to giggle, and that's when she felt the bite.
Xxx
Another story! Thanks for reading.
Please leave a review. I will send a preview of the next story to all reviewers.
Hope you're having a fabulous October.