AN: SM owns Twilight and the characters contained in this story – I own nothing.
Thank you so much for reading & reviewing! I hope the small teaser helped a bit with the wait for this chapter? I'm really sorry about the wait y'all – thank you for being so understanding! The family visit went well and I survived!
Warning: Lots of bad language, smut, and violence...please be warned!
Now, on with the story...
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"We can build our own tree house!" Emmett exclaimed happily.
Seriously? Well, I did ask, so I guess I only have myself to blame for that one. You'd think I would have learned by now but...
"No."
"Aww, come on...I thought you would totally go for it, Jasper...since you are all about the trees lately," Emmett snickered, turning to high-five Peter – who was trying, unsuccessfully, not to laugh. Fucker.
Good god, maybe I should have fucking gone with the girls. This was going to be hell stuck with the two of them. Perhaps that whole family business was a bit hasty on my part.
"I still say Char will be fine with tents...and if she's not, then I'm willing to deal with her not talking to me for the next year if you are," Peter said, adding his two cents. He may be crazy enough to willingly incur her wrath, but I was not. I like my balls right where they currently are. My cock nodded eagerly; he wasn't taking any chances after what Bella did. It was much too risky with these women.
"No tents, no tree house," I stated, shaking my head at them.
"Well that's really our only options, Major. Why can't we just buy a house anyway? It's not like we can't afford one," Peter replied, looking perplexed.
"Because, Peter...it will take at least a few days to find something secluded enough for Bella as well as big enough for all of us, and then it could take a couple weeks to even get into it – even with offering twice the asking price. And it's not like we can just stay at a hotel with her; that would end up like some bad horror movie," I explained. "That is, if she even wants to stay with us...if she would rather go back and stay with the Cullens, she can – it's her decision and I won't make it for her. Regardless, I can't go far from her – so I'm staying here," I added in resignation.
"She will come around, Major...just give her time. I'm sure Rose and Char will get through to her," Peter attempted to reassure me.
"I hope so, Peter...I really do," I replied, nodding my head. "But if you'd rather find your own accommodations, I understand."
"You know where you go - we go, Major."
"So then...tree house?" Emmett asked, hopefully.
"Tents."
"Tree house."
"Tents!"
"Tree house!"
"There's really only one way to settle this," Peter scoffed at Emmett.
"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Emmett scoffed back. God, they were so much alike it was frightening.
Peter pulled a quarter from his pocket and threw it up in the air, catching it in his palm. "Call it."
"Heads," Emmett stated quickly.
He opened his palm to reveal...
"Damn it! I'm never going to get to go camping," Peter whined annoyingly.
"Fuck yeah! Let's go!" Emmett exclaimed, motioning us forward.
"Go where?" I asked him, confused.
"To the store. You know...for like wood and shit," he replied, shrugging.
"Do either of you even know how to build a tree house? Or anything for that matter?" I asked them. I had never built a thing in my fucking life – human or vampire. Edward and Carlisle were the ones that always helped Esme with any small home improvements – the rest was all done by contractors. This could be very fucking bad.
"I think I built a dog house once...when I was human," Peter said, squinting his eyes as he tried to recall the memory. "I'm not sure though, it's all so fuzzy...it's possible the hammer fell on the dog's head."
"Just fucking great," I mumbled. "This will have to wait anyway, because I can't go with you; not with Bella still upset and who knows when the girls will come back...and what if they need my help with her?"
"You worry too much, bro. Besides, Peter and I got this!" Emmett stated, clapping me on the back.
"Hey, Em...you think we can swing by the cell phone place on our way too?" Peter asked him excitedly.
"Sure, why the fuck not," Emmett answered.
"Major, give me your keys," Peter demanded, holding out his hand for them. Is he fucking kidding me? No way in hell was I giving him my - partially dented and werewolf clawed - brand new truck.
"No fucking way, Peter," I told him. "You are not driving my truck without me..."
"I'll drive then," Emmett interjected. "Come on, bro...you're the only one with a truck to carry the wood."
"Fine," I growled at them, throwing the keys in their general direction. "But it better come back in the same condition it's in." I can't believe I fucking agreed to this. I'm a fucking idiot.
Emmett and Peter took off toward the house victoriously, which left me...alone.
Now what the fuck do I do? I could probably hunt, I am a bit hungry...and I suppose I should scope out where to put our little dis-functional family tree house. I really have a bad feeling about this – I should have never agreed to it...Char and Rose will fucking try to kill me, I just know it. Or worse, relocate my balls. I shuddered at the thought.
After running for a few minutes, thinking of all the ways Char and Rose will attempt to maim me, since I like to be prepared; I came across a herd of deer and quickly took down three – it should be enough. I drank slowly...the taste isn't great compared to human blood, especially after tasting Bella's, but it soothes the burn and I wanted to prolong that feeling of relief for as long as possible. It had been a fucking stressful day and I needed it – badly.
After disposing of the carcasses, I scanned my surroundings. We've only lived on this property once before, very briefly after one of my slip ups, and I've never really explored the area, simply hunted and did whatever Alice told me to do and Alice wasn't really one for nature and exploring.
Well...she isn't here now, is she...
I took off in a random direction, going further out than I've ever been before. After about a half hour of nondescript forest, I came across a lone waterfall. It wasn't large by any means – it was quite simple and small actually – but it was beautiful none the less. It seemed so isolated out here, so pure. The water was calm and crystal clear as it ran off in a small pebbled bottom stream. Peaceful, was the only word I could use to describe it here. It was a shame I had never been out here before to see it. Fucking Alice.
I wasn't a messy eater by any means, so there was no blood on me anywhere. However, some dirt and mud had found it's way onto my skin during my hunt and I decided to rinse off in the waterfall. I stripped my jeans and stepped underneath it, the water was cool even to me – which is saying something about the temperature. It definitely wasn't a hot steaming shower, but it would do I suppose. I rinsed my hair and body, washing away the dirt and mud, but also washing away Bella's scent in the process. I paused when her scent began to slowly fade, I didn't fucking like it – at all. My vampire male instincts to find her and fucking rub myself all over her were very strong at this moment. It was actually quite difficult to stop myself from running off to find her – if anything, just to assure myself that she was okay and to perhaps, brush up against her or something – nonchalantly of course.
Thinking of her caused my body to react the same way it always does...my cock was hard, weeping, and throbbing with my need for her. He wasn't even in the mood for his normal disapproving gestures right now – he simply wanted her, and fuck...so did I. If only it were that simple. My hand reached down and stroked him a few times lazily, my head tipping back slightly as a small groan left my throat from the sensation. I can remember with perfect clarity how it felt when her hands touched me. Fuck! I stroked a few more times – not intent on doing anything further – just simply to take the edge off...but when I caught a fleeting breath of her scent, I began pumping vigorously. Damn it, what is it with her and guys jacking off to thoughts of her? Am I really any better than them if I do this? My hand paused at the tip, spreading the venomous pre-cum around idly as I thought my actions through. Fuck me – or not, as the case may be – I couldn't do this. My cock twitched in his discontent as I let go of him and stepped out of the waterfall.
I hadn't realized just how long I had been gone until my cell phone began ringing in the pocket of my discarded jeans. I pulled them on quickly and pulled the phone out...
"Peter," I answered, wondering why in the hell he was calling me.
"Where are you, Major? We're back and uh...yeah, we're back," he replied, sounding nervous – just fucking great, what did they do now?
"Everything go okay, Peter?" I asked him suspiciously.
"Yeah, yeah...everything is fine...uh, we just could use your help unloading everything," he answered shakily. Yup, they fucked something up already, there's no doubt about it.
"I'm heading back your way now," I said, taking off in a sprint towards the house.
"Where are you anyway?" he asked incredulously.
"I went exploring after my hunt," I told him, quite happily. I really was happy, all things aside...Rose was right. I never even realized how much Alice had dragged me down until now. Being free from her was like breathing fresh air after being in a stuffy room for decades.
"Wow, and how did that feel?" he asked curiously.
"Fucking amazing," I told him.
"About fucking time. Welcome back, Major," he said, and if I had to guess...he was probably saluting the phone.
"I'll be there in about thirty minutes," I told him, ending the call and pocketing my phone.
I had just reached the border of the cleared Cullen property when Emmett and Peter approached me – hesitantly. Not good. Not...fucking...good.
"What did you do?" I growled at them. They both somewhat hung their heads in shame. Emmett was scratching the back of his neck with one hand, while twisting his lips nervously.
"You tell him," Peter barked at him.
"What? Nuh-uh...I didn't do it," Emmett argued, shaking his head.
"Yes you did man, that was all you...I ain't taking none of the blame for that shit," Peter scoffed at him.
"Dude, what happened to 'let's stick together and he won't hurt us'?" Emmett gasped in horror.
"I only said that to shut you the fuck up. I know what it feels like to get beat down by him – no way in hell am I admitting to anything," Peter informed him.
"Fine," Emmett huffed and turned to me. "It's about the truck." I narrowed my eyes at him as I tried to reign in my emotions. Killing Emmett would serve no purpose – or at least that was what I was fucking chanting to myself at the moment. Besides, Rose might hurt my balls if I did that...and I need them...yes, I was still hoping. Really, really hoping since I couldn't even jack off anymore.
"You are just now telling him about the truck?" Rose asked, approaching quickly.
"Oh thank god! Rosie!" Emmett exclaimed, throwing himself at her. "Hold me!"
Oh for fuck sake, did he really think she could protect him from me? Perhaps I should show him what it means to fucking mess with me.
"Get the fuck off of me," Rose told him, pushing him away from her. He simply moved to stand behind her, facing her my direction like a shield. "Emmett, what the fuck?"
"Jasper's going to kill me," he whimpered into her hair, clutching her back tighter to his chest.
"What? Why?" she asked, trying to turn around to see his face, but he wouldn't let her. It was at that moment, however, that I simply didn't give a shit any longer what he had done...because... Bella came into view with Char beside her. She's staying with us! Unless...unless she's here to return to the Cullen house. Please let that not be the fucking case! She didn't say anything, but she was feeling nervous and uncomfortable – which could mean anything - and neither Rose nor Char's emotions were giving me any clues as to what her decision was, unfortunately.
"Emmett, why the hell would Jasper kill you over Bella's truck? You didn't have anything to do with that shit," she scoffed at him, still attempting to push him away from her.
"Bella's truck? You found it then?" I asked, perking up at that information and finally taking my eyes off of Bella for a moment to look over at Rose.
"He didn't tell you?" she asked, furrowing her brows when I shook my head no. "Exactly what the fuck have you all been doing while we were gone?" she asked incredulously, eyeing us suspiciously. It was my turn to squirm – my balls clenched, but not in a good way.
"Yes, what exactly were you doing, Peter?" Char asked, glaring over at him. I'd say she had good instincts, but it was simply common sense when it came to Peter. Peter cringed and glanced nervously towards the driveway...and that's when I finally saw it...
I dashed over to my truck and ran my hand along the large dent in the front grate and hood...and not the one from the giant werewolf either. No, this was a new and much larger dent – unfucking believable. It was a miracle the thing still worked with the amount of damage to it at this point.
"What the fuck happened?" I growled, lowering into a crouch. I was going to kick their fucking asses for this. One thing, I asked for one fucking thing – okay, that and Bella – but really, how hard can it be for a vampire, make that two vampires, to drive from point A to point B and not get into an accident? Lightning fast reflexes my ass.
"It was Emmett's idea," Peter said hastily, cringing further at my growl.
"You really suck at this united front shit, you know that right?" Emmett told him. Peter shrugged unapologetically and hid behind Char...who grabbed him from behind her and pushed him towards me. Okay, so maybe the girls wouldn't hurt my balls after all...although, they still don't know about our soon to be accommodations, so I should probably tread cautiously just in case.
"Someone better spit it the fuck out – right fucking now!" I growled.
"Emmett wanted to put a bear in Edward's Volvo," Peter said in a rush. Emmett glared over at him in response.
"You what?" I questioned, thinking I heard him wrong – vampire hearing has never failed me yet, but there was always a chance I suppose.
"Peter told me what happened to his beloved Volvo...and so I thought it would be funny to put another bear in there for him to find later," Emmett explained further.
"And how does a bear in his car equate to this huge fucking dent in my truck?" I asked, pointing to my mangled truck.
"Well, you see...I kind of...got hungry...and the bear smelled so good..."
"More like he feasted on the damn thing like some ravenous dog," Peter scoffed. "It was fucking disgusting!"
"Thanks a lot, you ass!" Emmett growled at him. I noticed Rose stepped away from him at that point. She wasn't having anything to do with this one.
"I'm just trying to save my ass," Peter growled back.
"Hold the fuck up!" I yelled, causing them all to clamp their mouths shut. "Let me get this fucking straight... So you drained a bear...in my truck?" I asked, looking for clarification on this incredibly fucked up story.
"Yes."
"And Peter was the one holding the bear?"
"Yes."
"And Emmett was driving when he drained it?" They nodded in response.
"Why the hell didn't you just get a bear from here?" I asked, motioning around to the billion acres of forest surrounding us. Plenty of bears there that wouldn't require vehicle transportation to get into Edward's car. But no, they just had to bring one back with them...in my truck? What. The. Fuck.
"See... that part is so not my fault," Peter defended, glancing nervously around – looking for his escape route no doubt. I just stared at them waiting for the whole story. They would fucking explain, one way or another. If I had to beat it out of them - I was okay with that. Peter was the first to give in...he knew me too well.
"We saw a bear on our way back wandering the side of the road. Emmett insisted that we stop and pick him up..."
"He was a baby and all alone...I mean we couldn't just leave him there - he could have been hit by a car!" Emmett interjected in his defense. Though it wasn't much of a defense, considering what he did to said baby bear.
"But you drained it anyway, Em," I reminded him.
"I know, and I feel mighty awful about it too," he replied, frowning deeply. "I tried to resist, I really did. Poor Ben," Emmett whimpered.
"Ben?" I questioned, looking at him as if he was insane.
"Yeah, can you believe he fucking named the thing before he ate it," Peter explained, shaking his head in disbelief. "Freaky ass vegetarians. And they think us human drinkers are the 'bad' vampires," Peter added in a murmur to himself.
"I didn't plan to eat him, alright? I planned to let him go once he finished ruining dipshit's car some more. It was an accident and I feel awful enough - thank you very fucking much," Emmett explained sadly. Bella walked over to him and grabbed his hand up into her own, giving it a consoling squeeze. Just fucking great...maybe we should all join PETA at this rate. I mean doesn't anyone else realize that we are vampires? It's the bear or a human...I didn't see what there was to feel badly about.
"Em, I've hunted with you and you've never felt bad about killing the animals before..."
"Yeah, bro...but you didn't see him. He was so little and cute, with his little black nose and little padded paws, and those itty bitty claws he tried to tear my face off with," he sniffled. Bella pulled him into a crushing hug, which he returned while burying his face into her neck. I growled. I didn't want her scent on him...her scent belonged on me, and only me. Call me a possessive ass, but I can't help my vampire instincts. Once I've claimed her fully and covered her in my scent, inside and out, they'll settle down a bit...but right now...I could literally kill him for touching her. Sensing my mood shift, Peter continued on with his story of what happened - hoping to bring my focus off of Emmett's hands on her no doubt. Good fucking idea.
"Anyway, we picked up the baby bear named Ben and we were on our way – no problems. That is until Emmett started salivating like a fucking dog and grabbed for the bear, causing him to let go of the wheel, and the truck to go off the road. I tried to grab the wheel, Major, I did, but he was crushing me while he chowed down on the fucking thing and I couldn't get to it in time. Then we sort of...hit a tree," Peter finished, mumbling the last three words.
"You hit a tree," I stated in disbelief.
"Yeah, but you like trees...remember? Consider it a fond reminder," Emmett said, pulling back from Bella's embrace and wagging his eyebrows at her. Bella's eyes widened in response and now she added embarrassment to her uncomfortable and nervous emotions.
"Emmett," I growled in warning. He was making my mate upset and I didn't like it – not one fucking bit. Isn't it bad enough that he was still fucking touching her, a fact that was causing my hands to twitch as I tried to reign in my anger. Rose motioned with wide eyes from me to Bella and back again...trying to signal Emmett to back the fuck off my mate. He finally caught on and in a split second had his hands raised in the air - as if in surrender - and took a giant step back from her.
"Sorry bro, I didn't mean anything by it," he cringed, looking and feeling fearful. Good. Bella looked confused at him pulling away from her and his fearful response to me. All she had to do was remember the way she reacted to Alice touching me...not that she even realizes why she reacted that way in the first place - hopefully we can rectify that soon, however.
"You are buying me a new fucking truck – am I clear?" I addressed both Peter and Emmett, letting them off the hook - this time.
Neither of them said anything more, they both wisely nodded their heads in agreement and seemed awfully thankful they got off so easily. Like I said - this time.
"I still can't believe you didn't tell them where we found her truck," Rose said, her lips twitching slightly. Bella groaned and closed her eyes, while shaking her head. Hmm, this sounds like it's a much more interesting story.
"Do tell," I encouraged her.
"Well, we traced her human scent to where the thing had been parked by backtracking through that alley you told us you found her in. We actually got lucky it was such a piece of shit because the thing was leaking oil like a sieve and it basically left us a clear trail to follow," Rose said, pausing briefly to say sorry for her 'piece of shit' comment to Bella. That was shocking. Rose never apologized for what she said – ever. I think every single one of us, minus Char, was in shock at this moment.
"What?" Rose spat at us in response to our shocked stares; causing all of us to avert our eyes hastily.
"Nothing, go on," I directed her.
"So anyway, we could have been wrong...I mean other cars do leak oil, but really, what were the odds, right? So we follow the oil trail on a hunch and it leads us back into Forks..."
"They stole it and took it back to Forks?" I interjected. I mean it's not like there was a high crime rate in Forks...hell there aren't even any criminals in Forks for that matter. Well, until now, I suppose.
"Yup," she said, popping the 'P'. "And you will never guess who the thief was."
"Who?"
"Mike Newton," she stated, looking over at Bella sympathetically.
"Should I know who that is?" I asked her in confusion. I wasn't kidding when I said I don't bother to know who the kids in school are. I mean, what the fuck did I care? If I can't drain them, I don't want to fucking know them. Being friends with them really wasn't a fucking option - it was best they kept their fucking distance from us. Alice was always pushing that boundary, however, and of course Carlisle never said a word. Not smart - but what did I fucking know, I was just the 'out of control' one.
"Bella knows him, don't you B?" Char snickered at her.
Bella groaned louder. "Thanks, thanks a lot, Char," she said, glaring at her. "He had a crush on me," she informed the rest of us who weren't in 'the know' apparently. Just fucking great...another one lusting after her. Well, he's human...which means I can eat him – problem fucking solved. I suddenly was wishing they all were human; it made things so much easier.
"He stole your truck...because he had a crush on you?" I questioned, completely baffled. It made absolutely no fucking sense at all.
"He planned to return it to her after a few days. He wanted to be her hero..."
"Did you ever know that you're my herooooo...you're everything I wish I could beeeeee..." Emmett began singing... off key; causing Rose and Char to burst out in fits of laughter.
"Ha, Ha," Bella sneered, glaring at them. "It's not fucking funny!" There was some of her newborn feistiness coming out to play. They really needed to be more careful. She still wasn't in control of her emotions...in the background she was always feeling a consistent amount of anger. It was like a land mine, sitting in wait...one wrong step and you could suddenly have a very angry, out of control newborn on your hands.
"Well maybe you can drive it once more before we wreck it," I consoled her, trying to get on her good side and settle her down. I'll admit, I also have ulterior motives.
"Eww," Rose and Char said in unison. "I wouldn't do that. He, uh...left a couple stains on the seat. Nothing a human would be able to see, but..." Rose trailed off, looking repulsed. Bella looked about ready to vomit herself. And I... I was pissed. He jacked off in her truck? What the fuck was with these goddamn perverts lusting after my mate!
"So where is her truck now? Because we need it to stage the accident after she makes her phone call to the Chief, and we really need to do that soon," I asked her, choosing not to comment on the rest. I really wasn't sure what to say about that anyway – Rose and Char's 'Eww' seemed fitting enough. Bella frowned deeply at the mention of her father and staging the accident - I had to wonder what was going through her head. I imagine she was thinking about how upset he would be thinking his only daughter was dead. It was for his own good though, and I hope she realizes that.
"It's getting towed to the garage in town. Should be here in a day or two. Sorry, but there was no way in hell I was driving that thing – not after...well, you know," Rose replied, shuddering at the very thought. "We told Mike that Bella was staying with us and we'd take the truck back to her. We also told him she'd be calling her father in a few days to let him know where she was - he seemed fine with that and understood her whole 'hating Forks' explanation. He said he wouldn't mention it to the Chief and I don't think he suspected anything - not that he was in any position to cause problems."
"That was perfect, thanks, Rose," I told her, hoping to end that extremely unpleasant conversation.
Rose and Char cleared their throats and looked over to Bella meaningfully. Bella frowned as she gazed back at them and shook her head slightly. Rose cleared her throat louder in response, her eyes narrowing slightly. Bella sighed heavily and glanced cautiously over at me. Of course I was staring at her – when wasn't I? She met my eyes and then quickly glanced back at Char and Rose, who were both nodding their heads encouragingly.
She looked so damn beautiful as she approached me hesitantly. It was clear she was extremely nervous; I didn't even need to use my gift to see that as she wrung her hands in a very human-like gesture.
"Jasper, do you think...that maybe, um...well...what I want to ask you is..." she rambled, shaking her head in frustration at herself.
"Please don't be afraid of me," I blurted out in a rush. I'm not sure where that even fucking came from, but apparently I had worried about that. Go fucking figure. The subconscious was a sneaky fucking thing.
"Do you think we could...talk?" she finally asked, looking more resolved. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing...Rose and Char's emotions still weren't giving anything away.
"Yeah, sure," was my brilliant response. Way to make her swoon there you fucking idiot, I chastised myself. My cock shook his head in shame. Yeah, well, if I strike out...then so does he. That only caused him to stare longingly at his position list. Way to boost my ego there – thanks. It would happen though – I had to believe that it would. I mean she's my mate...she can't fight the pull she feels towards me forever. Right?
Bella and I glanced around us taking in the presence of the other four vampires, whose eyes and ears were glued to us. Could they be any more obvious? It was like they were leaning against an invisible door or something – all that was missing was the glass to press against it.
"Alone?" she clarified, raising an eyebrow at them. At least she's not afraid of being alone with me...that's got to mean good things...right? Why the fuck am I so nervous about this? Ahh, yes...mate...eternity of despair and sadness without her. When the hell did I get so damn emo? I need to man the fuck up and just talk to her – I can do this...I mean I'm the Major for fuck sake. With a new found courage, I did just that...
"Come on, darlin', I know a secluded place we can go for some privacy," I told her, emphasizing the word while looking directly at Peter; just in case he got any brilliant ideas. He was radiating disappointment in response, which can only mean he had been planning on eavesdropping. I knew him just as well as he knew me.
"Okay," she nodded and stepped beside me without hesitation. I took a deep breath in as her scent swirled through the air. My god she was intoxicating. I felt drunk off of her scent alone. I had to remember to keep my hands, and body, to myself – lest I rub myself on her. I knew she wasn't ready for anything like that - yet. Although she didn't seem to have a problem with Emmett touching her or dry humping me in a tree. Still, the last thing I wanted to do was scare her away. Progress...we were making progress – or at least I hope we were about to.
She followed along beside me silently as we ran through the forest together, weaving our way towards the place I had found earlier. Honestly, I will admit that I lagged behind slightly from time to time...just to watch her ass sway as she ran – and fuck, what a sight that was. I couldn't fucking help it; I am a man after all – and if I couldn't touch her, well I can at least look. I think she caught on after the third time, however, when she raised an eyebrow at me and stepped in line behind me. Not that I minded, she can look all she wants...she can touch too.
Arriving at the waterfall, I slowed to a stop. She stopped next to me gazing around at our surroundings; it was hard to read her expression so I used my gift to see what she was thinking. Awe. She was in awe.
"Wow," she breathed, taking it in. "It's simply beautiful."
"I found it earlier. You're right though, it is 'simply beautiful' – I like that," I replied, taken by her words.
"Peaceful," she added, nodding her head. Exactly, darlin'. God, she's fucking perfect...perfect for me in every way. She brings me peace.
"Yes, it is."
She wandered over to the water and dipped her toe in, testing. She was still so very human in her actions and gestures at times; she would do very well passing for human once she was done with her newborn phase; much better than any of the rest of us in fact – including the fucking Cullens. As she stood beside the water's edge seemingly looking at the pebbles along the bottom, she spoke the words that were a relief...and yet also a complete surprise – to me at least.
"I'm not afraid of you, Jasper," she stated matter-of-factly, before turning around to gaze into my eyes; showing me not only with her expression, but also with her emotions, that she was telling the truth without an ounce of wavering. I didn't understand it...if anything, I thought that was one of her problems with me. I hadn't sensed fear from her...but still, I had worried about it. I mean I bit her and drank from her - not exactly a great first impression to make.
"You aren't? I mean...I'm glad that you aren't...but...fuck...," I stammered for the first time in my existence. "Why?"
"I know you won't hurt me," she replied simply, before turning back around to stoop down and pick up a handful of pebbles from the stream's bottom. She spread her fingers wide and let the smaller pebbles drop between her fingers back into the stream, causing them to make small splashes and ripples in the calm, clear water.
"How do you know that?" I asked her, watching her stare at the ripples. It was a question that could be unwise to ask...if she distrusted me. After all, she never did say anything about trust.
"I don't know," she answered, looking perplexed herself by that realization. "But I just do. Besides, your friends think very highly of you and they can't all be wrong."
"They're not my friends," I told her. She sharply turned her head to look at me and narrowed her eyes in response, her newborn anger hitting me with force. "No, that's not what I meant. I consider them more than just friends...I consider them family," I hastily tried to explain. Last thing we fucking needed was another misunderstanding between us. Our misunderstandings were a lot like those pebbles...constantly causing ripples between us.
"Oh. I'm sorry...about that...and about the others. It's my fault they kicked you out," she said forlornly, looking back down at the bigger pebbles that hadn't fallen through and she still held in her palm.
"No, it's not your fucking fault. Please don't think that it was, it really had nothing to do with you," I said vehemently. She was not the reason they kicked me out - if it wasn't this incident, it would have simply been something else...and I'd be damned if I would let her take any of the blame for their actions.
"I wanted to apologize for what I said back there. I don't really think what you did was the same as what Edward fucking did. I never should have said that," she told me, tossing the rest of the pebbles in the water and watching them sink to the bottom.
"Why did you say it then...if you didn't really mean it?" I asked her. It had been a hurtful comment and I wondered if that had been her intention.
"I don't know really. I guess I just wanted to get back at you, but then I realized that would be kind of...hypocritical of me," she replied, spinning around and sitting down cross legged with her back to the stream. She glanced up at me nervously and then back down to the blades of grass around her.
"Hypocritical?" I questioned in confusion. What does she mean by that?
"It means I'm as guilty as you are, Jasper," she mumbled, not looking back up at me.
"I don't understand, darlin'," I stated, furrowing my brows in further confusion. I had no fucking clue what she was talking about. She wasn't guilty of anything except being in the wrong place at the wrong time and having absolutely no fucking luck whatsoever. Neither of those were things she could control, however. How the hell did she think she was 'guilty' of anything?
"When you...um...when you drank from me...I um...," she fumbled before sighing heavily.
"You what, Bella?" I encouraged her, extremely curious at this point.
"I..."
She took a deep sighing breath before looking up at me. Her embarrassment hit me like a tidal wave and if she could have blushed, I'd imagine she'd be as red as a fucking tomato by now.
"Let's just say...I liked it, Jasper..."
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AN:
What was that Bella? Hmm, perhaps she has been hiding some things herself. Sounds like progress to me! hehe
Now please don't be mad at me for ending it there! I promise they will talk more in the next chapter! And since there is no family coming to visit (that I know of anyway) the next chapter won't take nearly as long as this one did! Good news, right?
Also, I wanted to address the concerns about Carlisle (and Esme to a lesser extent): Don't write them off just yet is all that I will say. I know it's hard to dislike them, but it is a necessary progression of the story and we just need to wade through it. Stick with me, please?
I'd really love to know what you thought since I fretted over this chapter for some reason. I'm still not real sure about it, so... Please let me know? ;)
Disclaimer: No bears were hurt in the writing of this chapter! Baby bear Ben would like you to know he is alive and well in my imagination! He is a little sad, however, that his role was such a short one before he was killed off. Sorry Ben. =/