…and here is the next instalment designed to brighten your weekend

Thanks for all the reviews and adds – I'm thrilled by your reactions. Some people keep asking about Alice's agenda. I have to ask you for a little patience there, I need some more chapters for that.

Twilight belongs to SM

8

Charlotte's POV

We were really worried. We arrived in Washington State on Wednesday, but stayed in Seattle most of the time, not happy to just crash in on Jasper and his new family until he had told them about us. As we had not been able to reach him personally for three days, and he had only written back brief and cryptic messages since the debacle on Friday, Peter was all jumpy, sure some major catastrophe was about to unfold, and after two hours he had worn me down to running to Forks and check on Bella at least. I convinced him to stay in the city and feed – when will he learn to feed before a flight? – and ran on my own. I found Jasper outside the Swan house in a major panic and managed to calm him down, poor darling, and then ran back to start working on his problem.

Peter was a bit surprised when I turned up at our hotel room with an armful of rented High School Movies, but was game enough to watch them with me once I had assured him that Jasper was just fine. After the third movie, he raised an eyebrow and said. "He's making a pig's breakfast of the whole thing, isn't he?"

"You didn't hear that from me."

"I'll call him right away."

"No, I think that's the last thing he needs. Help me with suggestions, why don't you?"

"How the hell should I know how to flirt with 21st century High School girls?" He snorted throwing his arms in the air, and I grinned. "See?"

"Alright", he grumbled, starting to snuggle up to me, "besides, what would be the point?"

I slapped his hands away. "Pete, Jasper needs help. Rev up your outsized male brain!"

"You're a hard woman, you know that?" Big eyes and a crooked Texan smile.

I sighed. "Later. Work first!"

The next day we sent him a long text message with our suggestions, and he called us Friday night in a jubilant mood, saying it had worked, everything was planned out, and he had it all under control.

Fine, we thought and planned our weekend in Seattle. It was lovely, and on Sunday we were just standing in line for tickets to a concert, when Peter tensed and then pulled me along at a speed that was definitely not inconspicuous. "Hey!" I protested when he hot-wired a car, pushed me inside and took off in the direction of the ferry at top speed. "What's going on?"

"Not sure, but things are not going like he wants, we better be close."

Jasper's POV

Damn it, damn this whole existence which has made me into a creature that cannot control itself! Everything was so natural and human; we were sitting together and talking, exchanging thoughts and ideas, just like it should be. Then I finally got enough courage to try and get close to her, and I felt no opposition at all, she was just as interested in getting closer to me as I was. Ok, I had felt something already when I had come in earlier, but had not been sure then. Now, however it was indisputable, she wanted me to kiss her, after all, she should feel something of the mating pull, too. I could have kissed her forever, I was about to tell her there and then what I was and what I wanted from her, when her feelings pushed me over the edge and I lost it. Suddenly all I felt from her was panic, shame and the need to push me away. When she flinched away from me, her huge eyes wide with fear, I realised just how big a mistake I had made. She waved away all my attempts at explaining and apologising, saying she wanted to be alone, but I knew that she just didn't want me there. Much as it hurt to leave, it hurt less than have her scared of me like that.

When I got to my car, Alice was waiting for me on the passenger seat with a concerned expression. I got in without commenting on her presence and started the car in silence. She reached out and placed her hand on mine, but I jerked away. "No, Alice, I need to be alone."

"Jasper, you can't do that. You put all of us in danger. Do you want that?"

"Keep out of this." I took the car off as fast as it would go.

"And you definitely need to keep your cell phone switched on. How am I supposed to warn you if you're incommunicado?" She sounded quite pissed at me for the first time I had met her, and I pulled over to look at her.

"What do you want?" I asked tiredly.

"You need to stay away from Bella, you are going to hurt her, and she's the Chief's daughter. Don't you understand that?"

"I can't stay away from her." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself. "I love her."

"I don't think so, and I don't think she feels the same", Alice said lightly. "Besides, I really can't see what's so special about her that she attracts all that attention."

"Stay out of this!" I hissed.

"Will you stay away from her? You can't go off and start dating human girls here."

"Don't tell me what to do. Bella is mine." It came out as a growl, and I realised that the Major had taken over once again. "Get out, now!" I needed her away from me or she would suffer.

Alice shrugged her tiny shoulders. "You leave me no choice then." She left the car and skipped away into the forest.

I hit the steering wheel in frustration, then took off toward Olympia. I felt as if I needed air desperately when I had not been breathing for more than 150 years now.

I was just about to give in to my instincts and feed on a human, when thoughts of how that would disappoint Esme and Carlisle stopped me. So I hunted down a herd of moose and returned to Forks by morning. After stopping at the house to clean up and change, I set out for Bella's house again, where I frowned at the sight of Edward's Volvo parked in the street. I was just about to storm down the house, when I heard them.

"Major", a hiss came from the trees next to the house, and after a quick scuffle with my friend (I thought Edward was at the house) I joined Peter and Charlotte, who were awaiting me. "Calm down, she's fine."

"What are you doing here?"

"Peter thought you needed us", Charlotte said, checking my face with a worried expression. "Oh, the eyes look lovely."

I gave her a pained look. "Yeah, Bella is just about licking her fingers for me."

"What happened?" Peter asked. I told them, then asked how long they had been here.

"We came just when the blond vampire got out of the car over there and was let inside by her father."

Carlisle was here? "Any idea what Carlisle is doing there? Did he bring his bag?" Panic at once. Was something wrong with Bella? Humans could get so many diseases, they were so fragile, and Bella in particular had been at the emergency room so often in the past few years that I assumed at once she had been injured.

"That is the doctor?" Peter asked.

"Yes, is there something wrong with her?" Barely containing myself.

"No, I saw her pottering about in the kitchen when we arrived. She's fine, like I told you."

Kitchen? She could have cut herself or gotten a burn or have fallen or… "I need to help…" Peter pulled me back by the scruff of the neck.

"I told you she's fine. Why don't you trust me without checking everything for once?"

Ok, I had made myself an idiot with Peter too many times to test his abilities yet again. But this was Bella. Ah, I could see her at the window, warming her hand s on a cup of tea. I breathed out. "What else could he be doing there?" I grumbled.

"No idea", they both shook their heads. Of course we could have gone closer and listened, but with Carlisle inside that would have meant he would know we did so, and I did not want to be known as an eavesdropper or have my friends exposed around here yet. I sighed, and we went for a run together.

"What you need is some distraction", Peter diagnosed, and they took me along for a day in Seattle, at the end of which I felt confident enough to try and call Bella, but was told she wasn't available. Well, at least I'd see her in school the next day.

Monday held two surprises for me, none of which were good. I had only come back in time to change for school and get my bookbag, when I saw the Mercedes parked just outside the garage and my siblings waiting for me in the Volvo with Edward at the wheel.

"Hi, you're back", I greeted him warily.

"Yes, Alice was right, it was doing me no good whatsoever", he said in a distant voice.

"What about Bella?" I asked tensely.

"I can do it. I won't harm her, and I probably mistook my impression anyway", he said radiating apprehension and excitement. Aha? I resolved not to let him out of my eyes for the rest of the day.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I could see Bella's truck already parked in her usual space and took a deep unneeded breath. I would sort this out. I would keep her safe, and I would make her mine.

Alice snorted, and I had the impression that Edward growled at me, but could have been mistaken there. We went to the classroom together, and I slipped into my seat next to my beautiful girl and said Hello.

She ignored me and continued to talk to Angela. What?

"Hi, Bella!"

"Jasper." Stated coldly.

"Hey, I tried to call you last night, about my… behaviour on Saturday. I truly am…"

"Just leave me alone, ok?" She said quietly. I couldn't answer because at that moment the teacher came in. For the rest of the morning I did not hear anything, I was completely absorbed trying to take in her feelings. I caught shame and regret, quite a bit of anger and sadness. She was not talking to me, and when I caught her on the way to lunch, I asked. "Bella, what is it? I can tell you're hurt and sad. Is there anything I can do?" I was ready to tear whoever hurt her to pieces right there.

She looked up at me, her brown eyes starting to flood with tears, and for a brief moment I thought she was about to say something, but just then Emmett and Edward came up behind me.

"Jasper, why don't you sit with us?" Emmett asked, while Edward murmured under his breath, too quiet for the humans to hear. "Leave her alone, right now, come along."

There was not much of a choice other than giving in, I realised cursing inwardly.

"You need to stay away from Bella", Alice said after I had sat down with them at our usual table. "Please, you don't want anyone to get hurt, do you, Jasper?"

"Come on, bro, it will get easier, give it a few years", Emmett said encouragingly. So for the rest of lunch break I acted my part in the human charade we put on every school day.

I was tense all through Spanish, knowing that Edward was with Bella, but Alice kept calming me down. "He is not going to hurt her, he has found a way to deal with it, relax!"

As if I could relax, knowing my mate was with a volatile vampire who wanted her blood. As soon as the lesson was over, I tore out of the room and waited nervously for Bella to arrive for Gym. When she did, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, before I realised, she was not alone: Edward was with her, and they were chatting amiably.

What the f…?

During Gym it became plain that she was once more ignoring me. She talked to Mike and Jessica, but cold-shouldered me completely. I was on edge so much that I must have started projecting, I could feel the whole group tensing up, and relief flooded everyone when the bell rang and signalled the end of the school day.

I dumped my bag in the car and told the others I would meet them later. I needed to talk to Bella. Alice gave me a pained look and shrugged, but didn't say anything.

Edward was about to try and stop me, but Alice shook her head at him, and he drove off.

I rang the bell at the Swan house ten minutes after Bella had gotten in. No answer at first and I was about to leave when I sensed her coming down the stairs, so I waited. She stood inside for a while, deliberating whether to open the door and finally opened up. "Yes?"

"Bella, why don't you let me explain…?"

"My dad says I should not meet you anymore." She bit her lip, and I felt regret and confusion from her.

"What? Why?"

"I think you know; he's not happy about your past, neither am I."

"What past?" I was lost momentarily. What could Chief Swan have found out about that? Then it clicked. Of course, the story the Cullens had cooked up to ensure I was left alone. The one about me having been in jail in the past year and being on parole. "Oh."

"Yes, oh", she said. Her face looked sad though, and I thought that maybe she had feelings for me other than contempt and anger. She had kissed me back after all, she had liked me.

I put all the love I had for her into my look and said. "Bella, it's all lies, don't believe that. I want to be with you, and I would never hurt you."

"So you didn't kill anyone?" She looked up at me through her lashes, and she had me. I could not lie to her, but I could not tell her the truth either.

"It's not like you think", I started lamely.

"Aha, then explain how it is!" A flicker of hope.

"Let me come in."

"No, Jasper." She closed the door on me with a sigh. I could tell she was standing right behind it, I knew she was sad, but she was not going against the clear orders of her father, and who would after what they had heard about me and my performance on Saturday? What choice did I have? Explain to her that I was a vampire who was mated to her and wanted to change her for eternity? Not likely to change her mind about me being a dangerous deranged criminal. Lie my head off? Very likely that she and her father would believe my word rather than the word of the respected hospital doctor.

I left.