Still don't own twilight.

Sorry to have kept you waiting so long again. I hope the next updates will be quicker. I have the story outlined in my head, so it should not really take that long again. Anyway, tell me what you think, I read and enjoy every review, though I rarely answer them – that would make the updates even slower

18

Bella's POV

I did not sleep a lot that night, tossing and turning about what had happened. My rational self warned me against getting involved in all this, but I already knew it was too late. There was no way I was going to be able to stay away from Jasper. Apparently that falling in love thing forever was contagious, and even though there might be lots of reasons to stay away from him (above all that he might want to eat me, or at least his family would be sorely tempted), but they did not count at all.

Somehow I got through school the next day, not taking in a lot, I have to admit, and as soon as the last period was finished I hurried to my car to get away. Jessica had been pestering me about how I had met Jasper in Port Angeles – she clearly thought we had had a secret date, which she found very romantic, and I feared that she would try to catch me after school if I wasn't quick.

My old truck wheezed with the speed I made it go, and I made it home in record time. Jasper was already waiting for me in his car. I waved and smiled, and after having dumped my book bag inside, I hurried to greet him. He looked even more gorgeous that I remembered him, and I felt almost giddy with luck at the thought that this wonderful man was in love with me. His arms were around me as soon as I was inside, and he took his sweet time kissing every part of me he could reach, mumbling something about it having been far too long since our last kiss.

"Maybe", I said when I had gotten my breath back after a while, "we should move away from here, or the neighbors will notice your car and tell Charlie about me in some stranger's car.

"Not a good idea", he agreed, and pulled into the road. He drove us outside of Forks until he found a small hidden road leading further into the forest, which in turn led to the house of the Cullen family.

"Ready to face a house full of vampires?" He smiled at me crookedly.

"I don't think you will let them harm me." I said. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I gave in. "Ok, I'm nervous about meeting your family. What if they don't like me?"

He snickered, shaking his head. "You don't have to be introduced if you're nervous. I just thought you might like to get to know my surroundings as well."

I nodded thankfully and let go of a breath I hadn't known I was holding. He took my hand and led the way to a big building with lots of glass. When we came in, he wrapped his arm around my waist leading me to a room that could only belong to him. Lots of books crowded the bookshelves, there were black and white photos of Southern landscapes on the walls and a guitar leaned against a very comfortable looking chair lazily. The window overlooking an amazing garden was open, a vase with some spring flowers sat on the orderly desk beneath it.

"Hi Bella", a voice said from the bed in the corner. A tall blond man in a black shirt and washed out jeans was lounging there. He had made me jump and something like a growl came from next to me.

"Peter? Are you in Jasper's room?" Charlotte dashed in a split second later. Somehow that must have given a bad conscience to the blond vampire: He was up in no time and at the door with his girlfriend. "Sorry, I only wanted to say hello to her", he apologized to Jasper. "I did not mean to scare you, li'l Bella."

"It's ok", I said. "Hi Charlotte. Is this the boyfriend you told me about?"

She nodded, and Jasper boxed the other man's arm. "Bella, meet Peter, who for all intents and purposes is my brother. You have already met Charlotte, his wife." It was clear he was not encouraging them to stay, and they certainly got the message and left.

"And?" Jasper asked.

"I like it", I said after taking a look around and feeling his apprehension. "And I like your friends, Charlotte is great, and she would never be with someone who was not worth it."

Jasper's face lit up with a smile, and for a moment it seemed as if he was filling the room with happiness as well. "I love you, darlin'. I would never have thought I could find this much happiness with anyone."

"You don't sound as if you had a good time these past few… eh… years?" Decades? Centuries? I was flustered. What was the etiquette about asking a vampire about his past? Was that considered bad behavior? "How old are you?" I asked sheepishly.

"Around 160, so you might want to reconsider getting involved with such an old man", he quipped but I could sense he was tense about the whole thing.

I tried to hide my surprise at this news by casually asking. "Do you want to tell me what you've done with all that time?"

At once I regretted my question. His face looked so pained that I came forward and tried to comfort him. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to pry."

"I know." He hung his head.

"You don't have to tell me anything." I played with his hair, running my hands through his locks.

"Maybe later I will, you need to know some things, but…." He broke off again, then took a deep breath. "My existence so far has been a nightmare… I was a nightmare until I found you."

I found myself becoming incredibly angry at whoever had made his life the hell it must have been. The anger disappeared as suddenly as it had come, and Jasper fixed his golden eyes on me. "I'm much better now, I've even found a way to live without killing, and I have you with me, darlin'."

He pulled me close again and let his hands wander my body. Soon I found mine doing the same and we landed on his bed in no time. There was so much tenderness and love between us, and now that I knew his feelings about me, I was much more confident in what we were doing. I enjoyed his attention and craved the feeling of his body near mine, even when he was becoming more and more passionate. He started purring again, and then suddenly growled. "Bella, I can't stop, I need you now, I need to make you mine. Please…"

At that moment the door flew open and Jasper was pulled off me by a creature growling furiously.

"What the…?" I wondered when the room became even more crowded with Peter rushing in followed by Charlotte who dashed toward me and tried to pull me back.

Jasper had thrown off the intruder and now stood facing him – that is Edward – glorious in his rage and fearsome at the same time.

"Charlotte, no, he will not have her leave the room now, get down!" Peter called to his girlfriend, and she reacted by letting go off me and crouching down in some sort of deferential position.

Jasper was growling at Edward now, they were circling each other like lions about to pounce and there was not a lot of human left in both of them.

Peter's POV

Holy shit! That idiot of a douchebag Edward had somehow got it into his head to drag away the Major's mate at the most idiotic moment imaginable. And my intuitive wife was having the bright idea of trying to get her away from the fighting, completely ignoring the fact that Jasper was in full Major mode. He would probably have torn both of them to bits too small to burn. Man, he had already threatened me just for greeting her when they came in. At least Char reacted when I warned her and got out of his eye line.

Edward of course did no such thing, he was challenging Jasper with a brazen courage that can only be summed up as monstrous stupidity. OK, he is a mind reader, but I'm pretty sure that there were not a lot of conscious thoughts in the Major's mind right now. I have never seen him angrier, and I have seen him angry plenty.

Quite a few of the other Cullens had arrived in the doorway by now and were watching the show – not a good idea either. I'm not sure how many of us will get out of this this intact.

Just when Jasper was about to attack though, Bella called him. "Jasper!"

Oh god, I only hope it's true that we can't hurt our mates, because she is far too fragile to be in the middle of this right now, and I don't really want to lose her so soon after getting to know her at last.

"Jasper, no, you don't need to fight anyone. Just come back to me." She stepped forward to touch his shoulder lightly and you could hear a collective intake of breath from the vampires around.

We saw Jasper close his eyes briefly and shudder at her touch, then he pulled her close and protected as much of her as he could with his body, growling at Edward. "Mine!"

The doctor and the burly brother got hold of Edward and pulled him back with quite an effort, while the little girl Alice tried to calm him down, which he would not have.

"He wants to kill her, I heard it in his head, he is about to drain her. Let me go!" He screeched fighting against the others.

Jasper answered this with another feral growl, and they pulled Edward further away from him.

"Edward, you need to get out of here. He is wild, and he is protecting his mate."

"Protecting?" Edward scoffed, and Carlisle sighed.

"Bella, are you alright?" he asked matter-of-factly.

"Of course I am. Jasper would never hurt me." She curled into his arms, and he literally melted.

"I think we are superfluous here", Esme said smiling and pushed the others out resolutely. "Edward, you need to hunt with Emmett and Carlisle. Girls, I need you to drive to Port Angeles with me, I want to take a look at a new antiques store."

The only sound left was a continuous purring and I blinked: This slip of a human girl had just done what no one had ever accomplished before. I smiled at Charlotte stupidly and we were the last to leave the room.