Chapter 3 Good to have you back, bro!

Peter POV

It was late at night, around two in the morning actually. We'd just come back from having 'dinner' out in the nearest town, followed by our own version of having desert. I could still taste my mate's passion on my lips. I glanced over to the couch, where my wife and mate Charlotte was sitting, reading some trashy magazine. I was more than ready for a repeat of what we'd done in the woods, but I didn't make a move. There would be time for that later. After all, as vampires we had nothing but time. For the moment I was fine just sitting here in our living room, reading, simply enjoying each other's company in complete silence. No noises but the sound of nature around us.

We always settled down as far away as possible from any human civilization, not out of necessity but because we preferred living in seclusion. Of course, over the years we'd managed to gain enough self-control to be able to stay closer to humans, but considering that we indeed were still a danger to them, it was still for the better to keep our distance … just in case. And besides, neither I nor Charlotte were the least bit interested in bonding with humans, so what would be the point in living next door to them. As far as I was concerned humans were only our natural food supply and nothing else. And my mama had taught me not to play with my food...

It has been ten years since we bought this house, here in the south of Arizona, fairly close to the Mexican border. We both loved the sunny states, especially in the winter month, so we usually came here around September and stayed until March before moving back north to one of our other residences there. Of course, Arizona was just our second choice. The urge to return to our home state, to Texas, was still very strong. But we both knew better. The moment we would enter her domain, our lives would be forfeited. We've been lucky to escape from Maria once, but I doubted that we would be successful a second time. Even with our fighting experience I didn't want to put it to a test, and risking Charlotte's life was clearly out of the question. Better safe than sorry. So, we kept on avoiding the one place we both simultaneously feared and loved. But then again, I had my mate, and that was all that I needed to be happy. And of course my freedom …

Wham … there it was again. For a split of a second I saw it. A single picture in my head.

"Jasper is coming." I blurted out load. Charlotte's head snapped up and her eyes met mine across the room. For a few seconds we just stared at each other, before the meaning of my words finally sank in.

"Yeah!" She practically squealed, radiating pure happiness and excitement. You didn't need to be an empath to see that. "It's about time."

"You're right about that." I agreed lamely, still reeling from the after-effects of my peculiar gift. True, vampires couldn't get headaches, but that pain in my head certainly felt like one. I shook it off, not wanting to worry my mate. "It's been far too long."

It was true. It has been more than five years since the last time we had seen each other. Not that I would admit it to his face, but I'd truly missed Jasper. As had Charlotte. The bond between us, all three of us for that matter, was deeper than any normal bond. Only second to the bond I shared with Charlotte. We were all connected through the same venom. We were more than friends, we were family. Too bad Jasper was too blind to realize it.

Charlotte straightened up, throwing the magazine on the table, and looking at me intently, like she was waiting for me to elaborate on what I knew. When I didn't, she frowned. "Will SHE be coming too?"

I smirked at her. Charlotte probably loathed that little pixie more than me. "Don't worry, my love. He will be on his own." Apparently, I didn't sound overly convincing.

"I only hope he comes alone. No way will I allow that damn wife of his stay here too. Not after last time."

I laughed at her grimace, remembering the last time Jasper brought Alice with him, on one of his very rare visits since he'd joined the Cullens.

"Like I said, he's coming alone." Of course, I couldn't be a hundred percent certain about my assessment, and she knew this, but she didn't argue, because she trusted me ... and my gift.

"Good." She looked pleased, but then she shot me a quizzical look. "Wait a minute … He hasn't called you, has he? I didn't hear the phone. What's going on, Peter?"

Busted. "No, he did not call me. But I got a message. He will be here very soon, probably tomorrow, maybe the day after."

"Oh." She said, understanding the hidden meaning. "Is he in trouble?"

"Probably." I sighed. It was very unusual for Jasper to appear at our doorstep, without announcing his arrival in advance. Not that we would have a problem with that whatsoever, but since his alliance with his new family, he'd changed. And not only for the better.

Charlotte nodded, and got up. "I will have his room ready."

"Thanks. I love you."

"What are friends for? And Peter, I love you, too." She said, leaning down to kiss my lips, before whizzing out of the living room to prepare the guest room for our brother's visit.

It was two days later in the early morning hours, when I knew for certain that Jasper would arrive at our house that very same day.

I didn't know what to expect exactly. I was no Alice after all. Thank God for small favors! I didn't have premonitions like her and I was fucking glad about that. My power or gift, or whatever you wanna call it, didn't work the same way as hers. Instead of the whole picture show she was experiencing, the only thing I got was one single image, popping right into my head … always out of the blue.

I didn't take me very long to figure out that they weren't always pictures of future events, but of the past as well. Most of the time, I didn't pay much attention to them. As a vampire I could recall them at any time, whenever necessary. But unlike Alice I had no need to let this gift control my life. I knew it could be useful at times, but I didn't need it to guide me and others through life. And most of the times that one single picture held all the information I needed.

Like two days ago, when the image of my dear brother popped into my head. I'd seen him sitting here with us in our living. The same flowers in the vase on the coffee table, still fresh, providing me with an approximate time frame for his arrival, the dress Charlotte would chose to wear that day … all of it telling me it was today and that it was indeed only Jasper. I saw no one else, just us three …

All those tiny details in just one single image, like a photo, giving me all the information I needed to know. No complete visions, just a picture for me to put the pieces together, to figure out the hidden meaning. It didn't tell me why or even how Jasper would come here, only that he would.

So, I just sat down on the porch in one of the rocking chairs, and waited patiently. I'd sent Charlottes away, and she'd gone into town to do some shopping without even questioning my motives. Oh God, I loved that woman! I wasn't completely sure why I wanted her out of here for the day. But my intuition told me, that it would be best if I would be here alone to greet Jasper. For him coming here out of the blue, no phone call, no text message … it could only mean one thing. Trouble.

As I sat there, I let my eyes wander from the road that led to the house over towards the tree line of the nearby woods. That was when I first saw him. Well, I had expected him to come alone, but I sure as hell hadn't expected him to arrive on foot. On foot from Forks. Wow, he really had to be in trouble. I gasped at the sight of him. He looked like hell. Clothes dirty, hair disheveled … like he literally just had been to hell and back again.

What the fuck?

I slowly stood up and walked down the stairs, but then stopped in my tracks. Even from this distance I could sense that his mood was even worse than his appearance. I knew from experience that it would be prudent to wait for him to come to me. Against the Major I wouldn't stand a chance, and right this moment he looked like he was just a hair's breadth from snapping.

He came closer, very slowly, almost cautious in his movement, like he was testing himself, checking if he was still in control. I knew this was bad sign. His whole body shivered, vibrating with emotions of rage and anger. But what surprised me was that these emotions were only directed at himself and not me or anybody else for the matter.

Fuck. He slipped up, again. After all this time ... Fuck!

But as soon as he was close enough, I could see that I was wrong with my conclusion. His eyes were still golden. Prove of his weird choice of diet.

Oookay. No slip up. What then?

I didn't ask the question, because it was obvious to me that he wasn't in the mood to talk. Not yet, anyway.

"Hey, Major. Welcome back." I greeted him instead, letting him feel my concern and love. I knew that was all he needed right now, and quite obviously all he could handle. He visibly calmed down some and came closer, until he was right in front of me.

"Thanks, bro." He whispered, and gave me quick, manly hug.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, glad that he didn't shy away and let him towards the house. "Well, it looks like you could use a bath."

He only mumbled a 'yes' and 'thank you', before he excused himself, retreating to the bathroom, and leaving me alone in the living room.

What the fuck happened to him?

The next two weeks, I let him sulk around the house, giving him time. Charlotte kept her distance for most of the time, too, sensing that her presence would not make it easier for Jasper to open up. But finally, even I ran out of patience.

"It's been two fucking weeks, man. Would you be so kind to tell me what the fuck is wrong?" I demanded, almost pleading. We both sat on the porch that day, both pretending to read a book. I knew that he wasn't, because he'd been lingering on the same page for hours. I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head, he was thinking so hard.

He turned to face me. I was glad to see him smile, for the first time since his arrival, but actually this kind of reaction pissed me off even further. What was so funny about my question?

"Calm down, Peter." Jasper warned playfully, probably sensing my shift mood.

"Fuck you, Major. I want answers! Now!"

He grinned at me and I growled in response. But just as fast as mine, his mood changed, and he got very serious. "Okay. I'll tell you. But promise me, that you let me finish before you say anything ... otherwise I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell you everything."

I could sense his distress, so I nodded once in agreement, waving my hand, indicating that he should start.

Jasper took in an unnecessary breath, and then he began his tale. I listened patiently, restraining myself from making any comments. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The Cullens, the oh-so-perfect Cullens, had broken the one and only law that existed in our world – keeping our existence concealed from the humans. Okay, the human involved, this Bella chick, apparently had found out the truth by herself, but from what Jasper was telling me, none of the family, except for him and Rosalie, had done or said anything to prevent this from happening. And on top of it all, it had turned out that Bella was Edwards's singer. What a disaster! This was almost like an episode of one of these stupid soap operas on TV, and I would have laughed if I didn't know it better. This was bad, really bad.

When he came to the part of his story – the reason why he came here in the first place – Jasper got very still and tense. He blamed himself, of course, and from what I knew about his family, they all blamed him too, though some definitely more than others. But I knew better. Being in a house full of vampires, even if they claimed to be vegetarian, was very dangerous. And the girl must have known this. I had to admit even without knowing her, I admired her strength and the trust she obviously had in all of them. In my opinion this whole accident – and it was an accident – probably could have been prevented, if Edward had allowed Jasper more contact with Bella, so that they could have gotten to know each other and especially that Jasper could have gotten more used to her scent.

But what really pissed me off, was the fact that Alice hadn't seen this coming. When she had been around us, she'd always acted like she was above us all, better than all of us, almost all-knowing. Well omniscient my ass, you screwed up, pixie … in more ways than one.

"Well ... that's all. I just ran off." Jasper finished, hanging his head.

"Hmmm. That's quite the tale there, my friend. I'm sorry about all this. It's really screwed up, to say the lease. But listen to me and listen good, because I'm only going to say this once. THIS WAS NOT YOUR FAULT." I emphasized each word, looking straight into his golden eyes. I could see that it would take more than just words to convince him of the truth. Maybe I wasn't the right person at all, but at least I conveyed my sympathy and support, because he needed to hear it, even if he didn't believe it. He needed to know, that I didn't judge him. I never would.

Jasper just shrugged and went into the woods, hunting and probably sulking some more. I shook my head in exasperation, but let him be. I knew putting him together again would take some time. And I also knew that at some point he had to go back to his family, not to stay but to face them and say his piece. I would give him the time he needed, but I was ready to kick him in the butt, if he would take too long.

It took him almost five months, but we finally made our way to Forks.

Bella POV (The same day Jasper and Peter go to Forks)

I looked at my alarm clock, and sighed. Another dawn, another day. It was only five in the morning, on a Saturday, nonetheless. I couldn't remember the last time I'd gotten a real good-night-sleep. Well, at least the nightmares weren't so bad anymore. Those first two months after HE had left me, had been the worst months in my entire life. I still had problems to think about that time … not only because of HIM, and the throbbing pain in my chest that went with any memory of HIM, but also because of the way I'd acted around Charlie and my friends. My pain had become their pain, and I'd hated it. I'd hated myself that I'd made them suffer right along with me.

It had been like I had been there in body, but my mind had just shut down, keeping everything and everyone out, hoping it would be easier this way to deal with the agonizing pain. Funny as it may sound, the numbness had been keeping me sane … sort of. I'd walked through the days like a zombie, talking only when it had been unavoidable, eating only when I'd almost passed out from physical weakness. I had been a total mess. Inside and out.

The day when Renee came down here, had been the day I'd finally woken up. Charlie had been on the end of his ropes, thinking that a change of scenery would help me, making it easier to forget. That day I came home from school, to find both my parents packing up my stuff. At the sight I'd just snapped. I'd screamed, pulling my things right out of their hands, throwing them around my room … truly embarrassing, like a four-year-old throwing a hissy fit. But oddly, but it had the appropriate effect on me, on all of us. I'd finally cracked, cried for two days in a row, and at in the end I'd let it all out, opened up … to Renee at least. I'd talked about what had happened – of course leaving out the whole part about the Cullens being vampires. I'd talked about my feelings, my fears and my nightmares.

For the first time in my life, Renee actually had been the mother. She had been taking care of, comforting me, instead of the other way around. I had been so grateful. Charlie had kept his distance, being overly emotional just wasn't his thing. But I was sure that Renee had talked to him, before she'd left. When she'd left, she'd stressed that if I should change my mind, I was welcome to stay with her and Phil in Jacksonville. I'd thanked her, but declined her offer, telling her it would be foolish to change school again with being so close to graduation and all that. Like that was the real reason...

It took some effort – taking into account everything that's happened since my very first day in Forks – but somehow we've managed to settle back into our old lives. I wasn't stupid, though. I knew that Charlie wasn't completely fooled by my cool demeanor. Sure, I was better, but not entirely healed, far from it actually. But I was trying very hard. And my Dad was doing his part to help me, giving me space and time. And I loved him for that.

I could hear Charlie rummaging through the house, probably getting his fishing gear together. Like so many times in the past, he'd planned to go out fishing for the whole weekend with Billy and Harry. I was glad he had this to take his mind of things ... his mind of me and my problems.

And I had my own plans for today, anyway.

I got out of the bed and grabbed some sweatpants, a shirt and my toiletries, and made my way to the little bathroom down the hall between my bedroom and Charlie's. After showering and brushing my teeth, I made my way downstairs into the kitchen to join Charlie for breakfast.

"Good morning, Bells. You're up early. I didn't wake you, did I?" Charlie asked, concerned and slightly embarrassed.

"Good morning, Dad. No, you didn't wake me. Just couldn't sleep anymore." I replied, telling the truth but still managing to sound grumpy. It wasn't hard to fake it, though, since I generally wasn't a morning person. And to be honest, I was still tired. No surprise there, with the minimum of sleep I used to get these days. I pulled myself a cup of coffee and a granola bar, and sat down at the table.

"What are your plans for today? You know … I could stay here if you want me to." He still wasn't sure if I was really okay. Hell, even I didn't know, but I was mending, slowly but surely …

"No way, Dad. You've been planning this trip for weeks. Billy and Harry will be mad, if you cancel on them at the last minute. Go, have fun. And bring home some fish for me to cook." I encouraged him, smiling. I hoped it was a convincing smile, because I needed him out of the house, not keeping a sharp eye on my or asking questions about my whereabouts. "I'll just hang around at house, doing some laundry, maybe driving to the library ..."

Luckily, Charlie seemed to be convinced. Or he was just too eager to get to his appointment. It was hard to tell, though in the end it didn't matter, as long as he would be gone. "Alright, kiddo. I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun."

He got up and put the dirty dishes into the sink. And without another word he grabbed his bag by the door and made his way outside.

"Bye, Dad." I called after him. When I heard him driving away, I let out a breath of deep-felt relief. I hated lying to him, but this time I deemed it necessary. Charlie would most certainly not approve off my plan ... my plan to visit the Cullen house one last time.

It was early in the afternoon, when I drove down the familiar road towards THEIR house, getting more anxious by the minute.

This is a bad idea. No, you need to do this, no chickening out now. Right, right … Great, now I'm arguing with myself. I'm a true nut job. No, you're not. This is a necessary step forward … saying your last goodbye … even if THEY hadn't had the decency to do that, you do. Right, I'm not a coward. I can do this. I need to do this. One final glance at the house … that's all …

I kept up with the inner pep talk for the rest of the way, and oddly it seemed to help me to keep it together. I had to slow down a bit at the last curve of the unpaved road leading to the house. I was concentrating hard on the road that I was almost at the house when I finally noticed the other truck parked in front.

My first reaction was shock. I nearly slammed my foot down the brakes, before I remembered that none of THEM used to own a car like that … a similar car like mine, only a newer model.

I took in a deep breath, trying to stop my hands from shaking. I wasn't ready to deal with any surprises, or uncertainties.

It's not HIM or any of the OTHERS. I told myself, sternly. But who else can it be, then?

I parked my truck behind the other vehicle, shut of the engine and got out. When I got close enough to the entrance, I gasped. The front door hung slightly off its hinges.

Oh, my god! Burglars. Shall I call Charlie? Damn it, I forgot my fucking cell phone. Quick, Bella, think of something …

Before I could make up my mind, a tall figure appeared in the door frame. Unconsciously, I moved closer. When our eyes met, I finally recognized the person who stood not even ten feet from me on the front porch. My heart missed a beat, my breath got caught and my knees trembled.

Jasper.

Revised and reposted on December, 8th, 2013