A/N Thanks for reviewing, and everything … you guys are AWESOME.
I have to say I was a little surprised that some of you think Bella should just go with Jasper and Peter when they leave. But why would she do that? Remember she still got school to finish, and Charlie would be more than a little upset if she would run off with some strange men (vampires). My Bella is more mature and therefore more responsible. Even though she is glad to see Jasper again and finally has the chance to get some things straightened out, she barely knows him and she still has a lot of inner demons to deal with …
And what will Jasper decide? Is there a reason for him to stay, after Bella forgives him? Or will he just pick up his things and leave right away?
Well, read and find out …
Enjoy!!!
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Chapter 7 Tell me about it
Jasper POV
I stopped running when I reached the edge of the woods, walking slowly to the bank of small the stream separating the forest from the meadow in which centre the Cullen mansion was placed. Even though the sun was hidden behind the usual thick veil of clouds I could still determine by its current position that I hadn't been gone for as long as I'd thought, maybe only an hour …
I slightly crouched and leaped gracefully over the stream, coming to land steadily on my feet almost without making any noise. I walked slowly towards the backdoor of the house, but suddenly stopped in my tracks, when I heard Peter and Bella talking. A strange emotion ran through my body … I didn't know what it was exactly … but I didn't allow it to take control of me again.
They sounded so comfortable with each other, almost like they were old friends just catching up … but in fact they were comforting each other considering their topic of conversation. I was glad I couldn't detect any sign of fear coming from Bella, and that Peter was his usual composed self. I admired his incredible strength to keep himself in check around Bella, considering she was human and thereby his natural prey. But oddly, it seemed there wasn't even the slightest urge in him to make her his next meal … quite the contrary actually … he was both worried and intrigued by her.
Silly Bella, she has no idea how lucky she is … I shook my head in annoyance and awe. Her unending trust in our kind was both troublesome and inspiring. She truly is one of a kind …
Although Bella wasn't showing any sign of fear, her emotions were still reeling. But clearly she was trying hard to keep them from consuming her … almost like she was unconsciously sensing my presence … which of course I was sure she couldn't … but I was grateful nevertheless for her attempt to control her emotions to some extent, thus helping me to keep it together. Bella was mostly confused and dismayed by the things Peter had just told her. It was pretty obvious that the family had kept the truth about my departure from her. I could understand that it hadn't been their main concern at the time but I was still surprised to hear that HE had lied to her.
But why would he do that? If anything … my action should have worked into his favor … I mused.
"But I told him and Alice … I told them that I didn't blame Jasper … I forgave him right after it happened." Bella's voice trembled with her emotions. She was sad and disappointed for some reason.
I … on the other hand … was simply stunned, frozen in place. Is this true? Does she really not blame me for what had happened that night? How can she think that way? I had tried to kill her for crying out loud! Is she simply that forgiving or just insane? Sure, I was able to sense the truth behind her words, but I wasn't able to believe them … not yet, because I was still convinced that I didn't deserve her forgiveness … not now … not ever. I probably was the reason that HE had left her … Why would she forgive me, when I was responsible for destroying her relationship?
Just then I became aware that Peter finally had noticed my presence. Even though I was still out of sight, he was able to sense me, of course. Strangely, he decided to carry on with the conversation obliviously instead of announcing my presence to Bella right away.
Sneaky bastard, I thought sourly, but unable to suppress a smile. What are you up to now, bro?
"So I take it then, that you really hadn't meant it, when you told him before … outside the house, that you hated him?" Peter asked Bella. By the sound of his voice, it was clear to me that he'd chosen to ask this particular question on purpose. Peter was obviously just as curious as me to hear her answer.
I braced myself. "Yes … and no." Bella answered, awkwardly but truthfully. She sounded like she was embarrassed.
What is that supposed to mean? Yes … and no. What kind of answer is that?
Before my irritation could get the better of me, she continued. Her voice was slightly unstable … whether because of her emotions or her search for the right kind of words … I did not know nor did I care at the moment. I was barely aware that I was holding my breath in anticipation of her explanation, my whole body was tense. "I guess, I was just overwhelmed … seeing him here again … after all this time. I'd just lost it. I don't even know why I'd come here today … When they'd left … I was broken, lost …"
Her words barely registered with my mind, because while she was speaking her gates fully opened again. I could feel all of her pain and sorrow, she'd tried so hard to conceal before. I was surprised that the force of her feelings didn't knock me down this time, instead my legs moved on their own accord, like some invisible force was pulling me towards her. Strangely, I felt the urge to take her into my arms again, holding her tight and comfort her … just like I'd done outside.
I took one final cautious step into the living room.
"I am so sorry, Bella." I whispered so low, that I wasn't quite sure if she could even hear me. But both their heads turned to me at once, and to my and Peter's astonishment Bella wasn't even the tiniest bit surprised by my sudden reappearance. Quite the opposite, she smiled at me. A tiny, but genius smile. Waves of relief and happiness washed over me, almost overriding my own feelings of regret and self-loathing … almost. "It was all my fault."
"No." Bella and Peter exclaimed at the same time, causing them to throw a hysteric laughing fit. I stared at them in shock. Sure it was a kind of funny quirk, but still inappropriate behavior in this situation … at least in my view. When Bella saw my expression, she sobered at once. Again smiling, she slowly got up from the couch and carefully made her way over to me.
"No," she emphasized once more, resolutely. There wasn't a trace of deceit in her voice … or in her feelings. "It was not your fault. It was an accident … a stupid accident."
"So … you forgive me?" I pressed again, still not able to believe her words. An accident, she'd called my attempt to kill her. This was just crazy. Maybe cutting herself on a simple sheet of paper had been an accident … but my attack? No way … that hadn't been an accident, that was simply acting on my animal instinct …
Of course, I wanted her to forgive me … well … actually at this point I had come to believe that I wouldn't be able to move forward if she didn't. I desperately needed her absolution to continue my life … just like she needed air to breathe to do the same. I needed at least someone to forgive me … if not one of my former family members … then maybe her? I knew I was grasping at straws at this point … but I was desperate.
"Of course, Jasper." Bella said with total sincerity, taking one final step towards me. She was cautiously reaching out to take my big, strong hands into her tiny, facile ones. I didn't dare to move or even say anything, scared to startle her if I would. When our skin met, a sudden jolt of electricity shot through my entire body … it felt like a fire was running through my veins … but instead of the all consuming, destructive power I'd connected with that specific force … there was nothing but a warm and fuzzy … sort of tingling sensation, a kind of cleansing power …
Strange … but yet pleasant somehow …
I hadn't missed the shiver that had run through Bella's body, when our skin had met. Obviously, she had felt this strange sensation too, but she didn't make any indication that she was repelled or anything.
She truly feels comfortable in my presence … she is incredible …
I was once again stunned speechless. I had held her before that day, so the closeness and warmth of her body shouldn't have that immense effect on me. What was so different this time? I had no idea … but I was definitely pleased to determine that at least the scent of her blood wasn't calling to me as strongly as I'd feared … which was both strange and enlightening. Could it actually be true that I wasn't the monster that I'd believed to be? Peter surely seemed to feel that way. And now that I thought about it, this wasn't the first time I was in such close proximity to Bella. We had stayed together in a hotel room for a few days without me even thinking once to take a bite at her. Funny, but still true. Had my family just been acting overcautiously the whole time, without there had ever been a real reason? Especially Edward … He had been the one to talk … Bella was his singer and he had been worried about my self-control? Fuck him …
With this sudden revelation of mine, I felt anger rising in me … anger at myself for doubting my own strength and of course anger at my family who had made me believe all this time that I was the weakest link. But somehow even through our limited physical connection, Bella kept me grounded. My anger didn't peak, but subsided bit by bit, and I wondered silently how she was able to do such a thing all of the sudden, when only an hour ago she had struck me down with her emotions alone … but I pushed these questions away, to ponder over them later … probably with Peter's input.
The whole time Bella's eyes were fixed on mine, pleading silently with me. Please believe me … I forgive you … please believe me … it wasn't your fault … Really looking at her for the first time,I lost myself in the depth of her brown eyes, feeling nothing but trust and love, and the unfamiliar but soothing warmth of her body through our entwined hands. It was like the time stood still …
I've never felt that kind of affection before in my entire existence … not even as a human … as far as I could remember. Her tender emotions were so pure and strong, and for once solely directed at me. I bathed in the warmth of it, letting it sink into every pore of my being. I felt totally at peace, and sighed out in relief and pleasure. I smiled at Bella timidly, nodding my head in appreciation, thus telling her without words that I believed her and how grateful I was for her forgiveness. She seemed to understand, smiling warmly in response.
"So that's settled then. Group hug?" Peter interrupted cheerfully, thus breaking the spell between Bella and me. She snapped her head up, looking at my dear brother and laughed nervously, and I couldn't help myself but answered Peter's mischievous smirk with a grin of my own.
"I'm sorry about before, bro." I said to Peter.
"No blood, no foul." Peter simply answered, waving a hand dismissively. But this was just an act for Bella's sake, because he added in a low voice inaudible to her, but not to me. "I'll kick your ass later for reacting so recklessly in her presence."
I couldn't quite determine if he'd really meant what he'd said or not, but I would let him have his revenge any way he wanted … hell I fucking deserved it. Of course, he wouldn't kill me, but he probably would throw some hard punches … and honestly I wouldn't be overly surprised if he would remove a limp or two in the process … just to make his point. He was still pissed, but hid it well from Bella, and tried his best not to influence me in any way with his emotions. But I knew him well enough, to see the little signs of rage … brewing deep inside him. By the way he had reacted to all this … had reminded me fairly of Emmett's behavior towards Bella … the big brother looking out for his little sister … and I could already tell that Peter was quite fond of Bella, too. What was it about this plain human girl that made dangerous creatures like us, behave so protective of her?
Just then Bella let go of my hands, and I immediately missed her touch.
But why? Probably just because of the pleasant warmth …
She went back to the couch, sitting down. She looked somehow exhausted, not physically but emotionally at least, but maybe it was just my imagination … When I took a seat on the other end, I detected another shiver running through her body. This time I was sure it was from cold and not from fear. I hadn't realized before that she only wore a thick sweater and no coat. The cold weather would not bother me or Peter, but a human.
"Are you cold?" I asked, caringly.
"A little." She admitted, a little reluctant, almost like she was embarrassed to show a sign of weakness. Silly girl!
"Let me see if there is a blanket somewhere." I offered right away, getting swiftly on my feet … but not too fast to startle her. I made my way upstairs, leaving the two of them alone again. When I was back in the room I used to share with Alice, I went straight to the closet. To call this extra room a closet was actually an understatement. The built-in closet was almost as big as my study, and a waste of space in my opinion. But Alice had always been obsessed with clothes, and money had never been a problem for us, so she'd spent most of her free time shopping and had ended up with enough clothes to fill a small clothing store for at least a season or two. It was empty now … for the most part. Only a tiny fraction of the closet was still occupied with my clothes. The room looked just the same way as I had left it … well minus the amount of clothes Alice had owned … and I could see that not even one piece of my stuff had been moved since I'd left. Ignoring my qualms at this sight, I quickly dug through it, and finally found an old quilt at the bottom of my closet space.
That will do … I thought, joyfully and made my way back to the living room.
Thanks to my vampire senses I was able to hear even from the second floor, when Bella opened the conversation again.
"So where are you from, Peter?" She began, like she was talking to a regular person and not a vampire.
"Texas, Ma'am." Peter answered, stressing his Southern accent to Bella's amusement. "Like Jasper."
"I didn't know that Jasper was from Texas." She admitted, sounding sad but at the same time pleased to discover some detail about my life, making me smile in response. She seemed almost eager to get to know me better. Was this a new course or had she always been interested in me? Before I was able to think about it further, I was back downstairs, handing Bella the blanket.
"Thanks," she said, smiling again. I began to enjoy this reaction in her … probably more than I should. Bella pulled the blanket around her body and making herself more comfortable on the couch.
"No problem, Darlin'." I replied, smiling too.
Darlin'? … Why in the hell did I call her Darlin'? …What's wrong with me? …
Even in my confused state, I could sense Peter's amusement very clearly, and I glanced at him briefly. He was grinning broadly at me. He obviously had noticed my slip-up … in words … and thought it was funny. I scowled at him, and let him feel my irritation. Bella on the other hand had been oblivious to our little interaction … and to my slip-up … or she had simply chosen to ignore it, which was fine by me. It would have been embarrassing for me … to say the least … to explain either one of them. She reached for the bottle on the table and took a sip of the water, before she faced me again.
"You guys seemed to be pretty close … How long do you know each other?" She asked, casually, but intentionally keeping the conversation going, like she was on a mission to find out as much as she could, before we would leave again …
"We go way back …" Peter started to answer her question, but when he heard my low but menacing growl, he stopped. This time Bella didn't miss a thing. She stared at both of us in alarm.
Great now I've scared her again … Stupid, stupid … I scolded myself.
"What's wrong?" She wanted to know, sounding slightly mortified as if she'd asked the wrong question. And she had … sort of. It was a tricky question … one I wasn't sure I was able to answer … not yet … maybe even never, because if she would know the real me, she would be scared … really scared … and appalled … and for good reasons. The knowledge about my past … our past … wasn't for the faint-hearted. But then again Bella didn't seem to strike me as weak … not anymore … not after today. Maybe she never had been. And maybe she could handle the story of my horrid past. No, no … I wouldn't tell her … not yet anyway.
I smiled at her sympathetically, before I asked my own question, to determine what she might know already. "Bella, what do you know about my past … about my life before I'd joined the Cullens?"
"Not much … Ed …Edward just told me that you had a totally different upbringing than the others." Bella answered, warily but truly.
"Well … that's a nice way of putting it …" Peter grumbled, causing me to growl at him again, but this time without Bella noticing anything. She just stared at both of us in total bewilderment.
"Won't you tell me?" She whispered, almost inaudibly. Her persistence was maybe cute under different circumstances … but not right now. I wasn't really angry with her, because even though I didn't know why, I wanted her to know me … all of me. But this topic was of limits … at least for tonight.
Wait … am I planning on staying here? I can't. Not in this house … But I am not ready to leave either. Why? Because of Bella? Must be … What other reason is there?
I felt the strange desire to get to know her better as well … now that I finally had a chance. Maybe I would actually stick around … at least for a little while …
"Bella." I tenderly called her attention. "It's not that I don't want to tell you about my past … our past more precisely", I motioned to Peter and then myself, "But I think now it not the right time … I promise that I will tell you someday … but just so you know it's not a pleasant story though."
Peter seemed just as surprised as me. Here I was making promises without actually deciding to prolong my stay. But I was determined to keep my promise … with any means necessary. If it meant that I would have to stay in this house longer than I'd originally planned, then so be it. It wasn't like that I had anywhere else to be … or something. And I had to fix the damaged wall and the broken front door … so we would stay at least until Monday … or Tuesday.
"Okay … I'll understand." Bella allowed, sighing … in relief. She really seemed to understand my reluctance to tell her my story right away, which I truly appreciated. But even without me telling her so, she seemed to believe that there would be a time, when I would tell her.
The atmosphere in the room was a little tense after the end this particular topic and neither one of us were sure what to do or say next. Even Peter was unusually quiet, apparently still processing my words. I could tell that he wasn't appalled by my unspoken proposal to prolong my stay in Forks. If anything he was … intrigued. Whatever was going through his mind, he wasn't about to share it with me or Bella … at least not for the moment. I was fine with that.
Suddenly Bella looked at her watch and gasped. "Fuck … is it already three?"
Her sudden outburst startled even us vampire … which was a miracle in itself. Peter chuckled lightly.
"Do you have somewhere else to be?" I asked, curiously.
"It's pretty late, and I need to get home. Charlie's probably wondering where I've been all day …" Bella rambled, already on the move.
"Oh sure, of course …" I mumbled, a little disappointed. What was wrong with me? Peter seemed to have noticed my reaction to her announcement to leave.
"Well … we don't want to cause any trouble for you. If your father is waiting …" He said, in a smooth but sort of weird way. I stared at him, but he just winked conspiratorially. Again, Bella didn't notice our little silent conversation.
"Oh … that's not it. Charlie is out for the weekend … fishing with his friends. But he likes to check in with me … to see how I'm doing," she elaborated, frowning a little at the end. "And I've left my cell at home this morning … so at least I should get home to see if he'd already called … But I would like to come back, if that's alright with you, guys?" She was smiling coyly, raising her eyebrows in question.
I could have sworn that my dead heart just jumped in my chest at the prospect of spending more time with Bella today.
What the fuck is wrong with me? Why am I acting like a teenage boy all of the sudden? All giddy and nervous … This has to stop … it's just Bella, I reminded myself sternly, but apparently I was unable to keep my emotions in check completely, because in my peripheral vision I could see Peter smirking at me again. Fuck, I'd just projected my joy to him … or not … who knows with this freak …maybe he'd already seen this outcome …
Because I was too much annoyed with myself and Peter, I totally forgot that Bella was actually waiting for an answer. But before the silence became too awkward, Peter interceded on my behalf.
"That sounds great, actually. I would be honored to spend more time with you, Bella … and I think Jasper is happy, too." He declared, thus outing me to her. I huffed inaudible, but didn't comment. "Why don't you go home and pick up the things you need, and give your father a call and then you come back here and we can continue our talk. Hey, we can have a slumber party here … no parents and all that … Oh … how about I get you some Italian food from Seattle … I am sure you are pretty hungry by now." Peter offered, with a huge smile.
Bella laughed at Peter's enthusiasm, but she was feeling pretty much the same, to my surprise and delight. "Sounds like a good plan … but I don't wanna cause you any trouble in getting me food from Seattle … I can eat something at home." Bella insisted.
"No way, little lady. It would be my pleasure," Peter purred, laying emphasis on the last word. When I growled at him again, he just ignored me. "And … I have to run some errands in the city anyways …" Peter added, mysteriously. I knew what he meant right away, but I could sense Bella's confusion. For once I was glad that Peter had kept the true reason from Bella, instead of throwing the fact that he was going to hunt there as well right in her face.
Before she could reply anything, Peter was already at the door. "See you guys in a few." And with a tiny wave of goodbye, Peter was off.
"What has he … oh … oh … I see." Bella gasped slightly, as realization sank in. She stared at me with her mouth slightly open, like she was trying to say something else, but was too shocked to actually form words. But strangely, she recovered quickly, nodding slightly to herself.
"He is going to hunt …" She stated, simply, almost detached.
"And you are okay with that?" I asked, perplexed. What a stupid question? How could she be okay with that?
"Would it be strange if I say yes? I mean … I know what he is … and he needs to eat … hmm … feed sometime. Right? I'm just glad, that he does it there rather here in Forks … Oh, my God. That sounds terrible …" Bella stopped her rambling abruptly, covering her face with her hands. Waves of embarrassment and mortification washed over me. "I'm a monster for thinking like that." She exclaimed.
She thinks she is a monster … that's just hilarious …
I snorted, causing her to snap her head up and glaring at me. "You are anything but a monster, Bella." I pointed out, vehemently. She kept staring at me, still feeling bad about what she'd just said. I cautiously reached over and took one of her hands in mine. Once again I felt this strange tingly sensation when our skin met, but I chose to ignore it this time. "Listen to me, Bella. I know you feel guilty about your words … but I understand what you were trying to say. And you are right … he needs to feed at some point … being what he is. It's nature. Predators and prey.
"But if it makes you feel any better … both Peter and Charlotte only hunt when they are hungry and not for sports like others of our kind. And I hope you can take some comfort in the fact, that they usually choose their victims very carefully … mostly homeless people or drug addicts … people that are rarely missed."
Bella listened to me intently, and I could see and sense that she was working through my explanation … or rather justification … very thoroughly. Finally, she nodded at me, and smiled a weak smile.
"Okay." Was the only thing, she said. It was clear to me that she would need some time, to fully comprehend the truth behind my reasoning, but she understood, that there was nothing she could do to prevent nature from happening.
"Come on let's get you home." I stood up, pulling her along with me.
"You're coming with me?" She asked, surprised but somehow pleased.
I smiled. "If you don't mind … And anyway … maybe it's better this way … if you are actually thinking about staying here overnight … well … it might be more prudent to leave your truck at your house. In a small town like this, someone might mention the absence of it and you to Charlie … especially when it's overnight …"
She laughed at my rambling, but agreed. "Oh, good point. I'm not sure how he will react to you being back and all … But wait, how are we going to get back?"
"Well … I could follow you with Peter's truck …" I began, but then an idea … a bad idea … popped into my head. "Or … or I could carry you back here …" I proposed, cautiously.
What am I thinking? Why would she allow me to do that? This was something she had done with Edward … stupid … stupid …
"Okay." She answered, surprising me yet again. I was prepared for her protest, but not for her enthusiasm. She actually seemed to be excited.
"Okay?" I repeated, still doubting her resolve.
"Yes," She replied earnestly, pulling me along to the exit. Until then I hadn't realized that our hands were still entwined. It felt so natural, and Bella didn't seem to mind the physical contact either. When we reached her truck, I reluctantly let go of her hand.
"Mind if I drive?" I asked, carefully monitoring her reaction. I just wanted to be chivalrous.
After a short, investigating glance at me, Bella shook her head. "No." She said, smiling, and handing me the keys.
Once inside the truck, my eyes immediately fell upon the empty space where Emmett had installed our birthday present. Bella noticed my stare, and gulped audibly.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled incoherently, blushing deep red. Her embarrassment was strong.
"It's okay … I understand." I said, shrugging.
"It's not that I didn't like it … or something … but after Edward had taken everything else from me when he'd left … well … I'd just overreacted. I'm truly sorry … I didn't want to hurt you … or Emmett. Or even Rosalie." She explained, and I could feel that she was upset with herself for reacting so immature. But my mind was busy with something else …
I was simply shocked. "He took your things?"
"Yeah," Bella verified, sadly.
"Why would he do that?" I mused aloud, but actually more to myself.
"Well … I guess to help me forget …" She shrugged, seeming reluctant to go into details.
That sick bastard. How did he dare? Was leaving her alone not enough? Breaking her heart … and stealing her things ... I fumed silently.
One glance at her told me, that Bella had noticed my irritation, because she cringed slightly. "Jasper … please let's talk about something else." She pleaded with me.
"Of course," I soothed her. "I'm sorry if I'd said something to upset you …"
"It's alright … I'm just not quite ready yet, to talk about it. Okay?"
"Okay. Change of subject then? How is school?" I asked lightly.
She laughed at my subtle attempt to lighten up the mood, but she answered anyway. "Same old, same old. Gym sucks, but everything else is good … I mean better … I had a lot of things to catch up after …" She stopped again, apparently once again entering dangerous territory with that subject.
"And your friends?"
"Which ones are you referring to?" She asked, slightly amused by that question. It was true, even though I had always been at the sidelines I could not remember Bella hanging out with anybody from school. After all, she had spent almost the whole last summer with the Cullens.
"Well … Angela and Ben are actually the only ones who are still talking to me … I think I'd probably scared the other ones of with my weird behavior." She continued. "And Mike … for some weird reason …" She said, shaking her head.
The rest of the way we talked about her classes. I drove unusually slow, but I didn't really mind … because it meant more time with Bella …
Charlotte POV
When Peter and Jasper had left early this morning, I had been a little mad with my mate for leaving me behind. Not that I'd believed that I could have been any kind of assistance whatsoever, but Jasper meant almost as much to me as Peter. We were family, and in tough situations like these we would usually stick together. But of course Peter had insisted on going on this trip … as he had called it … without me.
"We'll be back soon, Char." He'd promised, while holding me tight in his arms. I knew he had his reasons for leaving me behind and I hadn't dared to demand an explanation, because he barely gave one anyway. This weird behavior of his didn't bug me anymore as it did Jasper sometimes. With time I had learned to just accept his gift, and usually decided to just ignore it, when Peter acted like that. I trusted Peter completely, and knew that he would never do anything to purposely hurt me … or Jasper.
I'd hugged my brother goodbye as well, murmuring into his ear that everything would be fine, pouring every ounce of comfort and love I'd possessed into him. He'd just smiled weakly at me, kissing my cheek swiftly and without another word he'd walked over to the passenger side of our truck.
Peter had given me one last passionate kiss, and then he'd gotten in the car, and they were gone. I stayed outside for a little while longer, thinking about the past months …
I would never forget the pained expression on Jasper's face the day he'd come here last September, and I had been and still was deeply concerned about him. I knew that my mate would give him any support necessary, but there was only so much he could do … Jasper wasn't himself right now … pretty unstable actually … but then again if anybody would asked me … he hadn't been himself for a very long time. Of course no one wanted the actual Major Whitlock back … God forbid … we all had been through hell together at that time and were glad, that we had come out of it almost undamaged … well at least in one piece. But the more time Jasper had spent with the Cullens and especially with his pixie of wife, the more his eyes had lost that spark of life … that flicker of true power and strength. Of course, he had been happy at first that he'd finally found a place where he'd seemed to belong, and Peter and I had been happy for him, too. No more depression, at least. But every time we had seen each other in the past decades … which hadn't been as often as Peter and I had wanted … I'd noticed that the bad changes far outweighed the good ones … What had happened to the strong leader, the fighter he had once been? Jasper had turned in nothing but a string-puppet in my opinion … but because he'd seemed to be content with the situation I had kept my mouth shut. Of course I've shared my opinion with my mate on many occasions, but Peter had always answered, that it was Jasper's choice and up to him to change his life if he was willing to.
His life … hmpf … This was nothing more than solely existing … not living at all.
It was hard for me to see Jasper so unhappy … even if he would have contradicted me on that assessment. But I knew that he wasn't truly happy … content yes … but not as blissfully happy as I was with my Peter. There were partners … lovers … and mates. And then there were soul mates … like Peter and myself. If anything Jasper and Alice had been nothing more than lovers … even if they would call themselves mates. But I knew better, because I could see it …
I wonder why she couldn't see it, too. Isn't she the one who is all seeing and all knowing …
I shook my head in annoyance, and sadness. In just a few hours he would have to face the very people that had just watched him leaving … their home … and their family … without making any attempt to keep him there and sort things out … like a true family would. Maybe, it had been a wise decision under the circumstances but I still couldn't believe that either one of them had tried to make contact with him in all those months …
What a nice family!
I finally stood up, and made my way inside the house again with the intention to clean or read something, but then I quickly decided to rather spend my day in town. I hated to stay home alone … because ever since we'd escaped from Maria, Peter and I had barely been apart for more than a day or two tops. It simply hurt too much to be away from your other true half for longer than that … and being forced to stay in the house alone didn't do me any good at the moment.
After a little shopping and wandering around the streets (Thank God it was raining today!), I made my way back to our house … patiently awaiting both of my men to return home.
It was around four in the afternoon, when my phone beeped. With a smile on my face, I went over to the table to pick up my cell and eagerly opened it. Like I'd expected, it was a text message from Peter.
PACK SOME CLOTHES AND GET YOUR SWEET LITTLE ASS OVER HERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
What the hell? Are they planning on staying there … Why?
Beep. Another message.
NO NEED TO WORRY, BABE. THEY ARE GONE. BUT JASPER HAS TO FIX SOME THINGS BEFORE HE CAN LEAVE …
Cryptic much? Did he tear down the house, or what? And even if … who cares … I would gladly set the house on fire myself … just hand me some matches …
I was just about to dial his number, when my phone beeped again.
DON'T CALL. I CANNOT TALK AT THE MOMENT. AND I HAVEN'T TOLD HIM YET.
Why not? What's the problem in me coming there, when no one of his former family is there anyway? I don't get it …
Beep. This was getting annoying.
BE PREPARED. THERE IS A HUMAN HERE.
A Human? What human? Not that human pet of his so-called brother? But it has to be her … who else could it be?
Beep.
What is it with these tiny bits of information? Can't he just write one long message …
SORRY, MY LOVE, I KNOW YOU ARE PROBABLY MAD AND WANT TO YELL AT ME RIGHT NOW. BUT I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU THE CLIFFNOTES. I PROMISE TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU AS SOON AS YOU'RE HERE. LOVE, PETER.
You'll better. I huffed, but smiled nevertheless. He knows me so well …
I wrote one short answer myself, telling him that I was already on my way.
GOOD. SEE YOU SOON. MISS YOU.
Even without actually hearing his voice, I could tell from reading between the lines that Peter was both excited and worried. So was I. Excited to see my mate, worried about what had happened and on top of that … I was totally confused.
I could hardly wrap my head around the fact that the Cullens actually had left Forks … and not even telling Jasper about it.
Well, maybe they left him a message … telling him where they'd relocated … I mused. But I doubt that … not after …
And above all of that … from what I've been able to decipher from Peter's text messages … they had left the human behind, too. The human they had welcomed into their family … and more importantly had introduced to our world. Our sole existence was supposed to stay hidden from any humans … and for good reasons. In revealing themselves they had broken the one and only rule …
Stupid move. But what else did they expect to happen? Flaunting their existence in the faces of so many humans … someone would have figured out their secret eventually … and apparently this Bella chick had finally succeeded … where others had failed …and she had the guts to confront them … remarkable … truly remarkable …
I wasn't quite sure what to make of the rest of Peter's messages. Sure, I was curious to meet the girl … considering that this human had been the cause for Jasper's trouble. But I was also worried, because I had no idea how to act around humans … other than feeding of them or the informal and quick interactions with them when I went shopping. Fortunately, I had fed last night before Peter's and Jasper's departure, but I knew I would need to feed on the road again, just to be safe. My control was not as good as Peter's … but close. Even though … I wasn't going to take any chances …
I went into our bedroom and quickly packed up some of my and Peter's clothes, since he hadn't taken any with him, when they had left this morning. And why should he have? This wasn't supposed to be a long stay … but now? Who knew? I threw the bag over my shoulder, closing the front door behind me without bothering to lock it, because no one … at least no human … would ever come here. And then I made my way into town again on foot. We didn't possess a second car, because there simply was no use for one, so I had to rent one. Under no circumstances would I run the whole way like Jasper had done … after all I was a woman.
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A/N Pooh … this is my longest chapter … yet. I can't promise the next ones will be as long as this one … but somehow I couldn't stop … But I hope you don't mind …;-)
Tell me what you think!
Next chapter will be up in a week … I hope … with the reappearance of another character other than the two already introduced pairings. Anyone wanna make a guess, who?