Chapter Nineteen

Jasper

I hadn't really expected Darius or Hunter to have found my double's trail yet but having the two of them on it made it certain we'd get something more quickly and the longer he remained missing, in the hands of an unknown vampire, the more nervous I became. It wasn't a coincidence he'd been snatched and it was pure good luck Bella had been there to see his face, recognize his watcher's and contact Alice or I might well have known nothing until it was too late. We all agreed as we sat talking that this was bad for me. Whoever kidnapped my clone as Peter insisted on calling him had something in mind that would affect me somewhere down the line, it wasn't a coincidence.

I was very aware Bella was sleeping only a few feet from me as we guys sat talking about the possibilities going from the Volturi, to the Romanians or even some unknown perpetrator. My mind wandered back to the incident in the bar. I had been so angry when I saw that man harassing Bella, not just annoyed but enraged and that puzzled me. I had felt protective towards her as I had done before on at least two separate occasions, once in Phoenix when we ran from James and the other when Edward was about to attack her at the birthday party. The smell of blood from the paper cut had inflamed everyone's thirst and I sucked it all up knowing I could control it where the others possibly could not. When Edward overreacted and caused more blood to be spilled I had to take even more from the others and try to stop Edward from allowing his thirst to result in Bella's death. Of course the others had imagined I was the one who lost control and was the threat but they were wrong and it seemed Bella had understood that. Why was her safety so important to me?

"Major?"

I heard my name and came out of my reverie,

"What?"

"Peter and I were just wondering if it wasn't the tooth fairy at the bottom of all this."

"What?"

They both laughed,

"Wake up Major, how can we brain storm if you're away with the fucking fairies. Are you OK? Its not like you to lose the thread."

"I'm OK I was just thinking."

Charlotte

Alice and I had joined the guys once Bella was deeply asleep and I couldn't help a smile,

"About Bella I assume?"

He looked at me puzzled,

"Yes but how did you know?"

"Its pretty obvious really."

"What is?"

"You really will have to improve your vocabulary Major, "what" just won't cut it for much longer you know."

I glared at Hunter as Peter nodded his agreement,

"Too fucking right. Get your head out of your ass."

"He can't help it Peter."

"What do you mean he can't help it? Make sense woman."

"Yes Charlotte, make sense, what did you mean?"

I rolled my eyes in exasperation, men could be so thick sometimes although perhaps The Major could be forgiven under the circumstances.

Jasper

Peter often maintained women were enigmatic purely out of spite, to keep us on our toes, and for once I was inclined to agree with him.

"Well? Go on Charlotte, what did you mean?"

She rolled her eyes again, that was getting to be a habit when I spoke, then grinned at Alice who shrugged as if to say "he's a man, what do you expect?"

"For fuck's sake put us poor ignorant guys out of our misery will you?"

She ignored him gazing into my face instead.

"You came as soon as Peter called, knowing who was involved, you've been fighting in her corner for years, you can't stop thinking about her. Major if you don't know what all of these feelings mean I'm sure as hell not tellin' ya!"

I understood her inference of course but I could hardly believe it and I shook my head decisively while the terrible twins high fived, whooping under their breath so as not to disturb Bella and smiling broadly.

"No Char, you're wrong. If Bella were my mate I would have felt the pull when I first met her and I felt nothing."

"Well Jazz that's not entirely true. You suggested we take care of Bella and keep her safe from James and then you saved her from Edward at her birthday party and from what Bella told us earlier you stepped in again tonight. Does that sound like nothing?"

"Alice, I just tried to help a lady, its the code of the South."

"Major that's a pile of horse crap and you know it. Just admit you have a thing for Bella Swan."

I glared at Hunter but of course it had about as much effect on him as it did Peter.

"Major, it's not quite the same between human and vampire as between two vampires. It takes time for the connection to develop, time you share together but I doubt you ever got the opportunity to be alone with Bella when Edward was around."

"No, he was always worried what I might do, but I still don't see it Char."

"The relationship takes time to develop but the protectiveness is instinctual. Alice, when did your relationship with The Major really hit bottom?"

She shrugged,

"When Bella came on the scene, I think we both knew things weren't right before that but as soon as Bella arrived in Forks it became obvious that we just couldn't go on."

"Coincidence Alice, unless of course you knew and didn't think it important to tell me. Or maybe you thought you'd keep it a secret until it was convenient for you to tell me. After all you must have seen Bella coming and what it meant for me. All this crap about us being happy, of course I was in my ignorance and you must have found it really amusing to watch me flounder."

She shook her head,

"That's not true Jazz and you know I wouldn't do that to you. Yes I saw this, or at least I didn't know at the time but it's clear enough now or at least a part of it is."

Alice had all our heads reeling with that statement and understanding that she clarified.

"I saw visions of you and Bella together but I saw us together too. When I got the emails from Bella and heard about your double I thought I had seen the two of them together but I was wrong, it was always you."

Charlotte leaned forward and patted my knee,

"You think it can't be true because you never felt for Bella before so why now? Before it was because you still loved Alice as a husband would love his wife and of course Bella was with Edward. Now neither of you are tied down to anyone else. Maybe now its beginning to sink in because she's in danger again."

Jasper

It was hard to accept, not because it felt wrong, it certainly didn't, but because I had no idea how she felt about me. Had Bella begun to feel the same emotions towards me? Charlotte was right about the protectiveness, I'd felt it for Alice to a degree but Bella was human and much more fragile as a result so my instincts were heightened.

"You just need time together for the bond to develop and I guess with what's going on you'll be sticking very close to her."

That was very true, I couldn't allow Bella to walk further into danger, she had to be kept safe from whatever was going on. I just had to hope that finding out my true feelings for her wouldn't frighten her off and that Charlotte was right about Bella being my mate or I was in for a really rough time. Maybe she'd got it wrong, Alice too and Bella's feelings were for my double? No I'd never known Char to be wrong about a relationship. She smiled as she continued,

"Of course you aren't the only one."

"Sorry?"

"Well there's more than one person involved with a human mate and I can't wait for that to sink in."

We looked at each other speculatively but she just sat back and said nothing more.