Chapter Twenty Eight

Bella

When we got back it was quite obvious to everyone that we had become a couple and everyone seemed fine with that. I could see Rose was upset at the thought of being separated from Emmett in order to look after me but my plea's to accompany them made no difference, Jazz wouldn't hear of it and he was backed by Peter,

"There's enough to do without watching a fucking human trampling around asking to be eaten. I guess we could use her as bait though. What do you think Major?"

Luckily for him Jasper was more interested in saying goodbye to me but I thought Peter might get a dressing down once they were on the plane.

Our goodbye kiss was way too short and I tried to fix the feel of Jasper's arms around me in my mind for while he was away.

"Don't worry Bella, we'll all be back soon with your professor."

"You'd better, We never finished our evening off and surely you wouldn't leave a lady waiting too long?"

"Most definitely not ma'am. I promise you as soon as I get back to address that particular issue."

I held on to him as long as I could seeing that Rose did the same and then Darius called,

"Hey guys, I'm growing old waiting, lets hustle."

Rose

I hated to be away from Emmett any time but especially when I knew he was going into danger. My only consolation was that he would be accompanying two of the best fighters in our world. For now it was just Bella and I in this motel waiting. I was glad she and Jazz had finally realized what they meant to each other even if it was a bit of a shock. I had worried about him when he left and became a nomad, it would have been so easy for him to slip back into hunting humans but of course he was too strong to do that, we always underestimated him. I wondered how long it would be before she asked him to change her. Of course he would, unlike Edward who had been an idiot when it came to her. Thinking of my idiotic , I wondered what he would think of the news, it would be interesting to find out but for now everything was very hush hush. After all we had no idea what was going on.

"Bella, this Jasper Whitlock, does he really look like Jazz?"

"I thought it was him when I first saw him, before it registered he was a human, Then I was totally confused."

"I don't think I've ever seen two identical people.

"I had identical twins in my class when I was little and that was pretty spooky but Jasper, with the same name and mannerisms was way past spooky."

"You said he was a descendant of Jazz. Was he proud of his ancestor?"

She told me the story of the paper this Jasper had written and I decided I didn't like the guy straight off. Bella laughed at my indignant reply to this information and then told me how she had reacted.

"Sounds like he has plenty of fans then. Why do you think he was kidnapped?"

Bella shrugged,

"I have no idea but it has to be connected with his similarity to Jasper. Someone wants another Major Whitlock buts its crazy because Jay is not a fighter, not like Jasper so could it just be to fool someone?"

We talked round the subject for ages but without any conclusions until Bella too tired to talk any longer crashed out. I thought she'd lasted well, it being clear she hadn't slept the night before but then neither had she and Jasper taken their burgeoning relationship to the next level. I was surprised that Alice seemed so comfortable with Jasper's relationship with Bella, after all they had been husband and wife for a long time but both seemed happy as friends.

Bella

I slept but it was not dreamless, instead I kept reliving the moment I saw Jay for the first time and my first meeting with Jasper and they got confused. One moment I was talking to Jay, the next he had turned into Jasper but after a while Jay faded from my dreams leaving only Jasper.

For a time I dreamed I was laying in Jasper's arms happy and content but then I heard a woman's voice shouting his name and knew somehow that this was Maria. She appeared holding Jay by the scruff of his neck and offered an exchange,

"Come back to me Major and your friend can go home. Its you I wanted not him. We were so good together and I miss you, come back to me, back where you belong"

He pulled free of me and walked slowly towards her and my scream woke me up. Rose was standing over me looking concerned,

"What happened Bella? Were you having a nightmare?"

I nodded feeling my cheeks wet from tears I had shed while asleep.

"Want to talk about it?"

My first inclination was to shake my head but I knew I wouldn't get to sleep again with these thoughts in my head so I nodded and she climbed on the bed beside me.

"Are you missing Jazz? Its not easy to be parted from your mate."

"Do you miss Emmett?"

She nodded smiling and tucking her hair behind her ear,

"Of course, every time we are apart its just as hard. What were you dreaming about?"

"Maria, she offered to let Jay go if Jasper went back to her and he went."

"Well I can tell you he would never go back to Maria willingly. She almost destroyed him the last time. If not for marrying Alice I think he may have ended his own life. She used him in every way and it took him years to pull his life together with Alice's help of course."

"But would he sacrifice himself for someone else?"

"For you? Yes. For anyone else? I doubt it now he has his mate. One can't live without the other and if you're referring to this Jay, well think about it Bella Jasper doesn't even know him. Jay means nothing to him, the only reason he's involved is because whatever Maria is doing with Jay it will affect Jazz. She's not interested in a double, if anything Maria wants the original and if not her then whoever is pulling her strings will be after something and not just a double. What use would a double be? He's not the fighter Jazz is and a pretty face alone isn't much use."

"It is a pretty face though isn't it?"

We both laughed, there was no denying Jasper was a handsome man.

Rose

Bella slept again a little after we talked and this time she didn't dream and when she woke up she was hungry so after she showered we went over to the small cafe for breakfast. I'd hunted when we arrived so it was easy for me to sit with her as she demolished a breakfast big enough to fill a dumpster. Seeing my grin she smiled self consciously,

"Sorry, I always eat when I'm nervous."

"Well lets hope the others get back soon or you're going to be the size of a barn."

She nodded but carried on eating and then emptied two cups of strong coffee before deciding she was ready to go back.

"Rather than sitting around waiting why don't we do something. We won't hear anything for a while and sitting around will just send us both crazy."

"OK but please not shopping."

"No, I leave that to Alice. How about we go visit a museum or something then take in a movie?"

She looked at me a little surprised,

"What? You think I don't like culture?"

"Sorry, I guess I never really thought about it but yes I'd like that."

I managed to keep her mind occupied until late afternoon when we stopped for her to get some dinner then went back to our room.

"Still no news?"

I looked at my cell phone

"Nope, not yet but it takes time to get there and then for Alice to use the pull to find your professor."

"He's not mine, I call him Jay to differentiate between the two."

"OK Jay it is. You want to play cards?"

She was shocked I played poker but was happy to learn if only because it occupied her mind for a little longer.