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Chapter 17: Say Cheese

"Jasper," Charlie Swan nodded, standing back so Jasper could enter the house, "come on in."

"Thank you, sir."

Stepping into the now familiar house, Jasper stood at parade rest with his feet shoulder-width apart and clasped his hands behind him at the small of his back. It had been 142 years since his time as a soldier, but some habits were hard to break.

Charlie didn't seem to mind.

"Bella's not quite ready yet. Why don't you come into the living room and we can talk?"

Jasper nodded and followed him further into the house, taking a seat on the couch adjacent to Charlie's armchair.

"About what happened in Phoenix," Charlie began and Jasper squared his shoulders.

"If I may, sir?"

Charlie sat back in his chair. "By all means."

"You'd be entirely justified to order me to stop seeing Bella. I blame myself for what happened in Phoenix entirely. I tried to convince her to move to Florida with her mother, but she wouldn't hear of it. She deserves far better but for some reason I can't put my finger on, she's chosen me. And, with your permission, I'd like to stay as long as she'll have me."

Charlie sighed deeply and laced his hands together. He was silent for a long moment, but Jasper was determined to sit and accept any judgement that came his way. Finally, his fate was spoken. "Damn, kid," Charlie smirked. "Despite my best efforts, I can't bring myself to hate you. But y'know, Renèe and I were very young when we got married. Too young to know who we were or what we really wanted. Make sure you do."

There was no way he could possibly explain to Charlie that he had spent over a century looking for something that could fill the the emptiness in his heart the way Bella did. So instead, he simply said, "I will, sir."

The creaking stairs drew both their attention to the young woman standing at the top. She wore a strapless dress the ended mid-thigh with various sized safety pins, sequins, and rivets dancing along the dark blue fabric. On the foot not bound by a walking cast, was a black high top converse. Jasper was certain he had never seen anything or anyone quite so beautiful as his Bella.

"So, um, unless you guys want my other leg to be in a cast too, I'm gonna need some help down these stairs," Bella said, running a hand through her hair. Neither of them had said anything and she was starting to get uncomfortable. May the dress was too much? Was it the makeup? For once she had actually liked the way she looked when she was upstairs, but now she wasn't sure. Maybe it was too much of a change too fast.

Jasper worked to maintain a human pace as he crossed the living room over to the staircase. Her anxiety levels were rising, and that was simply not allowed. Not tonight. He stopped at the bottom step, taking just one more moment to marvel at her. "You, darlin', are the most heartbreakingly beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on."

Bella rolled her eyes but he saw the smile caught between her teeth as she bit her bottom lip. "Alice was by earlier," she said, touching the soft chocolate waves that fell past her shoulders. "She helped me with my hair and makeup and stuff..."

He took the stairs two at a time to reach her, tilting his head to press a quick but searing kiss to her lips. "You are stunning. I knew blue would look good on you."

He then scooped her up in his arms, eliciting a squeal from her red lips, and carried her down the stairs, setting her gently on the floor.

"Hang on," Charlie said, coming to stand before them, "Renée will kill me if I don't get a picture."

"Daaaad," Bella groaned.

Charlie ignored her. "Say cheese."

They both smiled, Jasper's arm wrapped around her shoulders and she turned into his chest ever so slightly, wanting to duck out of the picture entirely. Two more pictures and Charlie released them.

"You look beautiful," Charlie smiled, giving her a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek as they headed toward the door. He whispered, "I put new pepper spray in your bag."

Bella groaned again and Charlie smirked. "Have a good time, kiddo."

She smiled back at him. "Thanks, Dad."

"Hey, if we take a picture, will you show up in it?"

Jasper smirked. "Haven't you asked me this before?"

"I don't remember," Bella shrugged, watching her classmates ham it up in front of the camera with all the over the top casino props.

"Yes, I will. Technically I'm dead, but also technically alive. I'm an astonishingly handsome enigma."

Bella grinned. "You forgot humble."

They stood for their picture, forgoing the props. Jasper swooped her up in his arms, the camera flashing and catching Bella mid-shriek. He carried her off toward the dance floor, ignoring her protests. He could feel her true emotions. Embarrassment yes, anyone could see that by the blush on her cheeks, but she was mostly amused.

There was a group crowded around the dance floor, watching two couples who may as well have been hired professionals twirl around the floor. Jasper scoffed. "And I'm the one that's gonna give us away."

Bella giggled softly, then waved back to Alice as she and Edward danced by.

"Speaking of," Bella whispered so low that only he could hear her, "human boyfriends don't carry their dates all night, broken leg or not."

Jasper frowned, trying to decide how much he cared about appearing human. "Let's go sit at one of those tables. You can get me a glass of punch or something. Isn't that what the guy usually does in all the movies?"

"Somethin' like that," Jasper chuckled, finally setting her down in a chair before placing a kiss on her cheek and heading off to find her a drink.

Bella took a minute to really look around at everything the prom committee had put together. Gambling tables, celebrity cutouts, roulette wheels, a DJ booth where she waved to Angela and Eric, and the refreshment tables, where she saw Jasper take two glasses and turn to make his way back over to her. She watched him, admiring everything about him, from his slightly unkempt blond hair to his black faux-alligator boots. He had kept it more casual tonight than most of the other guys had. A black button down beneath a black suit jacket with black jeans. The only color was his silver bolo tie with a red stone set into the clasp.

He caught her eye when he was almost back at their table and smirked when he sat down. "Like what you see, Miss Swan?"

Bella blushed. "Fuck you," she hissed, again only loud enough for him to hear.

"Tempting, darlin'," he teased, handing her her drink, "but this is a public place and I am a gentleman."

Bella blushed harder and Jasper couldn't help but laugh.

She sipped what turned out to be ginger ale in a plastic champagne flute and rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're making me do this. You really are trying to kill me."

"You're not having fun?"

"With you, sure, but this," she said, waving a hand at the extravagant theme night around them, "isn't really my thing."

Jasper heaved a dramatic sigh, "Thank God, let's get outta here."

Bella laughed lightly. "What?"

"Alice told me I needed to take you to prom 'cause it's some rite of passage or something, but I've been to a ridiculous number of these and they're all pretty much the same. I've just been waiting for you to throw in the towel."

He was already on his feet, holding a hand out to her. "Unless you want a lecture from Mr. Perfect about the joyous wonders of experiencing all things human, I'd suggest we make a run for it before his all-knowing pixie bride can stop us."

Bella looked from his hand, down to her cast, and back up at him again. "I don't think any running will be happening with this thing slowing us down."

"Not to worry, darlin'," he grinned, lifting her into his arms again and heading for a back exit at a slighter faster than human speed. Bella shrieked and laughed as he jumped a low hedge to get to the parking lot.

Neither saw Alice's grin as she watched them make their getaway.