Training the Wolves
Bella was frozen in shock for a minute but before her mind could flip the fuck out about Victoria, someone knocked on the back door.
Not waiting for her to answer it, the door opened and Jacob Black's loud voice called out her name. "Bells?"
Bella shook herself out of her stupor and hollered back that she was in the living room. She had a brief moment of panic about the vampires and wolf meeting each other, but Jasper felt her worry and sent her a little bit of calm and his reassurance and confidence.
She was confused about their laidback attitude to being around their mortal enemy - though it was certainly possible that they weren't aware Jacob was one of the shapeshifters of his tribe. Regardless, Bella let him feel her gratitude. She needed to keep a clear head at the moment.
Jacob walked into the room and casually plopped himself on the floor in front of Bella's chair, giving her one of his bright smiles.
"Tink. Major," he greeted Alice and Jasper.
Jasper smiled and rolled his eyes at the use of his former rank, while Alice growled playfully before letting out a bubbling laugh.
Alice, seeing Jacob wrinkle his nose at their scent, hopped up to quickly open the windows to let some fresh air in. When Jacob thanked her, all Bella could do was look on in amusement. Not only was she shocked that the three already clearly knew each other, but never in a million years would she have imagined the vampires and wolves would be honest to god friendly with each other.
It was obvious that Bella was missing something. After Edward's overbearing protectiveness, she wasn't a huge fan of being kept out of any loops that concerned her, but she trusted her friends and simply waited for them to fill her in.
When Alice sat back down beside Jasper, Jake looked like he was getting ready to ask her something, but before he could, Alice nodded. "Yes, we've told her about Victoria but that's as far as we've gotten. You can pick it up from here if you'd like."
Jacob turned so he was facing Bella and began to tell her about finding Alice and Jasper the day before at the treaty line and letting her know how that meeting and conversation went. Bella was certainly surprised that her vampires were so open with the wolves, sharing stories that they didn't automatically disclose to just anyone. Alice was a pretty open book, but it had taken Jasper some time to tell Bella about his history. She'd already known that his 'upbringing' had been different from the others, and it was easy to see that he was worried about how she would react to the way he lived the first half of his second life.
When Bella learned that Jasper had gone from a human war straight into a vampire war - and wasn't that a weird concept - she'd felt an overflowing of sympathy for him. Hearing about Peter's persistent overtures of friendship had filled her with gratitude that there was someone back then who had shown Jasper the love he deserved, and she was so glad that the two vampires he'd saved had found him just as worthy of rescue and came back for him. She was quietly determined to meet the pair someday and give them fierce hugs for all they'd done for Jasper.
What she'd never felt when Jasper was relating his story was disgust or revulsion. Did she like that he had to live that way? Absolutely not. Would she have done anything for him to have a different start to this life and not have to suffer for nearly a century? Of course. But as Jasper himself told her, he was no longer ashamed of who he had been back then. He did what he had to in order to survive. His time in the south had given him not just Peter and Charlotte, two of the greatest gifts in his very long life, but the experience and skill to protect his loved ones, regardless of the threat.
Honestly, sometimes Bella forgot that one of her best friends was some bad ass warrior in the vampire world.
As she listened to Jacob, and watched the three interact so casually at ease with each other, she had another moment of gratitude that - between the humans, vampires, and shapeshifters - fate had seen to it that she was surrounded by wonderful friends.
She also couldn't help but wonder how differently this would have gone down if Edward was still in Forks. He'd gritted his teeth any time her Quileute friends were mentioned, just barely stopping short of forbidding her to see them or go visit the Reservation with her dad. Bella couldn't imagine a world where he'd sit down with the wolves of his own volition and answer all of their questions patiently and without hesitation - tell them anything about himself, honestly - just on the off chance they might help protect her.
Perhaps she was underestimating him. Maybe he would have tried to get their cooperation. What she didn't doubt for a second, however, was that Edward would never have sat in the Swan's small living room, smiling and laughing with any of the wolves.
While Bella was mulling over her current situation, Alice was giving Jacob a better timeline of events as she currently knew them. While Victoria had been in and around Forks and La Push a few times, she seemed to be getting the lay of the land, rather than trying for an obvious Bella-grab. According to Alice's most recent visions, Victoria wouldn't be back in the area for at least the next five days, when she would come strictly for more reconnaissance. Two days later she would be back again. There was a possibility that she would have another vampire with her, but that wasn't clear yet. Regardless, it gave them some time to prepare.
While the wolf pack had all the physical capabilities that allowed them to take down a vampire, they didn't have any practical skills yet. Jasper planned to teach them those skills. He asked questions about the size of the pack, whether any of the wolves had any kind of advantage over the others - if there were some who were faster or more agile, any with a more acute sense of smell, that kind of thing - and Jacob, who had the permission of the rest of his pack, openly shared those details with Jasper, Alice, and Bella.
As the following day was a Sunday, it was decided that the wolf pack, the two vampires, and the human would all meet in the baseball clearing to decide what kind of training was needed.
Just as they were deciding on a time, Alice snatched up the remote and turned on the TV, shushing the others, while Jasper cocked his head to the side and glanced at the door. Jacob gave Bella a what-the-fuck look and all she could do was roll her eyes and laugh.
"Either Alice's third eye has seen something or it's the joy of supernatural hearing," she shrugged.
When Charlie Swan walked in the house a few moments later, he was pleasantly surprised to find his living room full of laughing teenagers.
The following afternoon, Jasper swung by the Swan's house to pick Bella up and found her already waiting on the front steps.
"So we can drive part of the way to the clearing and then run the last mile or so, or we can just run from here. Which do you prefer?" he asked as he took a seat beside her.
Bella was grateful that Jasper gave her a choice, rather than simply flinging her on his back and taking off at a sprint. The vampires in her life who weren't Edward tended to respect her opinion more than her former boyfriend had.
She thought on it for a moment before deciding on running. While Edward seemed to thrill in showing off his speed, which usually ended with her dizzy and nauseous, Jasper ran at what was probably a light jog for him. She hadn't run with him often, but the handful of times she had, it wasn't at all uncomfortable or disorienting. It was fast enough to be exciting for the human, but slow enough that there was no risk of her vomiting all over him.
Jasper nodded with a smile and the two walked around the back of the house to the trees at the edge of her property. Once out of sight, Jasper crouched down a bit so Bella could hop on his back.
As they ran, Jasper couldn't help but let himself take pleasure in the fact that his mate was wrapped around him. There was nothing sexual about it, of course, but he still got a little thrill from it.
It had been its own kind of torture to see his mate in love with someone else, but Jasper had been aware from his very first knowledge of the girl that his path to her - their path to each other - wasn't going to be a simple straight line.
Aside from Alice, Peter and Charlotte were the only two who knew that Bella was his mate. He and Alice had spent nearly a year in Texas with his family, sorting through the near future and preparing Jasper for what was to come. It was crucial that Edward remain unaware of Jasper's connection to the girl, so he had to really come to grips with the necessity of tamping down all his natural instincts when he and Alice returned to the Cullens. Bella's safety was only guaranteed if they waited to meet the family in Washington after Bella and Edward were a couple.
Saying it was difficult would be wildly understating his feelings. It was borderline physically painful. But he'd suffered through decade upon decade of emotional and physical torture in the south, so he at least had wells of strength to pull from. Alice, of course, always knew when he was right on the edge of saying 'fuck it' and giving in, and would arrange for them to spend some time together without Edward around.
When Bella and Edward were still new in their relationship, Edward had wanted to limit the time she spent with his family, which included Alice and Jasper on their arrival in Forks. But his desire to show off to his girlfriend led to him inviting her to the ill-fated baseball game, which disproved his claim that it was too dangerous to be near his family.
Sure, the nomads had wanted to eat her, but Edward couldn't deny that Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper had literally killed to keep Bella safe. Jasper, feeling the dark determination and possessive hunger of the tracker, had James in pieces before Edward could even react to the thoughts he was hearing in James' mind. Emmett had willingly gone after Victoria that night without a second's hesitation, and honestly, if Esme hadn't seen that Laurent was an easy kill for Alice and Rosalie, she would've been on that vampire in half a heartbeat. She was as kind and loving a vampire as Jasper had ever come across, but that woman loved fiercely and would not hesitate to take down anyone who was a threat to her family.
At that time, the majority of the Cullens believed Bella was Edward's mate, so Esme saw Bella as one of her own.
After that, much to Edward's dismay, his whole 'it's too dangerous' argument lost its credibility. When he tried it anyway, Bella usually just rolled her eyes and leaned around him to see if Alice wanted to run errands with her, or ask Jasper to go to the bookstore, or whatever. Rosalie found it amusing whenever Bella did an end run around her overprotective boyfriend and could always be counted on for a laugh at Edward's expense.
In Bella's mind, the Cullens (well, the Cullens, a Hale, and a Whitlock or three) were her future family. Why wouldn't she want to spend time getting to know them?
It wasn't easy for Jasper to know who Bella was to him and not act accordingly, but he would be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed slowly learning about the girl and building a solid friendship with her. Watching her create her own relationships with every member of his family was equally gratifying.
The meeting with the wolves that afternoon went better than expected. The pack currently stood at seven: Sam, Paul, Jared, Quil, Embry, Jacob, and Leah.
Leah had been a shock, as they weren't aware that females who carried the gene were able to phase. Jasper felt the young woman's resentment, but he was surprised that there wasn't more bitterness directed towards the vampires themselves - from Leah or the other wolves. As it turned out, that was down to Jacob and Sam. Through their mind link while in wolf form, both had shown the rest of the pack their memories of the afternoon at the treaty line, and Jacob of his meeting with Jasper and Alice at the Swan's house. Knowing their current and future Alphas were somewhat trustful of these vampires, the rest of the pack was more inclined to be open-minded than they might have been otherwise.
After spending a bit of time with the wolves, Jasper could feel that the bulk of Leah's bitterness was directed towards the current Alpha, Sam Uley. Jasper wouldn't learn her history with him, and the fact that he imprinted on her cousin while engaged to Leah, until the two were patrolling together a few days later.
That day in the clearing, however, he was quick to point out that she would be a key wolf in any fight, as she was both the fastest and most agile. While the other wolves may have had size and strength on her, with the right training, Leah would be a formidable opponent in her own right. Jasper had Alice, who was an equally agile and nimble fighter, work with her that afternoon.
Fate had seen fit to make Leah a protector of her tribe for a reason, and Jasper hoped that he could help her find some pride in that knowledge.
Bella, meanwhile, watched the wolves and vampires with keen interest. She knew she didn't have a role in this as an actual fighter - she was only human, after all - but it was fascinating to watch. She knew the wolves and vampires were fast, obviously, but watching their sparring turn into whirling blurs of movement would never not be astonishing to her.
She spent at least a little time with every member of the pack. She'd visited the Reservation often in the last few months, so she already had friendships with the shifters, but Jacob was the only one Bella had seen in his wolf form. Jasper and Alice wanted her to know what each wolf looked like so she would be able to recognize them when they were on patrol, without them having to phase human.
Leah was easy to recognize, as she was the smallest, and Sam was also, because he was solid black and fucking huge.
Before Bella had left the house, she'd tucked a small notebook in her pocket, so for the other wolves who weren't quite as easy to remember, she jotted down each name and a brief description of what they looked like.
When wolves and vampires were done sparring for the afternoon, they all sat down together to make a plan for the following few days. Bella couldn't hide her amusement as she leaned over to pick a few leaves out of Jasper's hair, and he shot her a quick smile.
It was decided that there would be at least one of them with Bella at all times, staying close to the house at night when she and her dad were sleeping. There would also be a wolf who would regularly patrol around the police station to ensure Charlie Swan's safety as well. They devised a schedule and had Bella write it down so she knew exactly who would be with her when.
They wanted her to know every aspect of the plan so she wasn't kept in the dark about anything. She was the one this whole operation revolved around and deserved to be included as much as possible every step of the way.
While Bella liked her independence, she was well aware that under the current circumstances, she would be physically unable to protect herself, and relying on the nine supernatural beings around her was her best shot at surviving this. She took a minute to let each and every wolf and vampire know how grateful she was for their help in not only protecting her, but her father as well.
The only thing Jasper asked of her was if there was ever a moment that one of them abruptly asked her to do something - run, duck, scream, get behind them, whatever - that she do so immediately and without question.
Bella could understand that. Jasper was the one with a century's worth of experience in the art of vampire warfare, she was an 18-year old human, and they were trying to catch a vengeful escape artist of a vampire. They didn't need to worry about her being reckless on top of that.
"So if one of us gives you an…" Jasper paused there, not wanting to say 'order' and come off as a controlling dick. "If we strongly urge you do something quickly, you'll listen?"
Bella couldn't help but smile at his wording, knowing he was trying not to offend her, but also knowing what he wasn't saying.
She trusted Jasper with her life, so she didn't hesitate to give him her word.
"Yes, I promise I will follow any orders immediately and without question."
Jasper laughed and ruffled her hair, and Alice's high, bubbly laughter and the wolves deeper tones joined his, echoing through the trees around them. And with that, the supernatural meeting came to a close.
A/N: I suppose I should've said this before, but I obviously don't own Twilight. SM and I have very different ideas about what a healthy relationship looks like.
Thanks for reading!
Take care, M. x