Hiya! It's been... a minute. After a wild and crazy time in my life I am hoping to pick up my hobbies again, one of them being my writing. I hope you enjoy this update and if you are reading this, thank you! Here's to much shorter time between chapters.
Chapter 5
I tried to read a few chapters of the book I'd been assigned for English class while waiting for some sign that it was time to go. After a few minutes of having to reread page after page, I gave up and tossed the book onto my nightstand, opting to tug my hair into a braid to pass the time instead.
I'd left the window cracked for Jasper, assuming that he wouldn't be coming to the front door to get me. I felt silly - opening the window for Edward was always thrilling, but this seemed juvenile somehow. Nonetheless, only minutes later I whipped my head around to the sound of the old wood frame sliding up as Jasper slipped in.
He greeted me with a polite smile, "Ready to go?"
I nodded, slipping my shoes on quickly. "How, um-" I cleared my throat and tried again, "What's the best way to get me down there?"
Jasper shrugged. "Figured I'd go down first and help break your fall," his smirk made me want to roll my eyes, but I was too nervous at the moment.
"Sounds good," I managed. Following him over to the window, I watched him silently duck out and hit the ground outside. I had decided that sitting on the edge and swinging my legs over first would give me the best chance of not falling prematurely. I did just that and, before I could think about it too much, used my arms to push myself outward just enough to not slide down the side of the house on my way down.
Jasper caught me by my waist and helped to lower me down in the last second or so of my jump. I stumbled slightly, but grabbed onto his arms to steady myself. I looked up at him with a grin, happy with the results of this little experiment. We were closer than I had realized, and his hands were still at my waist. I found myself thinking about the contrast this scenario had with Edward's behavior. He wouldn't have given me the opportunity to jump out myself, always opting to carry me. Yet, nearly each time he touched me ended with him pulling away as soon as possible. Never lingering like it felt Jasper was doing now.
Of course, the second he let go I understood that it was very possible he was just making sure I wasn't going to tip over before stepping away. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts as we began walking toward the edge of the trees. I glanced backward toward my house, praying that Charlie hadn't decided to take a walk to the fridge for another beer at the moment we passed the window above the kitchen sink.
"He's just about asleep in his recliner right now," Jasper said, walking a step or two in front of me to lead the way.
"Good." I let out a small breath of relief, hoping that this would be another night in which he wouldn't go upstairs to bed until the early hours of the morning when he awoke from a particularly loud commercial.
We walked in silence for several minutes. It wasn't particularly awkward or uncomfortable, though. I was deep in thought about what the conversation would consist of tonight, and how Jasper would be treated by the pack. I had every confidence that he would be a gentleman, as he had always proven to be when interacting with others. I knew his red eyes would throw them off, though, which had me wondering when the last time he hunted was. Who it was that he had hunted.
We rounded a grouping of trees and Jasper stopped somewhat suddenly. I stood next to him, trying to project confidence as I waited for something to happen. I had been about to ask him some questions about the upcoming meeting when I heard soft footsteps coming from the east side of our position. Five wolves appeared from between the trees and approached, stopping about ten feet from us. Moments later, Sam and Jacob walked out from behind them in human form, stopping to be right in line with their brothers, and likely Leah.
"Hello," Jasper ended the silence. "Thank you for coming to meet us tonight." Us. It didn't escape me that I was being acknowledged as an important player in this game, at least by Jasper.
Jacob and Sam shared a quick glance before Sam spoke. "We've heard you might have some useful information for us regarding the redhead." It didn't surprise me that he was getting right to the point. I was aware that this wasn't a comfortable interaction for any of the parties in attendance.
"Yes," Jasper started, "Victoria has a gift that allows her to evade danger. This is why she is generally difficult to pin down." He was careful to speak to the group as a whole, not just addressing the two in human form. "As far as I know, she doesn't have any inclination that I am involved in trying to track her yet."
"Would she think you were on her side?" Jacob questioned. There was unmistakable suspicion in his tone.
Jasper tilted his head, appearing to be carefully choosing his next words. "In the past I have traveled with Victoria here and there," his eyes slid to my spot standing next to him. "However, I am not supportive of her sadistic tendencies. After I figured out her intentions, I came here hoping to be helpful by alerting the Cullens. It wasn't until I ran into Bella that I learned they were gone and she was vulnerable."
Jacob scoffed, "She isn't vulnerable! We have been keeping her under watch just fine."
I took a step forward, "That's not what he meant, Jake." I looked back at Jasper for confirmation that my words were helping and not hindering. At his nod, I continued. "Neither of us knew you were looking for her or protecting me. He wants to help eliminate her as a threat."
"In Jacob's defense, Bella, he looks a hell of a lot like her and other 'threats' we've taken care of in the past." He was referring to the color of his eyes, I was sure.
"My feeding habits reflect my outlook on humans as much as hers do." That statement sent a shock through my body. I was positive Jasper drank human blood, which would mean that he looked down on humans, right? A pit appeared in my stomach. "I don't feed on humans solely. I feed on whatever I can that will sustain me for a given period of time, just like every other predator in our world. When I do drink human blood, it is never from someone who makes the world a better place with their existence." It was a simple explanation, but it did set me at ease slightly. I made a mental note to ask him more about it later. I could feel Jasper's eyes on me, but I didn't turn around to meet them.
"Let's get to the point," Jacob's skeptical look had only become more intense. "What are you suggesting here?"
"My thoughts are that I could assist in making sure that Bella is safe and, if you trust me, I could have the advantage that her gift wouldn't alert her to my tracking." I stole a look at Jasper, finding that his face was carefully neutral. "If I was able to catch her, I would bring her straight to you. Hopefully that will be the loophole to her gift. If I don't intend to hurt her, she shouldn't catch on that I am a danger."
"We cannot trust you yet," Sam said. "However, we are willing to begin working toward building that trust."
Jacob didn't look particularly happy with this result. I, however, thought it was much more than a good start. I hadn't expected an easy compromise.
"I understand," Jasper nodded his head. "Let's start by sharing information, then." He looked again at all of the wolves in the pack line. "I will give you what I know about her whereabouts, and help keep an eye on Bella and those closest to her. You can't be everywhere at once."
They didn't like to admit it I'm sure, but the wolves needed to sleep and eat and patrol the reservation just as much as they wanted to catch Victoria.
Sam glanced around at his pack and responded with a small nod. "We are willing to start there. We can check in in a few days."
I startled slightly as I felt Jasper's hand on my shoulder. "Does that sound okay to you, Bella?" I looked up at him in surprise, again noting just how different he was from my previous experience with vampires.
"Yes," I looked from him to the wolves. "As long as no one puts themself in unnecessary danger, I am in."
"Right. I will escort Bella back to her house tonight, feel free to check up on us if you must." I took my newfound confidence in Jasper's outlook on my free will and stepped toward Jacob, giving him a quick hug as Sam and the pack began retreating back into the woods. He squeezed my shoulders gently, but when I looked up at him his eyes were on Jasper.
On the way back to my house I asked Jasper about how I could reach him if needed. He huffed out a laugh and admitted that he would need to, unfortunately, resort to using a cell phone for emergencies involving myself or the pack. I recited my phone number off, knowing he'd remember easily.
"I'll give you a call when I have the damn thing." He rolled his eyes, but smiled a little as we approached my house. "Charlie seems to be in pretty deep sleep. I think you could manage going in through the back door. Hand me your jacket and shoes in case he wakes up, you could tell him you were getting some water." He held out his hand patiently.
I unzipped my jacket and slid my shoes off, handing them to him with a smile. "Thanks, Jasper." I touched his arm, feeling bold after the evening's events. "Thank you for allowing me to come tonight and be a part of it, even if I can't help much."
He laid his hand over mine, "Bella this whole thing is about making sure you are safe from Victoria. You should be involved." His thumb stroked back and forth on the side of my wrist, making my heart rate pick up a bit. I gave his arm a squeeze, feeling a little too emotional to say anything. I quietly unlocked my back door and slipped inside, giving Jasper a small wave as I made my way past the kitchen window.
By the time I reached my bedroom, my jacket and shoes were where I always kept them and my window was closed tight.
