Chapter 2- Times flies at its own pace

Jasper's POV-

The next few decades were easier to pass by. Carlisle hardly visited the permanent establishment that he had constructed for his children, dropping by once in six months, or at times, even once in a year. He was busy, which was what he always claimed. Two more hybrid children being the supportive evidence to that claim. Yes, Leah had been correct all along. Carlisle hadn't mended his ways. Far from it. He had simply come by one day, dumping his two new children for the older ones to take care of, disappearing to wherever he had come from.

Collin and Brady Cullen, a pair of twins, so small and innocent looking, that instantly everyone felt protective of them. Even me. And that was saying something. Especially Leah. It helped that they too were of Quileute descent like her. She treated them like they were her born instead of Carlisle's, a new softer side of Leah revealing itself to me.

But with the addition of two new members into the family came new complications. We were already cramped up. The hybrids needed to sleep, the girls sharing one room, while the boys occupied the other. I didn't need to sleep, but even I liked to have a bit of space to call my own.

Carlisle had never thought of the children he had brought into this world. They weren't of superior race. That was all that mattered to him. He did not care whether the roof on their head was stable or not. Or not even there. I once discussed this with the siblings. I suggested breaking and rebuilding the house, adding new rooms to it. But apart from Emmett, none of them were strong enough to take on such a physically exerting task. And asking for outside help was out of question. They had never interacted with the humans, always so sheltered and treated like outcasts. They had once requested Carlisle to build a bigger house for them, being shushed into silence. And hence, a new project for me began. I had come to see the hybrids as family. Emmett and Ben were my brothers. Mary, Kate- and even Leah- were my sisters. Collin and Brady were my nephews. The Cullen's, excluding Carlisle, were family. I could not see them suffer in silence. I worked with Emmett during the day, continuing my work when the sun set, or when Emmett was too exhausted to continue. It took a while. I wanted to build them their dream home, with all of them having their private space. Kate and Mary had decided to share a bedroom, and Leah wanted to be closer to the twins at night, their preferences at the forefront of my mind. Money too, was a problem. I was a vampire. I had no money to speak off. And I wasn't about to steal. Carlisle kept the pantry filled with human food and frozen blood, bought them a few pairs of clothes to wear, and a few other accessories to keep their time occupied, but apart from that, there was no physical money to be found, or a way to acquire it. They looked too different to venture into town without being labeled an abnormality or worse.

I had pondered over this complication for days. Until Mary offered me a workable solution. She could see the future. We would invest in the stocks that were bound to pay back well, making money quick and with only a bit of cheating. And it did work. I never told Carlisle. Or let anyone in the house tell him. I operated this bank account, solely for the purpose of keeping the hybrids alive and well. We made millions. With only Mary aware of how much they actually owned. The house was reconstructed to their liking. We now had a more functional kitchen than before and comfortable beds and sofas, nothing of the earlier, second-hand waste Carlisle had forced upon them. They were my family, and I was going to look after them.

The first time Carlisle had visited post the completion of our project, he had huffed and stated that he was glad the unwanted specimens were no longer his responsibility.

Good. I would gladly look after them.

So, that's what I did.

I stood by their side as the months, years and decades passed by. The twins grew up to their extreme, their growth spurt ending in their eighteenth year of birth. They were now just like the others, their siblings. I had become quite fond of them, to be honest, considering I had seen them grow up.

I continued with my animal diet, not wanting to scare away my family with the red eyes that were bound to come by feeding on humans. I stood by Mary when she decided to 'Change' her name to Alice, or when Kate begged me to get a wig for her. She liked someone and did not want to scare him off. He was a vampire and had been passing through the area. Kate felt something for him but could not risk him running away, afraid. I wanted to say no. She was beautiful the way she was. But she was my sister and I loved her. I had gone to the local market in town bringing back a desired wig, teaching her to draw her eyebrows with a pencil. It did not quite look the same as actual eyebrows, but she was happy. And that was all that mattered.

Convincing Garrett that Kate was his mate was easier than expected. He loved her at first sight, earning my respect when he demanded that she appear in front of him like she actually was. He did not care about superficiality. I had smiled at their wedding six months later, Emmett walking Kate down the aisle. Surprisingly, Garrett and Kate had decided to continue staying with us. Garrett was a nomad and had come to love the family as much as I did. Thus, I gained my first friend in this new life.

Carlisle had been indifferent to the news that his daughter had found her mate. He did not care. And had made no attempt to hide this from anyone. In fact, he had even admitted that had Kate been capable of becoming a mother, he would have been happier to see her move ahead in life. But considering she, and her siblings, had no genital organs, it wasn't a possibility.

I hated the man.

It had been close to five years after Garrett and Kate's wedding, when Emmett found Rose. Rosalie Hale. She had been kidnapped, raped and left for the dead in the woods near our house. Garrett had come across her while hunting. He had brought her home on an impulse. He felt terrible for her and wanted her to at least have someone by her side as she breathed her last. I had never seen Emmett cry before that day. He did not need to say it out loud. I could see it in his eyes. She was his mate. I had never changed anyone before Rose; I was terrified of losing control. But my brother deserved to be happy. And Rose was everything he could have asked for. She was sensible, calm, mature, accepting and loving Emmett instantly. She had been betrayed by the man she had believed to have loved, needing some time before she could allow Emmett to get close to her. They were married before the year ended, Emmett's goofy nature finding a way into her heart.

Their wedding had led to another expansion of our house. We needed more rooms. But this time I had Rose and Garrett with me to help.

And Tia.

Surprisingly, Ben, of all, had rebelled, venturing into town alone at night. I had been out hunting that night and both the couples had been elsewhere occupied to pay any attention to Ben's disappearance.

It had been a frightened Leah who had screamed through the house that Ben was missing and had not been seen for hours. I, who had just walked in from my hunt, had run out instantly, my brother's whereabouts at the forefront of my mind. Garrett had followed, with Rose staying back to protect the hybrids. We did not know what threat we could be facing. It was better to be safe than sorry.

Strangely enough, I had traced Ben's scent at the edge of the town, sitting on a few rocks, staring into nothingness.

"Brother, you had us worried." I greeted him, sitting beside him, a sigh of relief leaving my lips.

He jerked, taken aback by my sudden presence. "Sorry...I hadn't meant to..."

I waved him off. "What are you doing here?"

He hummed to himself. "Thinking."

"About?"

"Life. Mating. The future."

I offered him a soft smile. "Those are heavy topics, don't you think? Need a ear to listen?"

It did not seem like he would be taking me up on my offer; so, when he finally did speak, it took even me by surprise.

"Jasper, I cannot thank you enough. Since the time you became my brother and family, our life has changed for the better. Much, much better. Kate found Garrett. Emmett is now married to Rose. Alice has all these wigs she loves, and which make her feel more like a woman. The twins consider you, their uncle. Even Leah adores you. She may not admit it out loud, but she would jump into a pyre to protect you. Like she would do for any of us."

"Ben." I patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you. It means a lot..."

He smiled, albeit sadly. "I sometimes wonder how and who decided that we should have mates? It shouldn't have been possible. Why saddle some innocent to a life of no physical intimacy?"

"That's not true." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Kate and Garrett do get intimate. And even Rose and Em have a decent sexual life."

He scoffed. "They are finding the best in what they have. It is a compromise."

I shook my head at that, smiling. "You will not see it as a compromise when you find your mate."

"Will I?"

"I know you will."

I don't know whether the winds had heard me that day or not, but it was hardly a month later when Tia entered our home and lives.

Literally entered our homes and lives.

She was a human. A runaway. Clearly underage and definitely holding drugs on her. She had been escaping from the local police, needing a place to hide, assuming our house to be a safe haven. She hadn't expected to encounter three vampires and seven hybrids. She screamed, shutting her eyes and jumping at her place in fear. We didn't know what to do. Leah had suggested we slap her to stop the screaming. But that was out of question. Obviously. It was finally Ben who had calmed her down, taking her in his lap and whispering sweet words to her. All of us had stared at him in shock, realizing a second later what she meant to him.

It had been slightly more complicated to explain to her why we looked different than the average human. She wasn't a vampire. She wasn't privy to our world. She could very well believe us to be insane and hightail out of here. Which I did believe she would do; had Ben's eyes not reflected honesty and adoration as he begged her to believe him. She had. Not initially though. She needed a place to hide. Even if it was with the lunatics- her words not mine. She did not know about the super-hearing. Or that Garrett, Rose and I could tell when she was lying. She had believed herself to be playing Ben like a fiddle, unaware that Ben was letting her get away with it. He loved her almost instantly. If she wanted to play him, he would gladly oblige. Of course, none of the rest of us had been happy with her behavior and the fact that she was leading Ben on without actually feeling anything for him. But respecting Ben's decision to stay out of it, we had kept our buts out and thought to ourselves.

She had been accused of murdering her father. He had been abusive and violent. It had been self-defense, but she did not have it in her to face the consequences. She was scared that they wouldn't believe her, considering her father had always pretended to be a perfect father in public. She was terrified that she would either go into Juvenile detention or would be sent to a foster home. Both of which scared her. She had further joined the wrong company after running away from home, dealing with illegal drugs- and getting caught several times with it, pushing her further into the wanted category.

Ben had given her time. She had wanted to be assured that no one was out there searching for her before venturing out again. We had never told her, not even months later, that the police had stopped their search for her exactly a month after she entered our house. It was a whole year later when she finally accepted that she wasn't going anywhere. That she did in fact feel something for the man who sat by her side each day, promising her a forever of happiness. She wanted to be with him. She loved him.

I have never seen Ben any happier than that day.

We had come to a consensus, all of us placing a vote on the matter, Tia would be changed in her eighteenth human year, not wanting her to be stuck at a young age for the rest of eternity. It had been tough having a human in the house. For more reasons than just bloodlust. Tia was loudmouthed and took shit from no one. Especially not Leah. She gave back as good as she got. Leah almost wanted to strangle her at times, Ben standing in her way. I played mediator. Unwillingly. On those many occasions.

But that was life. And I was happy to have my family. Even if they bickered and wanted to kill one another at times!

Carlisle's visits had dropped down to once in five years. He no longer got any new hybrids home with him, but I refused to believe that he had changed. I would always keep an eye out on the man.

"Jasper."

Alice stormed into my study one fine day, an expression of trepidation on her face. "We need to relocate."

We hadn't relocated ever.

I had walked into this house more than a century ago with Alice by my side, and the family still resided in this very house. I could never agree to leave all those precious memories behind.

"Why, Alice?" I asked. "Is there any threat coming our way?"

We were now an odd bunch. Three vampires, seven hybrids and one human. Sooner or later, we were bound to get in the eye of someone.

"No." she shrugged. Thankfully. "I have seen your mate."

Oh.

Over the years, I had often thought about finding my mate. She was bound to be somewhere out in the world. But I was content waiting for her on the sidelines as I tended for my family.

"And mine." she continued in a whisper. "They are in Forks, Washington. I get brief glimpses of them. Something is stopping me from seeing more. But I want to find them. I am not willing to leave the family and go. All of us go, or no one goes."

I agreed with her on that. We weren't splitting.

"Fine. I will talk to the others." I sighed aloud, a small part of me excited to finally meet my mate.