The Art of Redemption: Chapter 6

                                                                The Art of Redemption


                                                                          Chapter 6

PPOV

Jasper was a fuckin' moron. A moron who didn't know what the hell he had, even if it was starin' him right in the face. How could he not see how perfect Kitten was for him? How could he not see that she was his true mate? In all my years, I ain't ever seen the Major take to a human like he had Bella Swan. Hell, I ain't ever seen him take to a human… unless he was eatin' 'em.

But Kitten was different. She would be his rock and not take any of his shit. She would help him reclaim who he was while lettin' the Major shine through. She was just like him too… except she had a pussy. And I knew he could feel the pull to her, he just wouldn't acknowledge it. Yet.

Char and I had known all along that Alice wasn't his mate. The Major's mate would have to be strong and be able to put up with his shit without takin' any of it. Not turn him into some overeager Bambi-munchin' lapdog that would do as he was told, when he was told to do it.

So here I was keys in hand and ready to go talk some sense into him. Just as I was about to open the door, my gorgeous wife wrapped her arms around my body. "Where do ya think you're goin' Sug?" she purred seductively.

He's gonna fuckin' owe me.

God help me, I really didn't want to say this. "The Major needs me Char."

I heard her sigh before she pulled away and I turned to face her. "Make him understand Peter. He's finally found her… don't let him fuck it up and lose her," she said with a smile. She didn't have to say it, but I knew Char was excited to meet her new sister. Even without meeting her, she was attached to her and it was going to be hard to keep her away for much longer. If I was bein' honest, I was pretty sure she already had Kitten's room done.

After a less than chaste kiss with the wifey, I jumped in the Tahoe and was on the way to Kitten's apartment building to straighten out the mess the Major had caused. Or, at least, preventin' said mess from happening.

It didn't take long to get to her apartment building. From what I could tell, she lived in a nice area; it wasn't a cheap building but it suited her and her lifestyle just fine. I parked the Tahoe next to a new black Camaro. When I got out of the truck, I could smell both Jasper and Kitten near the car. I could only assume it was hers.

She's got taste. I'll give her that.

Something told me to go to the back of the building. So that's where I went. My 'gift' had never steered me wrong before so I sure as fuck wasn't gonna question it now. I had always been, even as a human, able to see what others couldn't. Now, I couldn't see the future like the pocket pixie but most of the time… I just knew shit. And it's because of that that I was currently standing below Kitten's balcony trying to sort out this mess and make the Major see the truth.

I leapt up and landed on the balcony that Jasper had been frequenting every night for the last week or so. Inside, I could hear Kitten's steady breathin' and heartbeat indicatin' that she was fast asleep.

"What the fuck do you want?" Jasper hissed from inside the apartment.

"To talk," I said as I jiggled the handle to the French door. The door was unlocked so it opened easily and I stepped through the sheer green curtain and into her room. Her room was clean with just enough disarray to make it have a homey feel to it with framed pictures on every free surface.

Bella's delicate, slightly tropical scent permeated the air. But instead of wanting to drain her dry, I wanted to protect her. Protect her from the evils of the world… protect her from heartache. Jasper snorted.

"That happens a lot around her. That sudden urge to protect her," he said quietly as he looked at the sleeping girl in his arms. He had his right arm around her body while she was snuggled against his body, her arms clinging to him for dear life. She fit against him perfectly. I smiled.

"What's so amusin'?"

"You."

"What the fuck you talkin' 'bout?"

"It's just…fuck man, I've never seen you this comfy with a human. You're either ignorin' 'em or eatin' 'em. Not snugglin' up with 'em."

"I ain't snugglin'. And Bella's… different."

"No shit she's different. Jesus, can't you see what's right in front of you? I know you're supposed to be smarter and wiser but Major, you're a dumbass." I walked over and sat down on the end of the bed. When I put my hand on her covered foot, Jasper growled in warning.

"Don't touch her," he hissed and it was pretty fuckin' clear that the Major was protectin' his little lady.

I didn't move my hand. Instead, I just smiled. "See, that shit right there, that's what I'm talkin' about. You're protectin' her for a reason Major." His jaw was clenched and his eyes were fixated on the hand I had on Bella's foot. He growled again and I removed my hand. I really didn't want to lose it, that shit hurts.

"Why?"

"It's simple. She belongs to you just as much as you belong to her. Major, she's your mate. And whether you realize it or not, you already love her, just like she already loves you."

I could see that he was warring with himself. A part of him was happy that he had finally found her. The other part was confused as all get out. He furrowed his brows and slowly shook his head 'no'. "She can't be my mate Peter. I tried to attack her four years ago. It's not possible."

"For fucks sake Major, you weren't gonna eat her. She's your brother's singer; you were protectin' her from his crazy ass."

"No. I felt the bloodlust."

"Yeah, his and everyone else's. Let's say you were gonna try to make her a snack, as soon as you touched her, you would have stopped."

"How can you be sure?"

"I just know shit."

"Why are you so protective of her?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Because she's yours. You would protect Char and I would protect Kitten here."

He looked at the sleeping beauty in his arms and smiled before leaning down and kissing her forehead. Now I wasn't normally one for all the mushy love shit but this… this was somethin' else. To see Maria's right hand bein' this close and tender with a human was nothin' short of spectacular.

"Let me ask you this. Is there any goin' back for you now?" When he didn't respond I knew I had my answer. I got up off the bed and walked back to the door. "Bring her by the house. Char is itchin' to meet her new sister and it would be nice if I could officially meet her too." Jasper nodded. I was about to walk out the door when I remembered one thing. "Oh, and Jasper? I told you this would be better than the balcony."

And with one final growl from the Major, I was gone and on my way back home. After all, I had me a woman to get back to.

JPOV

Mate? I had been around hundreds of mated pairs throughout my existence but I couldn't even tell that I was mated; to a human no less. Sure, the physical attraction had been there, how could it not be? And that invisible pull to her had been gettin' stronger and stronger from the first day I saw her at Forks High. But I had always believed that it was the call of her blood, not the call of her.

I don't know what frustrated me more: the fact that I didn't know she was mine, the fact that Peter had pointed it out, or the fact that Alice had flat out lied to me in that diner and every day for the last sixty years. I had loved her with every fiber of my being but even I knew deep down, if it came to my own life or hers, I would choose my own life every time without question.

That should have been my first clue.

But without Alice would I have met Bella? Was that her plan all along?

I didn't know.

Watching Bella sleep peacefully beside me was heaven and I now understood what Edward liked about it so much. Aside from the snoring, she was quite entertaining to listen to. She said the darndest things as she slept and I found myself laughing quietly at her ramblings about flying monkeys and magic bananas.

I looked down at my Bella and smiled. She was so beautiful. My chest ached to hold her; to protect her; to love her. She deserved the whole world and I would to do everything in my power to make her happy for the rest of my existence. It was funny to actually think that at one time I had wanted to destroy the creature that was snuggled into my side, all for the sake of saving the family. But now, all I wanted to do was to make her smile and call her mine.

She shifted slightly in the bed and curled further into me; her head was in the crook of my arm and her arm across my torso. I momentarily thought about shifting her away, but before I could act, she sighed in contentment and said the one word I didn't even know I had longed to hear. "Jasper."

My breath caught in my throat and before I could think, I pulled her body closer to me. This only caused her to wiggle further into me and sigh again. My dead heart swelled with love for the woman in my arms. I knew now that I wanted her more than anything else in this world. Peter was right and I knew I couldn't deny my feelings anymore, and to be honest, I didn't want to. I knew then that I was falling in love with Isabella Swan.

And that terrified me.

I didn't know how long I had watched her sleep. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours but her heart rate and breathing began to pick up lettin' me know that my Bella was wakin' up. She stirred before stretching and let out a contented sigh. "Mornin' Darlin'," I drawled before leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.

She looked up at me and smiled. "You stayed."

"I told you I would. Did ya know you snore?"

Her brow furrowed. "I do not."

"You do. You also talk in your sleep."

"So I've been told," she mumbled. She finally let me go and slid out from under the covers, her tiny tank top rising well above her belly button. It took all of my strength to not throw her down on the bed and claim her.

"Hey Bella?"

She stopped right before the door to the master bathroom and turned to face me. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to go back to my place today?"

She froze. "Um… sure," she said with a slow, hesitant nod of her head. "Just let me get a shower and something to eat. Um, do you think you can get a pot of coffee going?"

"Sure Darlin'."

She smiled before turning and going into the bathroom. When I heard the shower turn on, I left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen. The kitchen was small, but seemed to fit Bella to a 'T'. The black Mr. Coffee coffee pot was sitting on top of the granite countertops. The coffee was sitting right next to it.

I stared at the small black appliance. The last time I had made 'coffee' was 1863, back when we had to use chicory or peanuts because of those fuckin' Union blockades. And we didn't have a fuckin' Mr. Coffee.

It didn't take long to figure out how to work the coffeepot. I filled the pot with water and poured it into the reservoir and scooped some of the ground coffee into the holder. I pressed start and prayed for the best.

It wasn't that hard to make coffee.

BPOV

The shower felt amazing. All the stress from yesterday just seemed to wash away down the drain. Ray had just flat pissed me the fuck off. Does he seriously think he can treat me like that? I've been controlled enough in my life… Edward was controlling enough for a thousand lifetimes.

Edward.

I had said that I hated him. In hindsight, I didn't hate him but I still did want to see him suffer to some extent like I had. Okay, maybe not just like I had- I loved his family too much to watch Victoria destroy them, well, except for maybe Rosalie. That bitch has some issues. But I meant what I said when I called him a prissy-assed douchebag. What can I say? Jasper brings it out. Literally.

Jasper.

When it came to him, I was just confused. There was definitely a fair share of sexual attraction. Hell, that's been there the first day I saw him back in the Forks High cafeteria. But now things seemed different, especially after last night. It was weird to think that he knew exactly what I needed, when I needed it. What was weirder though was the ache in my chest that I had when he wasn't near. Even now, with him in the other room, I could feel it. It wasn't severe, but it was there. And I didn't understand it.

Did he feel it too?


What did it mean?

I'm pretty sure I knew what it meant… but it terrified me more than James or Victoria ever could. I was dangerously close to falling in love with Jasper Whitlock.

I turned off the hot water and grabbed the fluffy blue towel from the bar by the shower before wrapping it around my body. I stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off before putting on some coconut scented body lotion. I took the towel and quickly towel dried my hair, letting it fall wherever it did. I guess the one benefit to short hair was that I could get away with that shit.

When I was satisfied with my hair, I wrapped the towel back around my body and stepped into my room. The temperature difference sent a shiver down my spine and I found myself running around my room to quickly gather my clothes. I settled on a pair of medium wash 'destroyed' skinny jeans, a black button down cable knit cardigan, and a pair of black scrunchy boots that hit just above the ankle and had a two inch heel. Pleased with what I saw in the full length mirror, I made my way to the kitchen.

Jasper was sitting at the kitchen table and had a lazy smile on his handsome face. The scent of coffee certainly did not go missed; it smelt like freshly ground heaven.

"I don't know how you can drink that shit Bella," he said while chuckling and shaking his head.

I snorted as I walked over to the coffee pot. "First off, my blood type is Folgers. Second, you're one to talk; you drink blood. In comparison, I don't think my coffee is that bad." I added some French vanilla creamer and a touch of sugar to the coffee and, after giving it a quick stir, I took a sip.

Big mistake.

I slapped my free hand across my mouth, trying hard to not spit the coffee out, and I'm pretty sure my eyes bugged out of my head as I choked the bitter liquid down. Jasper was in complete hysterics and about to fall out of the chair from laughing so hard. "Jesus! I like my coffee strong; not lethal! How many scoops did you put in there?"

"Scoops?"

"Yeah, that little black scoop next to the coffeepot."

"Oh."

I giggled because it was just that fucking funny. "You know what, I'll just stop at Starbucks and call it a day."

He scratched the back of his head, "sorry 'bout your coffee Darlin'." He looked almost… bashful. It was absolutely adorable, and so human. I walked over, propped up on my tip toes and pecked his cheek.

"It's the thought that counts." I walked over and grabbed my purse and keys from the coffee table. "Ready?" I asked, twirling my keys around my finger and walking towards the door.

"Ready when you are, Darlin'."

Jasper put his hand on the small of my back and led me out the door. I may have swooned just a bit. We made our way down in amicable silence. When we got outside, the sun was shining brightly, even though it was relatively cool. Luckily for us, there was still a bit of shade in front of the parking lot.

"I guess I'll go get the car," I said before taking off towards the Camaro. When I got in, I re-adjusted the seat since Jasper had driven me home last night after the little incident at the gym. I put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking spot, meeting Jasper right in front of the building.

It didn't take long for me to get to Starbucks to order a caramel macchiato. After I received my coffee, we were once again off to… wherever. Much to my relief, we avoided any discussion about last night's events.

"Can I ask you something?" Jasper asked somewhat hesitantly.

"You kinda just did."

"Funny. But I'm serious."

"Well, since you're serious and all, shoot."

"What happened to you and Jake?"

And there it was; the million dollar fucking question. I took a deep breath and tried to figure out the best way to put it. There was really only one way to put it. "I broke his heart, and then disappeared without a trace." I left it at that, he didn't need to know the specifics and, thankfully, he didn't pry.

Truth be told, I was ashamed.

"Do you keep in touch with anyone in Forks?"

"Seth Clearwater. Charlie was going to marry his mom Sue and he and I got really close. He's three years younger than me and I truly consider him a little brother. His mother couldn't really afford his tuition, and he really wanted to go to college, so I'm paying for his tuition that scholarships and grants won't cover with the life insurance money I got after…yeah. He doesn't know where I'm at or any specifics because of the whole pack telepathy but he knows I'm still alive and happy. His sister Leah's a piece of work though. We hate each other, and it works for us."

Jasper must have felt my somber mood because I was hit with a wave of happiness. I smiled and thanked him.

"So, Peter and Char are really excited to meet you."

I tensed; he hadn't mentioned them when he invited me over. "Should I be worried?" I asked nervously.

"No, you're safe with me Darlin'. I'd never let anyone hurt ya," he said with conviction.

"I trust you."

We drove for another twenty minutes before he had me turn onto an unmarked road which was obviously a very long private drive. At the top of the driveway, the huge black metal gate was already opening. "Told ya they were excited."

We pulled up to a Spanish-style stucco home that had a rust colored tiled roof and arches over the doors and windows. The yard was perfectly green and landscaped. It was stunning and not at all what I had expected. I said the only thing I could think of. "Wow." I put the car in park in front of the house and Jasper hopped out of the passenger side and rushed to my side to open my door. Apparently, chivalry wasn't dead.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and took his offered hand. "Thank you," I said with a sincere smile.

"C'mon, there's more to see," he said, pulling me towards the house. The house was big. Not Cullen big but big. I still didn't see the need for such an extravagant home, but I wasn't going to say anything. Jasper led me across the tiled walkway, stopping to pick a red rose from one of the rose bushes. He quickly stripped the flower of thorns before holding it out to me. I took the rose and held it up to my nose, breathing in the sweet scent. "A beautiful rose for a beautiful girl," he said with a crooked smile; one of them daze-inducing, panty-wetting, swoon-worthy smiles. Yeah, I think all of the above may have happened… I know at least one did and, judging by the darker color of Jasper's eyes, he knew it too.

When we got to the door, he opened it and led me through, never once taking his hand off the small of my back. We stepped through the door into the foyer. From what I could see, the house was just as amazing inside as it was on the out. My heels clacked on the hardwood floors as we walked further into the house.

From what I assumed was the living room, came a pastier version of Josh Lucas from his role in 'Sweet Home Alabama'. He had short, dirty blonde hair, twinkling red eyes, and one hell of a sexy swagger.

I could so get used to hanging around all this man candy.

The Josh Lucas look-alike, whom I'm assuming was Peter, stopped in front of me and stared for a moment, looking me up and down before smirking.

Was he checking me out?

"Bella, this is my brother Peter. Peter, this is Bella."

Peter took my hand and looked right into my eyes as he took my hand and brought it to his lips. "Enchanté," he said seductively. And for a moment, just a moment, I forgot about everything in that room other than Peter and his enchanting crimson eyes.

Son of a bitch! I was just dazzled!

Peter chuckled before pulling away. I crossed my arms and pouted. "Stupid dazzling vampires," I mumbled, knowing full well that they heard me. It just caused Peter to chuckle again.

"It's not like Jasper to bring home take-out," he said with an eerie calm. I'm pretty sure I lost a shit ton of color and started to look as pale as the vampires in the room. This just caused Peter to guffaw loudly and Jasper hissed disapprovingly.

"You… should have… seen… your face!" Peter ground out, still laughing his ass off.

Jasper glared at Peter and growled. It was the first time I had seen him this murderous since the James incident. I'll admit, it was a little scary… but he also looked pretty damn fuckable. He glanced at me, eyebrow raised, before turning the mega stink-eye back onto Peter. "What the fuck are you tryin' to pull?"

"Oh don't get your panties in a knot Major; I was just breakin' the ice." He took a step closer to me, grinning, with an extended hand. When I looked up to Jasper to see if it was safe, he nodded his head to let me know that it was. I tentatively took his hand. "Peter Whitlock ma'am. I didn't frighten ya now did I?"

"Just remember Peter, fire and ice run through these veins and if you ever pull that shit again, I won't hesitate to light your ass on fire," I said sweetly, smiling and batting my eyelashes. It was Peter's turn to look remotely scared and Jasper started busting up.

Peter composed himself before putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me away from Jasper, who in turn growled again. "Kitten, you and I are gonna be like peas and carrots. C'mon, I think I hear my wife pullin' up." He started leading me through the house. When I looked back at Jasper, he was standing in the same exact place, wide-eyed and completely speechless.

"You just gonna stand there Major or you comin' with us?" Peter took a deep breath before saying, "by the way Kitten, you smell delicious." He grabbed my ass and gave it a firm squeeze. And just what did I do? I giggled, I fucking giggled.

"PETER!" Jasper roared before he was by my side in an instant and I was back in his arms.

It was going to be an interesting Sunday.