Adult-FanFiction.org : Books

Destiny Awaits	By : Lollydolly Category: Twilight Series > Het > Bella/Jasper Views: 19535 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or make any money from this story.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
An: Um... sorry again. I know I’ve been pretty pathetic with updates lately. My only excuse is an uncooperative little bitch for a muse. Blame her, not me : ) Thanks for all the reviews!
Chapter Twenty Three
Bella
“Make it quick Emmett, Charlie’s expecting us.” I said as I reached him, crossing my arms in an attempt to show him I wouldn’t make this easy.
“Us? What do you mean us? Is Jasper going with you? Is Charlie ok with that?” He spluttered. I tried not to laugh.
“Yes he’s ok with it. In fact, Charlie invited him. He’s been staying at my house for more than two months Emmett. You do actually know this.” I pointed out.
“Yeah, well, it’s different now.” He glared at the floor and rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen Bells, well, see I asked Rosie to do this, but she was being stubborn, so I’ll have to do it...” He muttered, more to himself than me I think.
“Spit it out Em, I really do have to leave.”
“Ok, right. So, I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to do anything... physical... with Jasper. I’ve already spoken to him about it, but he’s refusing to listen unless you tell me to keep him in line. So, if he err... goes too far, you just tell me and I’ll beat the crap out of him, ok?”
“Emmett, I’m fairly sure we’ve already had this conversation. And I remember telling you then, that I would let you know if Jasper did anything I didn’t want him to do.” I was trying very hard not to yell at him. “And if you so much as try to ‘beat the crap out of him’ I will find a way to break your neck, or I’ll set you on fire. Ok?” I asked him sweetly.
“But Bella...”
“But Bella nothing.” I snapped. “What I do with Jasper is really none of your business Emmett. It’s between him and me. Jasper would never try to make me do anything I didn’t want to do.” I couldn’t quite resist taunting him. “And there is nothing, I repeat nothing, that I don’t want to do.”
He grinned then looked a little sick. “Oh gross! Don’t say that. Bella you don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Shut up Emmett. Why are you being like this? You never used to talk to me like this when I was with Edward.”
“I barely really knew you when you were with Edward, and let’s be honest Bella, there was no need to do this when you were with the king of self denial.” He chuckled and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him. “And to be honest, I’m not sure exactly why I feel like I need to do this. I just feel like I should be protecting you, and then there's the fact that thinking about you and Jasper gettin’ physical makes me feel ill.” He shuddered.
“Don’t think about it then, dumbass.” I rolled my eyes at him. “And by the way, the thought, and occasionally sight, of you and Rose doesn’t exactly appeal to me either, but you don’t see me trying to interrupt do you?”
“Well no, but Rose and I have been married for more than half a century.” He pointed out.
“What difference does that make?”
“We’re old enough to be having sex, you’re still a kid.”
“I’m not a kid!” I shouted, and then I grabbed a rock off the floor to throw at him. It made me even angrier when it bounced harmlessly off his chest and fell to the floor. “I’m an adult Emmett, just because I’m not ancient like you doesn’t mean I’m a child, or incapable of making my own decisions. You will keep out of my business from now on, understand?”
He was staring down at the rock, fighting a smile without much success. I calmed down from my outburst and realised how stupid throwing the rock had been. It was fairly childish too, something I’d been trying to prove I wasn’t.
“Sorry.” I grumbled, only making Emmett roar with laughter.
“I can’t believe you threw that at me. You’re like a mini Rosalie when you’re angry. ‘Cept she would have found a boulder.” I giggled too then, and once we’d calmed down we stood staring at each other, warily waiting for the rest of the argument to start.
“Sorry I called you a kid.” He muttered eventually. “I didn’t mean you were a child, but you’re a little sister to me. It’s my job to scare away the boys.”
“Not this one though Em. I love Jasper, really, truly love him with all my heart. If you managed to scare him away I’d never speak to you again.”
“You love him more than you loved Edward?”
“Edward doesn’t even compare. Jasper is... he’s just; I can’t describe how I feel about him. There aren’t enough words. But whatever it is, it’s forever.”
He gave me a soft smile. “You’re just as sappy as him. He’s been talking like that since before Seattle you know.”
I felt the return of the goofy smile and blushed. “He has?”
“He has. And I guess if the two of you really are mates there’s no use in me trying to pull you apart.”
“No use at all.” I mumbled dreamily.
“But just for my peace of mind, promise me you will tell me if he ever does get out of line?”
“I promise.” I grinned at him.
He swept me up into one of his crushing hugs. I was sure he’d actually end up breaking my ribs one day. “Love you little sis.” He laughed, swinging me round.
“Love you too.” I gasped dizzily, a second before he sat me down on the back of the bike and crammed a helmet on my head.
“Hear that Jazz? She loves me, you’ve got competition man.” Emmett laughed, punching Jasper’s shoulder so the bike tilted dangerously. I held onto him tighter, glad for a reason to wrap my arms around him.
“I’m so jealous.” Jasper said sarcastically, revving the engine. Emmett's booming laughter followed us all the way down the drive.
_______________________________________
Charlie
I heard that damn bike again. Why couldn’t he have a nice safe Volvo like Edward? That was the only thing I missed about that kid. I wandered over to the window to make sure she was at least wearing a helmet and sighed with relief.
I watched them climb off the bike and Jasper remove his helmet almost too quickly, before taking Bella’s. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him the second the headgear was out of the way and I made my way back to my chair. I may have liked the kid, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see him making out with my daughter.
They took longer than they needed to, to come into the house and I tried very hard to believe they were just talking on the drive. Bella walked in first, a bright smile on her face. She’d lost the dreamy look that had been in her eyes over the last few months, and I realised this was the first time I’d seen her since she and Jasper had become a couple.
She looked complete somehow, as if she’d only been waiting for him all along, and now she was done. He had the same look on his face as he followed her into the house, watching her instead of where he was going. My little girl wasn’t so little anymore and from where I sat, they looked like man and wife rushing into the warmth of their house.
When she caught sight of me her eyes brightened and she stumbled over to hug me. “Merry Christmas dad.” She said. “Thank you for inviting Jasper.”
I felt my cheeks burning as I responded in kind, and stood to take the pizza Jasper was holding along with a bag of frozen vegetables I didn’t bother asking about. He was still watching my daughter. I chuckled at him on my way to the kitchen and listened to their easy banter as they hung up their coats and settled down.
When I came back into the room I saw they were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. I’d never seen them that far away from each other while they were in this house. I was used to seeing them sitting impossibly close together, or one of them sprawled out with their head or feet in the others lap. They looked wrong like this, and I understood exactly why they were sitting this way.
“You don’t have to start acting like you barely know each other in front of me you know.” I chuckled.
Bella giggled and blushed, but she turned around and curled up next to him just the same before they accepted plates of pizza from me. Jasper still looked nervous.
Since I first met Dr Cullen I’d thought there was something a little strange about the family. Why did they all have exactly the same eyes and pale skin, despite the fact that a lot of them were unrelated? On the other hand, none of them really looked at all alike, apart from Jasper and his sister. Sometimes I wondered if there was more to the family than met the eye, but I pushed it away. The Cullen's were good people, and they loved my daughter like family. That was good enough for me.
Jasper relaxed slowly while they ate and they told me about the gifts they’d given and received. Bella proudly showed off some sort of hair ornament thing. I thought it a slightly odd gift to give to a woman you love, but it seemed like Jasper had gotten it right. I could see how much she loved it. Now that I thought about, it was kind of perfect for her. Special, but not the kind of hugely-expensive-special that made her feel awful. I liked him a little bit more for knowing her so well.
When she finished her slice of pizza she helped herself to his half eaten slice, and he only smiled. When a growing boy lets his food go it’s a sure sign he’s either dying, or very much in love. I couldn’t help but smile at them as he handed her his soda and watched her drink as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
“So, how are Alice and Edward?” I asked partly because I was interested to know how they were taking the idea of their formers getting together, and partly because I wanted to keep them talking.
They looked at each other and shared a silent conversation in the space of two seconds.
“We haven’t spoken much, but Alice is fine.” Jasper said calmly, still looking at Bella. He wasn’t bothered by her any more. The last time I’d asked him about her, not long after he’d started staying here he’d looked like he might collapse for a minute.
“And Edward is, well, Edward.” Bella added. She didn’t sound happy.
“Is he still down with Alice?” I asked quickly, if he’d been bothering my daughter I’d slap a restraining order on him quicker than he could blink.
“He is.” Jasper answered, followed by another silent conversation between them. “He called Bella while I was here yesterday.”
“Let me guess. He’s sorry for everything he said, and he wants you back?” I asked my daughter. The scowl on her face evened out into a smile and Jasper chuckled.
“That’s about it.” She laughed. “I told him there was no chance, but that I’d call him in a few days.”
“You said you’d call him? Why?” Jasper asked, half a second before I could.
“Because I didn’t want him to come back.” She whispered furiously, like she’d forgotten I was in the room. “I thought if he knew I was going to talk to him he’d stay away longer.”
Jasper sighed. “Either that or you’ve made him think he has a chance.” He pointed out. I agreed.
“Jasper, I made it perfectly clear that he had no hope of getting me back, I told him I’d moved on. I just wanted to get him off the phone.” She gave him another look, another silent argument that he seemed to understand as he dropped the topic. I wasn’t done.
“I’m going to wish Mom and Phil a Merry Christmas in case I forget tomorrow.” Bella said, getting off the couch and closing herself in the kitchen with the phone.
“Why is she so adamant that he stay away?” I asked him quietly, hoping I’d have a better chance of getting the truth out of him than I would have of getting it out o f Bella.
He regarded me silently for a few seconds and I got the feeling he was coming up with a plausible lie, but when he spoke it sounded like the truth.
“She didn’t tell him we were together, and she knows seeing us will hurt him. He’s an ass, but he really does love her, and she still cares about him.” He rolled his eyes, but I didn’t think he was jealous. “And you know what Bella’s like, she’s frightened Edward will fight with me over her.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “Is he violent?” What exactly had I been letting my daughter spend time with?
“No, he’s not violent at all, Carlisle wouldn’t tolerate that. He’s practically the world’s biggest pacifist.” He sighed. “Edward just loves Bella, and he doesn’t think too clearly when it comes to her. He wouldn’t hurt her, Charlie, don’t worry about that. Besides I can take him.” He smirked.
I nodded and made plans to keep a close eye on that kid when he came home.
“No mom... Yes, I’m sure I love him... He’s beautiful; you’ll have to see him to understand... I don’t know... no... Are you coming up for graduation? ... Well, you can meet him then, you’ll love him mom... no mom... of course I don’t know where that is... ”
I listened to Bella rave about Jasper to Renee and weave in and out of every conceivable topic before settling back on Jasper again. He was watching the door, looking like he was trying not to listen, but the smile on his face told me he could hear every word as well as I could.
“She never did that with Edward, you know?” He looked at me, confused. “She never called Renee to tell her all about him like that.”
His smile widened, and he relaxed completely for the first time all night. He finally looked away from the door and leaned back, content. I remembered what it felt like to feel that secure and that loved. The difference was these two felt exactly the same. I could see it in their eyes, hell, I could practically feel it rolling off them in waves.
I had no doubt that they would keep each other happy forever.
I got up to close the blinds and saw the snow falling in thick clumps outside. We were going to have a white Christmas.
___________________________________________
Jasper
I understood why Charlie wanted to us to leave the door open, but that didn’t mean I was happy with it. So far, every time Bella and I had started getting somewhere, we’d been interrupted. The whole family was a bunch of cock-blockers and I was sick of it. Now we were finally away from them, we had Charlie to contend with. It just wasn’t fair.
Bella, as usual, was laying on the very edge of her bed, one arm and one leg on the camp bed. The leg was thrown over mine and her hand was busily playing with my hair. She sighed and I risked another look at her, which was dangerous the way she looked right now. The snow had piled up outside and the moonlight glanced off it, lighting the room in an eerie glow.
She was wearing the ‘angel’ pyjamas that she’d dazzled me in once, and the way the reflected moonlight bathed her skin only added to her ethereal beauty tonight. Either she didn’t know how wonderful she looked or she was trying to kill me. To be honest, I didn’t mind either way.
She caught my eye and grinned, edging just a little closer. Her lips were an inch away from mine and resistance was futile. I’d wasted so many weeks by hiding my feelings that I wanted to grab every chance to show her now with both hands.
I listened once more for Charlie's heavy, slow breaths, convincing myself he wouldn’t be interrupting us for a few minutes at least. There was time to taste her lips at least once more before she slept. I returned her smile with a more predatory one of my own. Her eyes widened slightly, holding an impossible mixture of nervous innocence and unbridled lust. She licked her lips once, while watching mine, and I had no desire to hold off any longer.
Propped on one elbow, I reached across to brush her hair away from her neck, kissing her there first before I let my lips wander up to touch hers. I traced my tongue across her lower lips and was granted entrance immediately. The heat of her mouth always left a haze over my mind and I gave myself ten seconds in which to enjoy her. I couldn’t possibly get too lost in ten seconds.
I started counting down. I’d reached eight when her hand slipped from my hair to the back of my neck. Six, when my free hand traced the silk of her camisole until if found bare skin. Three, when she moaned into my mouth and rolled on top of me. Minus seventeen, when Charlie stirred and sat up.
Who was I kidding? As if ten seconds would ever be enough. The twenty seven and a half we’d had hadn’t been close to enough even though I’d made every second I counted last three in the real world.
I disentangled her from me, and pulled the blankets up over her before she had a chance to protest. “Charlie.” I whispered by way of an explanation, pleased when she understood and closed her eyes, curling into a ball. I rolled onto my stomach, which was uncomfortable, but it would save Charlie a broken hand from hitting me when he saw the tented sheets.
Bella, who had been trying to calm her frustration, was suddenly trying not to laugh as she noticed my predicament.
Charlie walked past the door on his way to the bathroom, feeling amused. I wasn’t surprised by that. Bella’s attempts at feigning sleep were somewhat ruined by the way she shook with repressed giggles. Her dad probably had a fair idea of what was going on. I kept careful watch over his emotions as he left the bathroom and went back to his own room. The amusement had faded, to be replaced by worry and indecision. He moved past it quickly though and was soon asleep again.
“Is he asleep?” Bella whispered ten minutes later.
“Yes.” I whispered back.
She was back on top of me in a flash and for a few seconds I was lost in her, not thinking about anything else. Then I remembered the open door and the man down the hall that trusted us not to do this and gently moved her back to her own bed.
She pouted at me and I growled quietly to myself and closed my eyes. “Are you trying to get me shot?”
When I looked back at her I found her smiling and sitting up. “Would it hurt?”
“Yes actually.” I smirked.
The come hither look in her eyes instantly changed to one of worry. “You got shot? When? Are you ok?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her concern. “Yes, once. It was more than eighty years ago though, so I’m fine.”
“It hurt you though? I didn’t think anything like that could hurt you.”
“Oh it hurt, and it left a dent that took three weeks to fill out.” I explained.
I watched her bite down hard on her lip and try not to laugh. “A dent?” She squeaked.
I couldn’t believe she found it funny. “How can you be laughing because I got shot?”
“It’s not that, it’s just I was so worried when you said you’d been shot, and then when you said all you got was a dent I realised how stupid I was being. And you’re going to tell me about that one day.” I loved that she didn’t need to know right now, content that we had time to learn all the little stories. She chuckled quietly, tracing one finger along my collarbone. “Did I mention how good you look in that t-shirt?” She added huskily.
My resolve to respect Charlie’s unspoken rules weakened considerably as she moved her finger in a line down my chest. “We can’t.” I said without much conviction.
She pulled her hand back to her side. “Is it too hard?”
I bit my tongue to avoid making some smart comment about her word choice. She thought I was pulling away because of blood lust; something I guessed had been an everyday occurrence with Edward.
“It’s not that. I just don’t want to risk Charlie’s ire.”
“But you said he’s asleep, and you’ll hear him if he gets up.”
“Bella, he trusts me with you, like he has right from the beginning and I don’t want to break that trust. Not under his roof with him sleeping in the next room. It isn’t right.”
Her lips quirked up in the tiniest smile and her eyes looked damp. “I love you.” She whispered.
“I love you too.” I whispered back quietly, pressing one last chaste kiss to her lips before she curled into my side to sleep.
“We’ll just have to make up for it when we have some time alone.” She mumbled sleepily. Another promise.
“Will you let me take you on a date on Boxing Day?” I was almost positive she would have no objections, but I was still nervous as I waited for her answer.
“Yes.” She whispered through a tired smile. “Where are we going?”
“I was hoping you’d let me surprise you.” I coaxed hopefully.
“Ok.” She agreed without a fight. “I like your surprises.”
I thought of strawberry ice cream and breakfast in bed while I stared at the ceiling all night.
_______________________________________
Bella
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the smell of pancakes. The second was Charlie's roaring laughter coming from downstairs, and the third was the empty camp bed beside me.
I rolled into Jasper’s bed intent on soaking up his scent as he’d abandoned me without a good morning kiss. I sniffed his pillow and ended up laughing at myself for doing something so odd. The smell of pancakes was calling me, so I got out of bed and cleaned up quickly before going downstairs.
Jasper was at the stove, while Charlie, still chuckling tucked into a huge stack of syrup soaked pancakes. “What are you laughing at?” I asked, only stopping to risk giving Jasper a quick peck on the lips. Thankfully Charlie either didn’t see or decided it was wise not to comment.
“I was telling Charlie what happened to your old pan last time I tried to surprise you with breakfast.” Jasper answered, smiling. I remembered the reason he’d got distracted and let them burn. He’d been helping me get dressed. My cheeks burned as I realised he’d like me then, and that was probably the reason he’d forgotten about cooking. Jasper winked at me.
He handed me my own plate of breakfast and started washing up. “This is pretty good, son.” Charlie commented around a mouthful of food. “Aren’t you going to have any?”
“I never eat breakfast.” Jasper explained, giving me a little grin. He never ate anything if he could help it.
After breakfast was finished we moved into the living room to open presents. The stuff under the tree looked fairly pathetic compared to the piles of gifts there’d been at the Cullen's. There were only two actual presents here, one from me to Charlie, and when I checked the tag on the other; I saw it was from Charlie to Jasper. I didn’t know whether to be pleased or horrified.
I hadn’t suspected for even a second that Charlie would have bought something for Jasper. What could it be? I was dying to find out. All of my ‘gifts’ were somewhat predictably, cards with cheques in them. Even Renee had obviously run out of gift ideas, something I was pleased about as she invariably bought me things that she thought I would like because she liked them. And we had very different taste.
Charlie loved all the fishing stuff I’d bought for him, and by all accounts, I had a fair amount of cash. I was already planning ways to spend it when Charlie finally handed Jasper the present I’d seen under the tree. I held in a giggle when Jasper looked completely speechless. I suppose, like me, he hadn’t expected it.
He unwrapped the lumpy paper so slowly I was sorely tempted to take it off him and do it myself. Eventually he tossed the paper away to reveal a slim canvass bag about four feet long. I recognised the bag, because I’d seen it in the hunting and fishing shop Billy had recommended to me. Charlie had bought him a rod.
Jasper opened it up and looked from the rod inside back to Charlie, who looked shy, an expression I’d never seen on his face before.
“I figured if you’re going to be with my daughter, I should at least teach you how to put a fish on the table.” He mumbled, blushing almost as red as I usually did.
Jasper gazed down at the rod like it was something really special. “Thank you.” He whispered eventually, beaming at Charlie. Then he did something else I hadn’t seen coming. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick white envelope and handed it over to my dad.
Charlie frowned down at it and raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”
“It’s a Christmas present from... my family.” Jasper smiled, looking almost as nervous as Charlie had when he’d handed over Jasper’s gift. I was pretty sure that the other Cullen's had little involvement in this, it was down to Jasper.
With a quick, inquiring glance at me, Charlie gave up and opened the envelope. I watched his face go from curiosity, to shock, then on to happiness, and excitement.
“What is it dad?” I asked hating to be left out. He handed over a sheet of paper, keeping back what looked like a small brochure. I read it quickly, discovering that Jasper had bought him a weekend sea-fishing trip. It couldn’t have been more perfect, and Charlie was clearly floored by it.
“This is too much Jasper.” He grumbled.
“It’s not that much Charlie, honestly.” Jasper told him hastily. “And there are several different dates you can use it on, so that you can fit it in when you have some time off.”
I was beginning to feel all mushy inside. My two favourite men in the world were sitting here, together with me, and we were all happy. My throat felt tight with happy tears.
Charlie was wearing what I assumed was the same expression as I was wearing, and he gathered up his gifts and took them upstairs. He never liked showing emotions much, so it didn’t surprise me when he basically ran off.
Jasper pulled me into his lap and kissed me properly. “You know?” He said when we broke apart. “Between the two of you this morning, you’re killin’ me.”
“I can’t help it.” I huffed. “That was so sweet. You didn’t have to do that, and why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“I bought it not long after he started letting me stay here, but I couldn’t really find a good enough excuse to give it to him, so I forgot about it. I found it yesterday before we left. It’s no big deal Bella. I like the guy and he’s done a lot for me.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what Jasper meant when he said Charlie had done a lot for him, but I didn’t press him for details. I was just glad they were getting along.
“Anyway, I have another little gift for you.” Jasper whispered. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”
“But you already bought me loads of stuff.” I protested half-heartedly, doing as he asked anyway.
“This is just a small thing.” He promised, dropping something carefully onto my outstretched palm. I opened my eyes and discovered the little tiger from George’s shop.
“When I went to see him, I asked him if you were ready for the tiger yet.” He smiled while I inspected the tiny animal. “He told me that the tiger was mine, and that I just had to trust you with it.”
I frowned at him, waiting for more of an explanation. “It’s a metaphor.” He shrugged, sounding as clueless as I felt.
“It’s made of Jasper right?” I asked.
“Yeah, I was thinking along those lines. I think he means that it represents me, and I’m trusting you with myself, or my heart or something.”
I liked the sound of that. Handing Jasper the tiger I raced upstairs and climbed onto my bed to retrieve the little glass swan I’d placed on a high shelf, where I couldn’t break it accidentally.
Charlie followed me back downstairs, now dressed and looking less of a wreck than he had a few minutes ago. I sat back down beside Jasper and gave him the swan. “Merry Christmas.” I whispered.
He didn’t get it.
I rolled my eyes at him and explained. “If the tiger is you, maybe the swan is me. You should have it.” I smiled. He grinned back, holding it carefully.
He looked a little worried as he set the two animals carefully on the coffee table. “Bella, George told me to bring them back when they break. What does that mean?”
“That he can fix them?” I offered, not really seeing why he was so worried.
“But if we’re supposed to trust each other with them, and they’re metaphors for us, and they’re going to break, doesn’t that mean we’re going to break up, or break each other’s trust or something?” He was really bothered by this.
“Jasper, nothing like that is going to happen. If they break, it will be because I’m clumsy, and it won’t mean anything but that.” He stared into my eyes for a long minute.
“You realise you kids are crazy, right?” Charlie laughed from behind us.
An: Short, I know, but hopefully not too boring. Let me know. Next chapter will be the first date, and it’s going well so far, so it should be up on time!
Please review…
- 22
- 23
- 24
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Destiny Awaits