Another Fate
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 13
It had been a little more than a week since he’d gotten Bella Swan high as a kite and sent her home with her father that way. As expected, Charlie Swan had been apoplectic over the situation, but Jasper thought that was mostly due to the man’s inability—or unwillingness where his daughter was concerned—to really do anything about it. After all, what kind of father would prosecute his own daughter over getting a little baked?
Oh, he’d grounded her for the week and took away her driving privileges, but had soon tired of driving her to and from school, so that particular punishment was over.
Edward had been a bit miffed that she hadn’t been able to attend the dance, but once she’d come down from the giggles, she hadn’t really wanted to attend anyway. Seems a high Bella is a rather uninhibited Bella…
Jasper snorted.
Not like Edward had missed out on any time with her over this. The boy had been spending every night in her room—even though she didn’t really know he was there. Jasper had been giving him hell over it, but he’d been surprisingly goodnatured over the ribbing, to Jasper’s surprise. Seems finding his mate was marginally loosening that stick he had up his ass.
All in all, getting Bella high had been a rather satisfying venture for all but Charlie Swan; something that Jasper considered a victory, despite the lecture he’d sat through from Carlisle and Esme.
Now, here he was, arriving for yet another day at Forks High in the back of Emmett’s jeep. The three of them hopped out and were just walking toward Edward’s Volvo when Alice gasped at the sound of screeching tires.
He whipped around just in time to see Edward racing over to save his human from a van that was on course to crush her. “God damn it,” Rose growled lowly. “Like he’s gonna be able to explain that away…the fucking idiot!”
Jasper couldn’t help it; he grinned. This was just too perfect. If the girl didn’t figure some shit out from this, then there was no hope for her. From spending time with her though, he was pretty certain she was sharp enough to catch on. “Yep, for once, I agree with you Rose, no bullshitting his way outta that stunt. Candy might be human, but stupid she isn’t.”
Rose hissed under her breath and shot him a poisonous glare. “Yeah, you seem oh so upset about this whole thing too.”
His brows inched up while his grin remained. “I’ve got lots of other issues to be pissed over, Barbie, so forgive me if this doesn't even cause a blip on my give-a-fuck meter. Matter of fact, makes me wish I could enjoy popcorn.”
“God, you’re an insufferable ass,” she hissed and stormed off just as the ambulance arrived.
With a shrug, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and wandered over to where the crowd was gathered. “Step back, clear the way,” school security was directing as the EMTs wheeled a gurney up to the scene.
He shouldered his way through the crowd and smirked at the disgruntled look on Bella’s face as they placed a neck collar on her. “I don’t need that. I’m fine,” she insisted while they ignored her.
With an eye roll, she finally gave up when they lifted her onto the gurney, and she shot a glare at Edward who stood close by.
With a pointed thought, he got the mind-reader’s attention, ‘You’re going to the hospital, I presume?’ A subtle nod was his answer and he smirked. ‘I could be wrong, but I believe Rose intends to follow you, so brace yourself.’ He chuckled as the mind-reader rolled his eyes.
Emmett joined him then with a tap on his shoulder as the ambulance flipped on its lights and pulled away. “Dude, let’s go. Rose wants to speak to Carlisle as soon as possible…unless you wanna stay here…”
He fell into step with him with a mock expression of hurt on his face. “It’s like you don’t know me at all…”
Emmett smirked as he swung into the driver’s seat. “I figured you’d be broke up over leaving this hole for the day.”
Jay climbed in the back, shoving his backpack to the floor as he stretched out in the seat. “We all must make sacrifices…”
Rosalie scoffed while checking her hair in the visor mirror as Emmett pulled out of the parking lot, just behind Edward and Alice in the Volvo.
When Emmett slowed to make the turn into the hospital parking lot, he glanced in the mirror. “You gonna be cool in there?”
Jay raised a brow. “Afraid I’m gonna go all Hannibal Lecter, Emmett?”
“It’s a valid question,” Rosalie snapped.
“I have excellent control, unlike the rest of you, who hang on by the barest thread whenever blood spills. Comes with not starving myself.”
“Whatever…” Rose grumbled as she hopped out of the jeep. “Let’s get in there. Carlisle needs to know what’s going on, since we’re probably going to have to move over this.”
Emmett shot him a side-eye as they fell into step with her and entered the Emergency Department. They bypassed the registration desk and traversed the halls, eventually stopping just outside the Cullen patriarch’s office, where they decided to wait.
Jay leaned against the wall, a few feet away from the quietly murmuring couple, his ear tuned to what was going on in the ER. He smirked as he heard Bella grilling Edward, albeit quietly. “You…you stopped the van! And, you got to me so fast…”
“I was standing right next to you, Bella.” Jay bit back a snort at the mind-reader’s feeble attempts to convince her.
“You were all the way across the lot!”
“I wasn’t. You hit your head, things are unclear…”
“I heard the Chief’s daughter was here,” Carlisle interrupted, saving Edward’s bacon. ‘For the moment…’ Jay thought with a grin. If he knew the girl at all—and he thought he did—she wasn’t about to let this go. She could be like a dog with a bone, he knew, and he looked forward to watching this play out. Hell, he might even throw in, in this little drama when he got the chance. It’d be good for grins, if nothing else…
Too bad it’s such a serious crime to mess with humans this way. If only he’d known how much fun could be had, he might’ve done something similar years ago… Of course, something like this would piss Caius off to no end—he hated humans, after all—but he knew he’d forgive him. He always wound up indulging his whims. ‘Well, almost always…’ he thought with a melancholy sigh. ‘As long as the law is fulfilled in the end…’
After this incident, he didn’t see a way for Edward to weasel his way out of either changing Bella, or killing her, because the girl had now seen way too much. And the best part? They couldn’t lay any part of this at his doorstep.
Still, he kind of felt for the mind-reader. He really hadn’t had a choice. He could feel the level of bloodlust the boy still had for Bella, and it was either stop the damn van from turning her into a grease spot, or lose his shit in front of all those witnesses when the scent of her blood hit the air.
He could easily see the logic in Edward’s choice, even discounting the boy’s personal feelings… He glanced at the thunderous look on Barbie’s face and smirked. Clearly, she didn’t see things that way.
Edward stalked out of the main ER and joined them, scowling at whatever running commentary he was hearing in Rosalie’s thoughts. It was his best guess, anyway, with the barely-contained anger that was rolling off the blonde at the sight of her brother. “Lay off, Rose,” Edward grumbled while pinching the bridge of his nose.
She hissed and Emmett pulled her close. “Calm down, babe. This isn’t the time or place.”
“No, it isn’t,” Alice injected as she joined them, taking the spot next to the mind-reader before shooting a longing glance at Jay.
He sneered and shot a dose of pure hatred at her, causing her to blink and look away with a frown. “Bitch…” he muttered under his breath.
“One big happy family…” Emmett muttered as his gaze darted over them. “Bella okay?” he asked and Edward nodded.
“Yeah, she’s fine. Got a bump on her head, but that’s it.”
“It was going to be much worse,” Alice murmured with a loaded look at Rose who scoffed.
“Should’ve let nature take its course.”
Jay raised a brow. “And having Edward go all Dracula in the Forks High parking lot would have been preferable to you? I mean, I don’t give a shit either way, but seems like you should show some appreciation for his foresight.”
She narrowed her eyes and looked away, her lips pressed into a thin line while Edward raised a brow at him. He shrugged just as Carlisle rounded the corner and joined them.
Jay stayed put as Rose and Edward both rushed to their Sire’s side. “Just what are we dealing with?” he asked and Rose wasted no time venting her spleen.
“This idiot used his speed and strength in a parking lot full of witnesses.”
With hands on hips, Carlisle hung his head and nodded before looking up with an arched brow. “Edward?”
“I had no choice. She would’ve died otherwise, and I don’t need to tell you what the potential consequences of such a messy death would’ve been.”
Carlisle cringed. “I can well imagine. However, it’s obvious she comprehended what happened,” he said quietly.
“Exactly!” Rose spat and Carlisle held up a hand.
“Rose, please,” he said, and Jay hid a grin when he felt Bella’s emotional signature just around the corner. “We’ll discuss this at home.”
Sure enough, he watched from under hooded eyes as the curious human peeked at them from around the corner, obviously catching a few words here and there since she was positively radiating vindication and suspicion. “Uh,” she said when they all noticed her, “Edward, can I talk to you for a minute?”
His jaw tightened and he walked to her. “What is it?”
She frowned. “Look, I won’t say anything, okay? I mean, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He stared down at her. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
“No, I’m not. Besides, I just really wanted to thank you.”
“Fine,” he snapped, “you’ve thanked me.”
“Is it necessary to be so mean about it?”
He hung his head and rubbed his brow. “No, just…forget about it, all right?”
Her voice was just above a whisper as she asked, “How did you do what you did?”
He smirked. “Adrenaline. You’ve read about that, right? Mothers lifting cars off trapped children? Same principle here, nothing more.”
She studied him for a minute, her head canted to one side as she bit her lip. “Right.”
He sighed. “You need a ride home?”
“No, Charlie’s gonna take me. He was just filling out some paperwork.”
“Okay.”
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
A wan smile tugged his lips. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
She left and Edward turned back to Carlisle who shook his head.
“Go ahead and go home. I’ll see you after my shift and we’ll talk about this.”
With a nod, Edward strode away, with Alice following closely. Emmett jerked his chin at Jay. “You riding with us?”
“Nope, I’ll walk, thanks.”
Rose narrowed her eyes. “Don’t go stirring up more shit, Jasper.”
He smirked. “Now, would I do such a thing?” He turned and gave them a lazy wave as he walked off. “See ya.”
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
When Bella finally made it up to her room, she narrowed her eyes at the sight of Jay, stretched out on her bed and reading a book. “How can you stand this depressing drivel?” he asked, brandishing her battered copy of Wuthering Heights as she closed and locked her door.
“It’s classic literature,” she said as he tossed it on her night stand with a snort. “And how the hell did you get in here?”
He grinned and ignored her question. “Classic…whatever you say, Candy.”
She sighed and flopped into her desk chair. “Come to gloat?”
He pulled out a baggie and shook it. “Nah, thought your little bump on the head could use a little medical attention.” He tossed the bag and she missed. He laughed. “Love those cat-like reflexes, Swan.”
She scowled and swiped the bag off the floor. “You’re really trying to get me in trouble, aren’t you? Charlie’s still pissed.”
He waved a hand and sat up, propping himself against her pillows. “Smoke it…don’t smoke it, whatever. Just thought it might relax you after such a shit day.” She raised a brow and he grinned. “Fucking with your old man might have entered my mind, but it wasn’t the main motivation.”
“Right,” she said while stashing the baggie in a drawer. “So, tell me,” she pinned him with narrowed eyes, “what the hell are you and your family?”
His brows inched up. “Whatever do you mean, Candy?”
“Don’t give me that shit, Jay. Edward was all the way across the lot when Tyler’s van skidded toward me, then he’s there the next second, pushing the damn thing away with his hand! His hand, Jay! And he lifted it! Now he’s trying to tell me I’m hallucinating from a bump on the head.”
Jasper studied his nails as a smirk quirked his lips. “What do you think we are?”
He glanced up through his lashes and she frowned. “I don’t know… Some kind of mutants? I mean, none of you are related by blood…” He scoffed and she ignored him. “yet, you all kind-of look alike. You’re all pale and beautiful, and with the exception of you, all have the same eye color, which is gold—who has gold eyes, Jay? No one in the human population, I can tell you that! And they change, get darker at times, almost black.”
He raised a brow and smirked. “Mutant’s? Really? Like that X-Men shit Emmett’s always watching?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.” She tossed a hand. “Another thing… None of you eat! I’ve watched you guys—well, not you, ‘cause you’re never in the cafeteria, but the rest get food and then sit there, ignoring it or tearing it apart with their fingers, then it gets thrown away, but not one of them eats a thing. Why?”
“The food’s shit? And, don’t mutants eat? ‘Cause in those movies, I could’a swore they ate…”
“Would you stop with the Mutants, already?!” she growled.
He shrugged. “Hey, you brought ‘em up…”
She ran a hand through her hair. “Okay, so not mutants then…” She eyed him for a moment. “Gold eyes…” she mused. “Werewolves?”
He laughed. “Emmett watches a show about them too, and I know those fuckers eat, so strike two, Candy.”
“Shit,” she muttered. “Okay, you’re all pale, a bit cooler to the touch than most, extremely fast, super-humanly strong, weird eyes—even yours…”
He batted his lashes. “You don’t like my contacts?”
She gave him a slitted glare. “I’m doubting they’re contacts, if you must know…”
He smirked. “Point for the Candy Girl.”
Her eyes went wide. “So you admit it? They aren’t?”
“I will neither confirm nor deny,” he said with a wide grin.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not gonna make this easy, are you?”
“Why should I? Not like I’m your boy friend…and speak of the devil…” he said just as her window slid open and Edward hopped in.
She blinked and he smiled. “The tree,” he said with a wave toward the open window. “Thought it would be safer in case your dad was here.”
“Oh,” she said with a frown. “Have you done that before?” she asked, because there were times in the night when she woke, swearing there was someone there, but when she turned on the lamp, there was no one.
He ignored her question. “What are you doing here, Jay?”
“So far?” he said, “Discussing movies and TV shows.”
Edward frowned. “Really?”
Jay smirked. “Yeah, seems Candy Girl has a thing for Mutants.”
“That’s bullshit,” she grumbled. “We are discussing what happened earlier and what you guys are, and I do not have a thing for Mutants!” She threw a throw pillow at Jay’s head and he snatched it out of the air with a laugh before nailing Edward in the face with it in a move too fast to see.
She pinned Edward with a frown as he set the pillow on the end of her bed. “So, gonna come clean? How’d you get to me so fast and how’d you stop the van?”
“Where’s the pop corn when you need it?” Jay muttered with a smirk as he watched his ‘brother’ squirm.
She stabbed a finger at Jay. “You, shut it,” she snapped before looking back at Edward. “I’m waiting.”
“I—can’t.” He shot her a pleading look. “Please, just leave this alone?”
She sagged. “I really like you…” She looked up. “I mean, really like you, Edward. I’ve…never felt this way about a boy…”
“Oooh, some girl on girl in your past, Candy? Emmett watches that too, but only when Barbie isn’t around. Can’t blame him, really. That girl’s snatch’s probably lined with metal teeth…”
She glared at Jay. “Shut up or leave, Cullen.”
Jay clutched at his chest. “Oooh, she busted out the last name…that hurts, Candy, truly.”
“God, you’re such a pain in the ass…”
He grinned. “Thank you.”
“Back to what I was saying,” she muttered with an impatient rub to her brow. “I care for you, Edward, but you’re keeping secrets…” she pinned him with a look, “really big ones, and I don’t see how this”—she gestured between the two of them—“can ever work unless we’re honest with each other.”
“Maybe it’s best if there isn’t an ‘us’,” Edward murmured, looking pained, and she sucked in a breath.
“Ho!” Jay exclaimed with cringe. “A swing and a miss…”
“Jay!” they both yelled and he raised both hands.
“Fine, as you were, kiddies…”
“You mean that?” she asked and Edward looked away for a beat before looking back at her, his golden eyes full of sadness.
“We’re dangerous, Bella—I’m dangerous, and it would be better if we weren’t friends.”
“Yeah, because I’m so much safer without you. I’d be dead right now if not for you!”
“Girl has a point,” Jay muttered just as Edward’s phone rang. He pulled it out and answered.
“Yeah, okay…I’ll be right there.” He slipped it back in his pocket and gave her a wan smile. “Can we finish this later, hopefully without an audience? I need to get home.”
She sighed. “Yeah, that’d probably be best.”
“Okay, I’ll call you.”
She waved him off with a nod and he slipped out the window.
Standing, she pulled back the curtain and peeked out as he scaled down the tree and jogged off.
“What just happened?” she murmured as she turned back to Jay.
“You mean Edward?”
She flopped back in the chair with a nod. “Yeah, that,” she said with a wave toward where he’d been standing.
Jay shrugged. “He doesn’t like himself much.”
She frowned. “That’s ridiculous.” She glanced at Jay. “Why not?”
“He doesn’t like what he is.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And what is he?”
Jay smirked and she bit back a groan. “You’re a smart girl, Candy. Figure it out.”
“Why won’t you just tell me?!”
“Plausible deniability. You figure it out, I won’t exactly deny it, but I’m not gonna come right out and tell you.”
“Why not?” she asked with a frown.
“Because then, it would be my ass on the line, and I think we can all agree it’s a very fine ass and worth preserving,” he finished with a wicked smirk.
She smirked back. “Well, being that I’ve only ever seen it in jeans, I’ll have to reserve judgement. I mean, you could be wearing one of those artificial ass cheek things for all I know…”
He raised a brow and slowly reached for the fastenings on said jeans. “You angling for a peek at the goods, Candy? Is that what this is?”
Her face flamed, her momentary bravado evaporating as he slowly popped the first button with a wicked grin. “What?! No!” she whisper shouted, her gaze riveted on his hands before darting to his face in a panic.
He laughed and refastened the buttons as she scowled. “Gah! Why do I put up with you?!”
He grinned and folded an arm behind his head as he relaxed back on her pillow. “Because under that good-girl virgin exterior resides a bit of a freak, Candy. You know it and I know it.”
Her heart rate picked up and his grin became smug, even as she crossed her arms and looked away with a huff.
“Good thing I helped Eddie lose that v-card, otherwise he’d have no idea what to do with you when the time comes.”
Her eyes went wide as her head whipped back toward him. “You…and Edward…?”
He rolled to his side laughing as she stared in astonishment. “Your face…” he got out past his laughter as her face flamed again. “No, sweet Candy, your precious Edward is straight as an arrow.” He chuckled, raising a brow in interest as he felt an undercurrent of disappointment tinge the irritation she was feeling. “But yeah, until recently, he was pure as the driven snow.”
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Then how in the world did you help him?” she asked, making air quotes with her fingers.
He shrugged. “Set him up with a little afternoon delight with a family friend. Tanya was more than happy to oblige.”
Her emotions darkened as she frowned. “Oh… So, he likes this Tanya girl?”
“Nah,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, he’s male, so he enjoyed it, but he was plenty pissed at me later for setting the whole thing up. He kinda despises Tanya, so no worries, Candy. He’s all infatuated with you.”
He felt her relief as she looked down and nodded. “I suppose that’s understandable,” she mumbled. “I mean, no one stays a virgin for long these days.”
He snorted but she ignored it while pinning him with narrowed eyes. “Don’t think I haven't noticed we’re completely off the original subject.”
He raised a brow. “Which was…?”
She squared her shoulders. “You were about to share what you guys are.”
He chuckled. “Nice try, sugar.” He pointed to his butt. “Nice ass, worth keeping out of the fire, remember?”
She studied him a minute, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “You admit you’re all something…other though?”
“I admit nothing.”
She watched him rise from the bed with unnatural grace and frowned as he crossed to the pin-board hanging on her wall. He tapped an old picture of her and a childhood friend she’d only seen once since she’d moved back. She barely remembered the boy, and didn’t feel like she knew him at all these days, but in the picture, they were on First Beach, happily digging in the sand together. “He’s Quileute, right?”
“Yeah…” she drew out. “He’s Charlie’s best friend’s son. Why?”
Jay looked at her, his gaze weighted with a seriousness he rarely displayed. “Because, just maybe, the Quileute have the answers you seek.” She sucked in a breath and he smirked humorlessly while tracing a single finger over the racing pulse in her neck. “Just be prepared for the answers, sweetheart…” His red eyes locked with hers and her breath hitched as he continued, “because there’s no going back once you have them.”
She swallowed her nerves and attempted a smirk. “This one of those ‘You could tell me, but then you’d have to kill me’ things?”
He pulled her up into his arms, running his nose up the vein in her neck before turning her face to his with a finger under her chin. She held her breath as a slow grin curved his lips, her eyes going wide at the flash of a razor sharp fang as he drawled, “Give the girl a prize…”
He vanished then—just fucking vanished—and Bella collapsed in a weak-kneed heap, her arm slung over the seat of her desk chair as she struggled to breathe. “Fangs…” she whispered in a daze. “Oh God, he has…fangs…”
It had been a little more than a week since he’d gotten Bella Swan high as a kite and sent her home with her father that way. As expected, Charlie Swan had been apoplectic over the situation, but Jasper thought that was mostly due to the man’s inability—or unwillingness where his daughter was concerned—to really do anything about it. After all, what kind of father would prosecute his own daughter over getting a little baked?
Oh, he’d grounded her for the week and took away her driving privileges, but had soon tired of driving her to and from school, so that particular punishment was over.
Edward had been a bit miffed that she hadn’t been able to attend the dance, but once she’d come down from the giggles, she hadn’t really wanted to attend anyway. Seems a high Bella is a rather uninhibited Bella…
Jasper snorted.
Not like Edward had missed out on any time with her over this. The boy had been spending every night in her room—even though she didn’t really know he was there. Jasper had been giving him hell over it, but he’d been surprisingly goodnatured over the ribbing, to Jasper’s surprise. Seems finding his mate was marginally loosening that stick he had up his ass.
All in all, getting Bella high had been a rather satisfying venture for all but Charlie Swan; something that Jasper considered a victory, despite the lecture he’d sat through from Carlisle and Esme.
Now, here he was, arriving for yet another day at Forks High in the back of Emmett’s jeep. The three of them hopped out and were just walking toward Edward’s Volvo when Alice gasped at the sound of screeching tires.
He whipped around just in time to see Edward racing over to save his human from a van that was on course to crush her. “God damn it,” Rose growled lowly. “Like he’s gonna be able to explain that away…the fucking idiot!”
Jasper couldn’t help it; he grinned. This was just too perfect. If the girl didn’t figure some shit out from this, then there was no hope for her. From spending time with her though, he was pretty certain she was sharp enough to catch on. “Yep, for once, I agree with you Rose, no bullshitting his way outta that stunt. Candy might be human, but stupid she isn’t.”
Rose hissed under her breath and shot him a poisonous glare. “Yeah, you seem oh so upset about this whole thing too.”
His brows inched up while his grin remained. “I’ve got lots of other issues to be pissed over, Barbie, so forgive me if this doesn't even cause a blip on my give-a-fuck meter. Matter of fact, makes me wish I could enjoy popcorn.”
“God, you’re an insufferable ass,” she hissed and stormed off just as the ambulance arrived.
With a shrug, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and wandered over to where the crowd was gathered. “Step back, clear the way,” school security was directing as the EMTs wheeled a gurney up to the scene.
He shouldered his way through the crowd and smirked at the disgruntled look on Bella’s face as they placed a neck collar on her. “I don’t need that. I’m fine,” she insisted while they ignored her.
With an eye roll, she finally gave up when they lifted her onto the gurney, and she shot a glare at Edward who stood close by.
With a pointed thought, he got the mind-reader’s attention, ‘You’re going to the hospital, I presume?’ A subtle nod was his answer and he smirked. ‘I could be wrong, but I believe Rose intends to follow you, so brace yourself.’ He chuckled as the mind-reader rolled his eyes.
Emmett joined him then with a tap on his shoulder as the ambulance flipped on its lights and pulled away. “Dude, let’s go. Rose wants to speak to Carlisle as soon as possible…unless you wanna stay here…”
He fell into step with him with a mock expression of hurt on his face. “It’s like you don’t know me at all…”
Emmett smirked as he swung into the driver’s seat. “I figured you’d be broke up over leaving this hole for the day.”
Jay climbed in the back, shoving his backpack to the floor as he stretched out in the seat. “We all must make sacrifices…”
Rosalie scoffed while checking her hair in the visor mirror as Emmett pulled out of the parking lot, just behind Edward and Alice in the Volvo.
When Emmett slowed to make the turn into the hospital parking lot, he glanced in the mirror. “You gonna be cool in there?”
Jay raised a brow. “Afraid I’m gonna go all Hannibal Lecter, Emmett?”
“It’s a valid question,” Rosalie snapped.
“I have excellent control, unlike the rest of you, who hang on by the barest thread whenever blood spills. Comes with not starving myself.”
“Whatever…” Rose grumbled as she hopped out of the jeep. “Let’s get in there. Carlisle needs to know what’s going on, since we’re probably going to have to move over this.”
Emmett shot him a side-eye as they fell into step with her and entered the Emergency Department. They bypassed the registration desk and traversed the halls, eventually stopping just outside the Cullen patriarch’s office, where they decided to wait.
Jay leaned against the wall, a few feet away from the quietly murmuring couple, his ear tuned to what was going on in the ER. He smirked as he heard Bella grilling Edward, albeit quietly. “You…you stopped the van! And, you got to me so fast…”
“I was standing right next to you, Bella.” Jay bit back a snort at the mind-reader’s feeble attempts to convince her.
“You were all the way across the lot!”
“I wasn’t. You hit your head, things are unclear…”
“I heard the Chief’s daughter was here,” Carlisle interrupted, saving Edward’s bacon. ‘For the moment…’ Jay thought with a grin. If he knew the girl at all—and he thought he did—she wasn’t about to let this go. She could be like a dog with a bone, he knew, and he looked forward to watching this play out. Hell, he might even throw in, in this little drama when he got the chance. It’d be good for grins, if nothing else…
Too bad it’s such a serious crime to mess with humans this way. If only he’d known how much fun could be had, he might’ve done something similar years ago… Of course, something like this would piss Caius off to no end—he hated humans, after all—but he knew he’d forgive him. He always wound up indulging his whims. ‘Well, almost always…’ he thought with a melancholy sigh. ‘As long as the law is fulfilled in the end…’
After this incident, he didn’t see a way for Edward to weasel his way out of either changing Bella, or killing her, because the girl had now seen way too much. And the best part? They couldn’t lay any part of this at his doorstep.
Still, he kind of felt for the mind-reader. He really hadn’t had a choice. He could feel the level of bloodlust the boy still had for Bella, and it was either stop the damn van from turning her into a grease spot, or lose his shit in front of all those witnesses when the scent of her blood hit the air.
He could easily see the logic in Edward’s choice, even discounting the boy’s personal feelings… He glanced at the thunderous look on Barbie’s face and smirked. Clearly, she didn’t see things that way.
Edward stalked out of the main ER and joined them, scowling at whatever running commentary he was hearing in Rosalie’s thoughts. It was his best guess, anyway, with the barely-contained anger that was rolling off the blonde at the sight of her brother. “Lay off, Rose,” Edward grumbled while pinching the bridge of his nose.
She hissed and Emmett pulled her close. “Calm down, babe. This isn’t the time or place.”
“No, it isn’t,” Alice injected as she joined them, taking the spot next to the mind-reader before shooting a longing glance at Jay.
He sneered and shot a dose of pure hatred at her, causing her to blink and look away with a frown. “Bitch…” he muttered under his breath.
“One big happy family…” Emmett muttered as his gaze darted over them. “Bella okay?” he asked and Edward nodded.
“Yeah, she’s fine. Got a bump on her head, but that’s it.”
“It was going to be much worse,” Alice murmured with a loaded look at Rose who scoffed.
“Should’ve let nature take its course.”
Jay raised a brow. “And having Edward go all Dracula in the Forks High parking lot would have been preferable to you? I mean, I don’t give a shit either way, but seems like you should show some appreciation for his foresight.”
She narrowed her eyes and looked away, her lips pressed into a thin line while Edward raised a brow at him. He shrugged just as Carlisle rounded the corner and joined them.
Jay stayed put as Rose and Edward both rushed to their Sire’s side. “Just what are we dealing with?” he asked and Rose wasted no time venting her spleen.
“This idiot used his speed and strength in a parking lot full of witnesses.”
With hands on hips, Carlisle hung his head and nodded before looking up with an arched brow. “Edward?”
“I had no choice. She would’ve died otherwise, and I don’t need to tell you what the potential consequences of such a messy death would’ve been.”
Carlisle cringed. “I can well imagine. However, it’s obvious she comprehended what happened,” he said quietly.
“Exactly!” Rose spat and Carlisle held up a hand.
“Rose, please,” he said, and Jay hid a grin when he felt Bella’s emotional signature just around the corner. “We’ll discuss this at home.”
Sure enough, he watched from under hooded eyes as the curious human peeked at them from around the corner, obviously catching a few words here and there since she was positively radiating vindication and suspicion. “Uh,” she said when they all noticed her, “Edward, can I talk to you for a minute?”
His jaw tightened and he walked to her. “What is it?”
She frowned. “Look, I won’t say anything, okay? I mean, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He stared down at her. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
“No, I’m not. Besides, I just really wanted to thank you.”
“Fine,” he snapped, “you’ve thanked me.”
“Is it necessary to be so mean about it?”
He hung his head and rubbed his brow. “No, just…forget about it, all right?”
Her voice was just above a whisper as she asked, “How did you do what you did?”
He smirked. “Adrenaline. You’ve read about that, right? Mothers lifting cars off trapped children? Same principle here, nothing more.”
She studied him for a minute, her head canted to one side as she bit her lip. “Right.”
He sighed. “You need a ride home?”
“No, Charlie’s gonna take me. He was just filling out some paperwork.”
“Okay.”
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
A wan smile tugged his lips. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
She left and Edward turned back to Carlisle who shook his head.
“Go ahead and go home. I’ll see you after my shift and we’ll talk about this.”
With a nod, Edward strode away, with Alice following closely. Emmett jerked his chin at Jay. “You riding with us?”
“Nope, I’ll walk, thanks.”
Rose narrowed her eyes. “Don’t go stirring up more shit, Jasper.”
He smirked. “Now, would I do such a thing?” He turned and gave them a lazy wave as he walked off. “See ya.”
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
When Bella finally made it up to her room, she narrowed her eyes at the sight of Jay, stretched out on her bed and reading a book. “How can you stand this depressing drivel?” he asked, brandishing her battered copy of Wuthering Heights as she closed and locked her door.
“It’s classic literature,” she said as he tossed it on her night stand with a snort. “And how the hell did you get in here?”
He grinned and ignored her question. “Classic…whatever you say, Candy.”
She sighed and flopped into her desk chair. “Come to gloat?”
He pulled out a baggie and shook it. “Nah, thought your little bump on the head could use a little medical attention.” He tossed the bag and she missed. He laughed. “Love those cat-like reflexes, Swan.”
She scowled and swiped the bag off the floor. “You’re really trying to get me in trouble, aren’t you? Charlie’s still pissed.”
He waved a hand and sat up, propping himself against her pillows. “Smoke it…don’t smoke it, whatever. Just thought it might relax you after such a shit day.” She raised a brow and he grinned. “Fucking with your old man might have entered my mind, but it wasn’t the main motivation.”
“Right,” she said while stashing the baggie in a drawer. “So, tell me,” she pinned him with narrowed eyes, “what the hell are you and your family?”
His brows inched up. “Whatever do you mean, Candy?”
“Don’t give me that shit, Jay. Edward was all the way across the lot when Tyler’s van skidded toward me, then he’s there the next second, pushing the damn thing away with his hand! His hand, Jay! And he lifted it! Now he’s trying to tell me I’m hallucinating from a bump on the head.”
Jasper studied his nails as a smirk quirked his lips. “What do you think we are?”
He glanced up through his lashes and she frowned. “I don’t know… Some kind of mutants? I mean, none of you are related by blood…” He scoffed and she ignored him. “yet, you all kind-of look alike. You’re all pale and beautiful, and with the exception of you, all have the same eye color, which is gold—who has gold eyes, Jay? No one in the human population, I can tell you that! And they change, get darker at times, almost black.”
He raised a brow and smirked. “Mutant’s? Really? Like that X-Men shit Emmett’s always watching?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.” She tossed a hand. “Another thing… None of you eat! I’ve watched you guys—well, not you, ‘cause you’re never in the cafeteria, but the rest get food and then sit there, ignoring it or tearing it apart with their fingers, then it gets thrown away, but not one of them eats a thing. Why?”
“The food’s shit? And, don’t mutants eat? ‘Cause in those movies, I could’a swore they ate…”
“Would you stop with the Mutants, already?!” she growled.
He shrugged. “Hey, you brought ‘em up…”
She ran a hand through her hair. “Okay, so not mutants then…” She eyed him for a moment. “Gold eyes…” she mused. “Werewolves?”
He laughed. “Emmett watches a show about them too, and I know those fuckers eat, so strike two, Candy.”
“Shit,” she muttered. “Okay, you’re all pale, a bit cooler to the touch than most, extremely fast, super-humanly strong, weird eyes—even yours…”
He batted his lashes. “You don’t like my contacts?”
She gave him a slitted glare. “I’m doubting they’re contacts, if you must know…”
He smirked. “Point for the Candy Girl.”
Her eyes went wide. “So you admit it? They aren’t?”
“I will neither confirm nor deny,” he said with a wide grin.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not gonna make this easy, are you?”
“Why should I? Not like I’m your boy friend…and speak of the devil…” he said just as her window slid open and Edward hopped in.
She blinked and he smiled. “The tree,” he said with a wave toward the open window. “Thought it would be safer in case your dad was here.”
“Oh,” she said with a frown. “Have you done that before?” she asked, because there were times in the night when she woke, swearing there was someone there, but when she turned on the lamp, there was no one.
He ignored her question. “What are you doing here, Jay?”
“So far?” he said, “Discussing movies and TV shows.”
Edward frowned. “Really?”
Jay smirked. “Yeah, seems Candy Girl has a thing for Mutants.”
“That’s bullshit,” she grumbled. “We are discussing what happened earlier and what you guys are, and I do not have a thing for Mutants!” She threw a throw pillow at Jay’s head and he snatched it out of the air with a laugh before nailing Edward in the face with it in a move too fast to see.
She pinned Edward with a frown as he set the pillow on the end of her bed. “So, gonna come clean? How’d you get to me so fast and how’d you stop the van?”
“Where’s the pop corn when you need it?” Jay muttered with a smirk as he watched his ‘brother’ squirm.
She stabbed a finger at Jay. “You, shut it,” she snapped before looking back at Edward. “I’m waiting.”
“I—can’t.” He shot her a pleading look. “Please, just leave this alone?”
She sagged. “I really like you…” She looked up. “I mean, really like you, Edward. I’ve…never felt this way about a boy…”
“Oooh, some girl on girl in your past, Candy? Emmett watches that too, but only when Barbie isn’t around. Can’t blame him, really. That girl’s snatch’s probably lined with metal teeth…”
She glared at Jay. “Shut up or leave, Cullen.”
Jay clutched at his chest. “Oooh, she busted out the last name…that hurts, Candy, truly.”
“God, you’re such a pain in the ass…”
He grinned. “Thank you.”
“Back to what I was saying,” she muttered with an impatient rub to her brow. “I care for you, Edward, but you’re keeping secrets…” she pinned him with a look, “really big ones, and I don’t see how this”—she gestured between the two of them—“can ever work unless we’re honest with each other.”
“Maybe it’s best if there isn’t an ‘us’,” Edward murmured, looking pained, and she sucked in a breath.
“Ho!” Jay exclaimed with cringe. “A swing and a miss…”
“Jay!” they both yelled and he raised both hands.
“Fine, as you were, kiddies…”
“You mean that?” she asked and Edward looked away for a beat before looking back at her, his golden eyes full of sadness.
“We’re dangerous, Bella—I’m dangerous, and it would be better if we weren’t friends.”
“Yeah, because I’m so much safer without you. I’d be dead right now if not for you!”
“Girl has a point,” Jay muttered just as Edward’s phone rang. He pulled it out and answered.
“Yeah, okay…I’ll be right there.” He slipped it back in his pocket and gave her a wan smile. “Can we finish this later, hopefully without an audience? I need to get home.”
She sighed. “Yeah, that’d probably be best.”
“Okay, I’ll call you.”
She waved him off with a nod and he slipped out the window.
Standing, she pulled back the curtain and peeked out as he scaled down the tree and jogged off.
“What just happened?” she murmured as she turned back to Jay.
“You mean Edward?”
She flopped back in the chair with a nod. “Yeah, that,” she said with a wave toward where he’d been standing.
Jay shrugged. “He doesn’t like himself much.”
She frowned. “That’s ridiculous.” She glanced at Jay. “Why not?”
“He doesn’t like what he is.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And what is he?”
Jay smirked and she bit back a groan. “You’re a smart girl, Candy. Figure it out.”
“Why won’t you just tell me?!”
“Plausible deniability. You figure it out, I won’t exactly deny it, but I’m not gonna come right out and tell you.”
“Why not?” she asked with a frown.
“Because then, it would be my ass on the line, and I think we can all agree it’s a very fine ass and worth preserving,” he finished with a wicked smirk.
She smirked back. “Well, being that I’ve only ever seen it in jeans, I’ll have to reserve judgement. I mean, you could be wearing one of those artificial ass cheek things for all I know…”
He raised a brow and slowly reached for the fastenings on said jeans. “You angling for a peek at the goods, Candy? Is that what this is?”
Her face flamed, her momentary bravado evaporating as he slowly popped the first button with a wicked grin. “What?! No!” she whisper shouted, her gaze riveted on his hands before darting to his face in a panic.
He laughed and refastened the buttons as she scowled. “Gah! Why do I put up with you?!”
He grinned and folded an arm behind his head as he relaxed back on her pillow. “Because under that good-girl virgin exterior resides a bit of a freak, Candy. You know it and I know it.”
Her heart rate picked up and his grin became smug, even as she crossed her arms and looked away with a huff.
“Good thing I helped Eddie lose that v-card, otherwise he’d have no idea what to do with you when the time comes.”
Her eyes went wide as her head whipped back toward him. “You…and Edward…?”
He rolled to his side laughing as she stared in astonishment. “Your face…” he got out past his laughter as her face flamed again. “No, sweet Candy, your precious Edward is straight as an arrow.” He chuckled, raising a brow in interest as he felt an undercurrent of disappointment tinge the irritation she was feeling. “But yeah, until recently, he was pure as the driven snow.”
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Then how in the world did you help him?” she asked, making air quotes with her fingers.
He shrugged. “Set him up with a little afternoon delight with a family friend. Tanya was more than happy to oblige.”
Her emotions darkened as she frowned. “Oh… So, he likes this Tanya girl?”
“Nah,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, he’s male, so he enjoyed it, but he was plenty pissed at me later for setting the whole thing up. He kinda despises Tanya, so no worries, Candy. He’s all infatuated with you.”
He felt her relief as she looked down and nodded. “I suppose that’s understandable,” she mumbled. “I mean, no one stays a virgin for long these days.”
He snorted but she ignored it while pinning him with narrowed eyes. “Don’t think I haven't noticed we’re completely off the original subject.”
He raised a brow. “Which was…?”
She squared her shoulders. “You were about to share what you guys are.”
He chuckled. “Nice try, sugar.” He pointed to his butt. “Nice ass, worth keeping out of the fire, remember?”
She studied him a minute, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “You admit you’re all something…other though?”
“I admit nothing.”
She watched him rise from the bed with unnatural grace and frowned as he crossed to the pin-board hanging on her wall. He tapped an old picture of her and a childhood friend she’d only seen once since she’d moved back. She barely remembered the boy, and didn’t feel like she knew him at all these days, but in the picture, they were on First Beach, happily digging in the sand together. “He’s Quileute, right?”
“Yeah…” she drew out. “He’s Charlie’s best friend’s son. Why?”
Jay looked at her, his gaze weighted with a seriousness he rarely displayed. “Because, just maybe, the Quileute have the answers you seek.” She sucked in a breath and he smirked humorlessly while tracing a single finger over the racing pulse in her neck. “Just be prepared for the answers, sweetheart…” His red eyes locked with hers and her breath hitched as he continued, “because there’s no going back once you have them.”
She swallowed her nerves and attempted a smirk. “This one of those ‘You could tell me, but then you’d have to kill me’ things?”
He pulled her up into his arms, running his nose up the vein in her neck before turning her face to his with a finger under her chin. She held her breath as a slow grin curved his lips, her eyes going wide at the flash of a razor sharp fang as he drawled, “Give the girl a prize…”
He vanished then—just fucking vanished—and Bella collapsed in a weak-kneed heap, her arm slung over the seat of her desk chair as she struggled to breathe. “Fangs…” she whispered in a daze. “Oh God, he has…fangs…”
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.