Another Fate
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 14
“Dude! You gotta teach me to fight like that!”
Jasper blinked and raised his head from the sofa cushion to look at Emmett. “What makes you think I can teach you to fight like that?”
It was family movie night and they were watching one of the Bourne movies—Jasper couldn’t recall which—and Emmett was all wound up over the hand-to-hand combat scenes.
Emmett rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen you fight, remember?”
Jasper grinned wickedly and relaxed back on the couch. “You’ve seen me playing around. You’ve yet to see me fight.”
“Okay, playing around, whatever. It was enough for me. Now, will you teach me?”
“Shh!” Rosalie hissed with a slap to the back of Emmett’s head. “We’re trying to watch this movie.”
Emmett frowned and slumped back into the love seat, crossing his arms as he went back to watching the movie. Jasper couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. His mate truly was a complete bitch.
With a mental shrug, he closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander. It was boring as hell here, but he’d decided to give Bella plenty of time and space to draw some conclusions, especially after his dramatic exit from her room the last time he’d seen her.
Yeah, he’d been avoiding her, even at school, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
He knew Edward had chosen to face the firing squad though, and he was happy to leave him to it. She was his mate, after all—let him deal with the difficult stuff; like putting up with incessant questions, her ill temper, oh, and exposing the existence of the vampire race.
He grinned to himself. At least that little tidbit couldn’t be pinned on him, not that he had any fear of the Volturi at all. He welcomed the day of their eventual involvement; it meant going home for him, but most importantly, it meant reuniting with his mate.
Then, they would seek retribution, and what a sweet, sweet thought that was…
A sharply indrawn breath, quickly followed by Edward shooting to his feet caught everyone’s immediate attention. “Oh god, Edward, you have to get to her!”
“What’s going on?” Jasper asked and Edward snapped out an answer while grabbing his keys. “Bella’s about to be attacked in Port Angeles.”
Jasper jumped up and followed the mind-reader to the garage. “I’ll tag along.”
Edward eyed him for a beat before nodding. “All right.”
Less than a minute later, they were tearing out onto the main road as Edward pushed the car as fast as it would go.
“Are they human?”
Edward nodded while growling, “Yes, of the worst sort.”
Jasper grinned. “Good, I could do with a decent meal.”
“Don’t do anything in front of Bella.”
Jasper scoffed. “She won’t even see me unless I want her to.”
Edward looked over at him. “I repeat, don’t do anything in front of Bella.”
Jasper raised a brow. “I’ll leave the big reveal to you. She’s your mate, and as fun as she is to play with, I’m fine with leaving the heavy lifting to you.” He turned his head to stare out the passenger window. “It’s only a matter of time, anyway.” He looked back at the mind-reader. “You realize that, don’t you? The girl’s not stupid. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already figured it out.”
“I know,” Edward growled while drifting around a tight turn and into an alley, the car’s headlights lighting up the scene of a group of men standing around what they could only guess was Bella. “I’ll wait for you in front of the little Italian restaurant down the street.”
“Showtime,” Jasper muttered with a nod while opening the door. He was gone the next second and Edward stood from the car, motioning to Bella. “Get in the car,” he snapped as the men began to vanish one by one.
She was shaking as she got in the car, her eyes wide as Edward put the car in reverse and backed out of the alley. “How…how did you know? How did you find me?”
Edward smirked and glanced at her while sedately driving toward the restaurant. “Lucky guess.”
“Right,” she said, a tremble in her voice as what almost happened began to sink in. “Well, thanks, but don’t think I’m buying that excuse.”
He pulled up in front of the restaurant and she cocked a brow. “How’d you know I was supposed to meet Angela and Jess here?”
“Alice overheard you making plans at lunch.” He lied smoothly while nodding toward the restaurant. “Better get in there before they wonder where you are.”
She grabbed the door handle and paused. “We’re gonna talk about this later.”
He sighed and nodded. “All right, Bella, just…be more careful from now on, please?”
“Dude! You gotta teach me to fight like that!”
Jasper blinked and raised his head from the sofa cushion to look at Emmett. “What makes you think I can teach you to fight like that?”
It was family movie night and they were watching one of the Bourne movies—Jasper couldn’t recall which—and Emmett was all wound up over the hand-to-hand combat scenes.
Emmett rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen you fight, remember?”
Jasper grinned wickedly and relaxed back on the couch. “You’ve seen me playing around. You’ve yet to see me fight.”
“Okay, playing around, whatever. It was enough for me. Now, will you teach me?”
“Shh!” Rosalie hissed with a slap to the back of Emmett’s head. “We’re trying to watch this movie.”
Emmett frowned and slumped back into the love seat, crossing his arms as he went back to watching the movie. Jasper couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. His mate truly was a complete bitch.
With a mental shrug, he closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander. It was boring as hell here, but he’d decided to give Bella plenty of time and space to draw some conclusions, especially after his dramatic exit from her room the last time he’d seen her.
Yeah, he’d been avoiding her, even at school, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
He knew Edward had chosen to face the firing squad though, and he was happy to leave him to it. She was his mate, after all—let him deal with the difficult stuff; like putting up with incessant questions, her ill temper, oh, and exposing the existence of the vampire race.
He grinned to himself. At least that little tidbit couldn’t be pinned on him, not that he had any fear of the Volturi at all. He welcomed the day of their eventual involvement; it meant going home for him, but most importantly, it meant reuniting with his mate.
Then, they would seek retribution, and what a sweet, sweet thought that was…
A sharply indrawn breath, quickly followed by Edward shooting to his feet caught everyone’s immediate attention. “Oh god, Edward, you have to get to her!”
“What’s going on?” Jasper asked and Edward snapped out an answer while grabbing his keys. “Bella’s about to be attacked in Port Angeles.”
Jasper jumped up and followed the mind-reader to the garage. “I’ll tag along.”
Edward eyed him for a beat before nodding. “All right.”
Less than a minute later, they were tearing out onto the main road as Edward pushed the car as fast as it would go.
“Are they human?”
Edward nodded while growling, “Yes, of the worst sort.”
Jasper grinned. “Good, I could do with a decent meal.”
“Don’t do anything in front of Bella.”
Jasper scoffed. “She won’t even see me unless I want her to.”
Edward looked over at him. “I repeat, don’t do anything in front of Bella.”
Jasper raised a brow. “I’ll leave the big reveal to you. She’s your mate, and as fun as she is to play with, I’m fine with leaving the heavy lifting to you.” He turned his head to stare out the passenger window. “It’s only a matter of time, anyway.” He looked back at the mind-reader. “You realize that, don’t you? The girl’s not stupid. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already figured it out.”
“I know,” Edward growled while drifting around a tight turn and into an alley, the car’s headlights lighting up the scene of a group of men standing around what they could only guess was Bella. “I’ll wait for you in front of the little Italian restaurant down the street.”
“Showtime,” Jasper muttered with a nod while opening the door. He was gone the next second and Edward stood from the car, motioning to Bella. “Get in the car,” he snapped as the men began to vanish one by one.
She was shaking as she got in the car, her eyes wide as Edward put the car in reverse and backed out of the alley. “How…how did you know? How did you find me?”
Edward smirked and glanced at her while sedately driving toward the restaurant. “Lucky guess.”
“Right,” she said, a tremble in her voice as what almost happened began to sink in. “Well, thanks, but don’t think I’m buying that excuse.”
He pulled up in front of the restaurant and she cocked a brow. “How’d you know I was supposed to meet Angela and Jess here?”
“Alice overheard you making plans at lunch.” He lied smoothly while nodding toward the restaurant. “Better get in there before they wonder where you are.”
She grabbed the door handle and paused. “We’re gonna talk about this later.”
He sighed and nodded. “All right, Bella, just…be more careful from now on, please?”
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.