Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 12

Jasper froze for a second as Bella launched herself from the window, thinking she was running from him before realising what had taken her attention. He moved after her, seeing her latched onto the deer's throat. For a newborn she was a very neat eater, but he kept his distance, not wanting to set off her instinctive need to defend her kill. When she dropped the carcass he remained where he was, glad Peter and Charlotte were staying out of sight and downwind. He waited quietly as she stared at the deer before she slowly turned to face him, and he didn't dare to breath. She'd been coming to him before her thirst distracted her...he silently extended his hand again, heart in his throat, unable to distinguish her emotions past his own.

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She could feel him, watching her, but he didn't come closer and she turned to face him, taking in his appearance now that she could truly see him. She wasn't a fan of the clothing that covered up so much of his body, but she realised why he was wearing it, he was worried about his scars. She could see them so much clearer now, tracing up his throat and on his hands. His face was almost entirely untouched, except for one long scar along his cheek. He slowly extended his hand to her again and Bella moved, sliding her fingers in between his, being careful as she held his hand. She could feel the scars beneath her own smooth skin, but she didn't flinch from them, stepping in closer to him. "Jasper," she whispered, reaching up slowly to touch his cheek and he leant into her touch. It was strange, for him to not feel cold or hard anymore, but she liked it.

"Bella," he smiled at her, slowly raising his own hand to return the touch and she happily leant into his hand.

"I love you," she grinned, and he smiled back at her before laughing happily.

"Always so surprising," he told her, and she threw her arms around him, hugging him, and he hugged her back before grunting slightly. "Easy Bella."

"Sorry," she loosened her grip immediately.

"It's alright, it'll take you a while to get full control of your strength. How do you feel?" he moved a hand to brush back a lock of hair from her face.

"Good. I could hear you, talking to me. Thank you for staying, it couldn't have been easy."

"I would take all your pain if I could," he swore.

"I wouldn't want you too, I don't want you to be in pain either." She leant in and he lowered his head, kissing her ever so gently. This felt different, new, but it was still Jasper kissing her. She laughed as he lifted her up in his arms and then they were back in their room where he gently deposited her on the bed. "I can think of a way to start teaching you control," he projected his feelings and she smiled.

"Sounds very good to me."

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Peter laughed and grabbed Charlotte. "I think they have a very good idea," he smirked, and she shook her head but let him pull her back to the house. They were both amazed by what they had seen, no newborn was that controlled…then again, this was Bella.

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Alice gasped a vision hit her, Jasper! He was alive, she sagged in relief but then she saw another vampire with him, a female. They were kissing, caressing the others naked body and she wanted to look away. His eyes were still gold, which was a relief, if he was with another vampire the worry would be that he would fall back to his old diet. And then the female lifted her head from where she'd been pressing kisses to his scarred chest and Alice froze in shock. Bella?

Edward appeared in front of her, growling in anger at the vision. "NO!" he denied.

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Bella sat sideways in Jasper's lap, laughing as Peter theatrically explained how the feared Major had ended up covered head to toe in mud.

Jasper mock growled at his oldest friend even as Charlotte smothered a laugh. "Why did I ever change you?" Jasper bemoaned and Bella kissed him.

"I'm glad you did or else we might not be here," she told him, and he kissed her back.

"I suppose that's a good reason," Jasper sighed. They spent the night as they often did, sharing stories, before the Whitlock's returned to their own home to be alone together.

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Carlisle sat at his desk, mind spinning. Bella…it was a relief to learn she was still alive, though she either already was, or would soon be, one of them. he would never admit it or even think but he realised that her and Jasper fit better than him and Alice or her and Edward had. How had they never seen that? Why had Alice had that vision now, when she wasn't looking rather than when she had been desperately searching to see Jasper? He glanced at his phone, considering. Edward was demanding they find them, that they stop Bella from being changed if she was still human. Rosalie had really laid into him over that, though she agreed the young woman should remain human if possible. Emmett was keep to find them, he missed his siblings, even if Bella had not been with them for long, but he liked the idea of Bella being a vampire. He had contacts with other vampires who could likely find Jasper if they didn't already know where he was, but should he contact them?

Alice had divorced Jasper rather callously, Edward had lied to them to make them leave Bella behind. Would either want to see them ever again? Didn't they deserve their peace and happiness? Alice had admitted they did seem happy together. There had only been one, brief vision and it made him wonder how powerful Bella truly was, it was the only reason he could think of that they had remained hidden. Edward had been unable to read her mind in high school, if that power had continued to grow then it explained Alice's lack of visions and meant they had been together for a few years now.

He wanted his family to be happy, but they had caused this themselves, he had spoiled them over the years, and he had to stop that. He would like the chance to apologise to them though.

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Bella glanced at Jasper as the car approached the town.

"You'll be fine, and we'll be there if you need us," he promised, feeling her nervousness. After six months her eyes were as golden as his and they were finally testing her control around humans. She'd been exposed to some random human scents as well as old blood and had been fine but had insisted on waiting for this test. He found a parking spot and the four got out. They walked down the street, hand in hand like any couple and he was glad her newborn strength was waning with how hard she was gripping his. Peter and Charlotte hung back but were ready to act if needed.

The three were totally unsurprised when Bella made it through the trip with no issues at all.

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Bella laughed as she ran through the fields, Jasper on her heels. She dodged as he pounced, grinning at him. Jasper couldn't bring himself to train her to fight like he used to so for now she was learning to dodge and avoid an attacker. Charlotte would teach her more on actual fighting. They all hoped it would never be needed but there were plenty of vampires who would not think of him fondly and would see her as a weakness to exploit. While they were now a family of four, three of whom were fighters, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The Cullen's had offered a lot of protection due to Edward and Alice's gifts; they had been able to avoid most trouble before it ever reached them. With his fighting skills and reputation added in, plus Carlisle's known friendship with the Volturi very few would risk attacking them. Jasper would not lose Bella because she could not defend herself. Peter was sure there was more to her gift than being defended from telepaths and Jasper wondered if maybe it had grown to include visions of the future and that was why the Cullen's had yet to show up. A mental shield would not help against many opponents though.

TBC….