AN: *Comes out of hiding* If I had waited another two days it would have been three months. And for that, I am SOOOOOOOO sorry. I'm gonna say that Writer's Block is a bitch. But then I realized that I didn't need half of what I wanted to put in the chapter, and it came out smoothly. -Headdesk- Anyway. I also got caught up because I started working a few weeks ago. Yeah, I am back in the working world. Nothing too much. I just get to work at Old Navy. And if any of you are out there thinking about working in retail, go for ON. The discounts alone make it worth it. I also may or may not have started working on a oneshot with my friend SweetT129. It's Peter/Jasper. It's for the Two is Better Than One hosted by Touchstone67 and Domward's Mistress. The story is called Whenever I'm Alone With You. I write JPOV, she writes PPOV. Go read the other entries, and be on the lookout for when T and I get our story up there. Here's the link: www . fanfiction . net/u/2547619/ Just take the spaces out.

Now, on to the chapter. I had issues with it. I talked to the wonderful JaspersBella and only she knows exactly what is going to go down in the next few chapters. She probably knows about 80% of the story. I just don't have it written. She loves the ideas that I've come up with. When I finally figured out that I didn't need half of the chapter, I actually got it done. So a major thank you to JaspersBella for prereading, as per usual. Then there is Beegurl13. She corrects the mistakes she sees. If there are any in the chapter, chances are I added them after she got her hand on the story. She'll enjoy what I added after, though.

Warning: Language. No lemon in this chapter. But there is gropage. And a major bomb is dropped. So you know how I feel. You can only buy porn if you are 18. If you can't buy it, don't read this.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight, anything related to Twilight, or the songs I use in my chapters. Shadow, Maddie, and Wyatt are all part of my heart though.

Chapter 8: Blackout

I'm stuck in this bed you made

Alone with a sinking feeling

I saw through the words you said

To the secrets you've been keeping

It's written upon your face

All the lies how they cut so deeply

You can't get enough you take

And take and take and never say

No

"Blackout" by Linkin Park

The past few weeks had been the greatest of my life, apart from when Maddie was a baby. Maddie and Wyatt were getting along amazingly. They were completely okay with Bella and I being together. The family date nights were incredible. The four of us blended together seamlessly.

I had also come up with the idea of spending one night a week with the other person's child. She'd take Maddie for a few hours, and I'd take Wyatt. It was a good way to get to know the other child, and it was strengthening me and Bella's bond, too.

Wyatt proved to be similar to me. We'd sit around and read, or whatever came to his mind. I found out he enjoyed music, so I was teaching him to play the piano. It was difficult, but he wanted to be good at it. He worked hard, and I was extremely proud of him.

Tonight was one of my nights with Wyatt. We had just finished up working on the piano, and we were sitting down to dinner.

"Thank you, Jas," he said, having taken to calling me Jas instead of Jasper. I didn't mind at all since everyone seemed to shorten my name in one way or another.

"No problem, buddy. One of these days, we'll try teaching your mom to play. How does that sound?" He shook his head as he took a bite of pizza.

"It's our thing and I don't want to share. Can we keep it a secret?" I grinned. I was glad that we were getting along so well.

Most kids hated the idea of their parents getting into a relationship with someone that wasn't their other parent, but Maddie and Wyatt gave us no problem. I felt blessed with our kids. That's exactly what they were—our kids. Bella and I had talked about what we would do if our kids felt like addressing us as parents, and it was decided that we wouldn't push them to do it. However, if they wanted to do it, we would both be fine with it.

It was starting to get closer to the time Bella would be swinging by to drop off Maddie, so I told Wyatt to go wash up as I cleaned our dinner dishes. No sooner had I put food in Shadow's bowl, then the front door open and my two beautiful girls came walking in. I hurried into the living room and scooped Maddie into my arms. She kissed my cheek and nuzzled into my neck, and instantly I could tell she had a bad night. I looked curiously at Bella, who seemed a bit nervous.

"We saw Maria again. She tried talking to Maddie," Bella quietly said, as not to frighten my little girl. I nodded my head and rocked my angel back and forth.

With Maddie in my arms, I couldn't let the anger show. It was there, though. I couldn't believe Maria had the balls to approach both Bella and Maddie. To even stake a claim to Maddie made me want to hunt her down and kill her.

Bella grabbed Wyatt and kissed me quickly.

"You're sure you'll be able to handle them both tomorrow on your own?" I laughed softly at Bella's question.

"Yes, Bella. I'm fairly certain I can handle two kids on my own. Wyatt's a good kid. Maddie and him get along fine, plus we'll be here all afternoon anyway." Bella nodded and told me she'd see me tomorrow after her date with the girls. I kissed her softly before watching as she and Wyatt left.

I carried Maddie up to my room since that was where we always had our heart to heart talks. After pulling back the covers and placing her on the bed, I climbed in beside her. I looked into her eyes and could see the pain she was feeling.

"What happened, Maddie?" She burrowed her head into the blankets, and I pulled her close to kiss her head.

"Mean lady saw me and Bella at the store. She told me that Bella would never be my mommy because she was my mommy." Immediately I was furious with Maria, but I knew I couldn't let it show on my face.

"Honey, you know that Bella is whatever you want her to be. If you want Bella to be your mommy, you just need to talk to her about it. I'm sure she wouldn't have a problem with you calling her that." Maddie's brow furrowed with what I said.

"But what about the other lady?" she asked.

"Maddie, the other woman has no right to you. She is nothing to you. I promise," I firmly said, watching as she nodded.

"Bella told me that, too." I smiled because I knew Bella would be there to reassure her.

"Did Bella also tell you that you should take your time, and not rush into a decision on what you want her to be?" I asked. Again, Maddie nodded as she looked up at me.

"She said that she'd always be there for me, no matter what I called her." I nodded slowly, showing my agreement.

"That's right. No matter what happens, she'll always be there for you. Just like I'll always be there for Wyatt. Nothing could pull us apart," I said, kissing my daughter before walking into her bedroom to grab her pajamas.

I quickly changed her out of her clothes and into her pajamas, then took her dirty clothes to my hamper and tossed them in. I went into my closet and changed into a pair of sleep pants and a white t-shirt.

After quickly shutting off all the lights, I climbed into bed with Maddie. I fell asleep quickly with her pressed against my chest.

The next morning was a nice change of pace. It was a Friday and school was out for the day, citing repairs that needed to be made.

Earlier in the week, a leak had been discovered in the one of the main buildings. It was decided that the work could be done in one day, and the kids and teachers would get a day off. The long weekend was nice.

I climbed out of bed and took a quick shower, throwing on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt from my closet before looking at the clock. It was eight am. Bella would be dropping Wyatt off at nine so that she could go spend the day with the girls. We were then dropping the kids off with my parents so the entire gang could go hang out together that evening.

I decided that the best thing would be to make breakfast. I knew Maddie would be a grouch until she had food in her, and if Bella hadn't fed Wyatt, he could join us. I grabbed the eggs and milk from the fridge and decided to keep it simple. Scrambled eggs were easy to make, and most kids loved them. At least I knew that my kid loved them. As I was prepping them, I decided to pull some cheddar cheese out and add it to the mix. In my opinion, everything was better with cheese.

I finished breakfast just as the door bell rang. I hurried to open it, and found a very frustrated looking Bella on the other side. Laughing softly, I let them into the house. She settled Wyatt on the couch in the living room, then stood to give me a kiss.

"I'm so sorry. I got a late start this morning. I haven't even had coffee yet," she groaned. I laughed, before excusing myself and walking into the kitchen. I poured her a cup and brought it to her in the living room. I found her kneeling next to the sofa, having a conversation with Wyatt.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," he said, and I watched as Bella frowned.

"I'm sorry, Wy. Maybe if you ask Jasper nicely, he'll make you something to eat." I handed her the coffee and smiled down at Wyatt.

"Eggs and bacon are on the stove, buddy. I'll set it on the table when Maddie gets down here." Bella gave me a small smile and took a sip of her coffee before heading up the stairs.

If Bella was here in the morning, she had no problem getting Maddie up and out of bed. My guess was that it was a woman thing. A few minutes later, Bella came walking down the stairs with Maddie in her arms.

"She'll get spoiled if you keep carrying her around," I said, loving the look on her face as Bella laughed.

"Let her get a mother's affection. Besides, she deserves it. She and I had a moment upstairs."

As my girls hit the bottom step, Bella sat Maddie down on the ground. The kids made their way to the kitchen. They both decided that the table wasn't good enough for them and that they wanted to sit at the bar. After a few minutes of being pestered, we picked the kids up and placed them in their seats.

"Okay, I'll be back a little bit later. Then you two are having a sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa Cullen's house," Bella said to the two children that were hungrily looking at the food I'd just finished cooking.

Wyatt had taken to calling Carlisle and Esme Grandma and Grandpa. Esme was thrilled with it because Maddie didn't call her Grandma. It was still Momma Essie. Carlisle had always been Gramps to Maddie, so nothing changed with him.

"Go. Enjoy your day with the girls. The kids and I will have a good day, I promise." I kissed Bella's cheek. She leaned down and kissed both kids on their cheeks.

"Bye Mommy," Wyatt said. Bella smiled and responded with the same.

"Bye Momma Bella." Wyatt and I looked at Maddie like she had cured cancer. Bella gave Maddie a hug before whispering something to her. I gave each of them a piece of toast before turning to follow Bella out.

"What was that all about?" I asked as we approached the door.

"Nothing. Maddie wanted to call me Momma, but doesn't feel totally comfortable with it just being Momma, so I told her Momma Bella worked just fine." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, I had her pressed against the wall. My lips were attacking hers roughly. As her tongue thrust into my mouth, I ran my hands down her shoulders. They continued to roam along her shoulders and collar bones. Before I knew what I was doing, I was running my thumb over her nipple. I could feel the hardened peak through her shirt and bra. A guttural groan entered my mouth before I broke away from the kiss.

My lips trailed along Bella's neck as I spoke into her neck. "Our daughter calling you Momma is probably one of the hottest fucking things to ever happen here." Bella's breathing was shallow as she pushed me away from her.

"I love that you called her our daughter. And as much as I would love to continue this, there are two kids in the other room that don't need to see this. Besides, I'm running late." With another passion filled kiss for the road, Bella walked out of the house.

I shook my head and went back to the kids. Wyatt was smiling, and Maddie was looking down at her empty dishes. I quickly up some plates and slid them in front of the famished pair. We all ate in relative silence. When they were finished, the kids ran upstairs while I cleaned up from breakfast.

Slowly, I made my way back up the stairs. I could hear Maddie and Wyatt talking from inside her playroom.

"I told you we could share my mommy. She doesn't mind at all," Wyatt said.

"Now if you would call Daddy Papa Jasper, you could share my daddy." I decided to poke my head in.

"Wyatt, if you don't feel like calling me Papa Jasper, you can keep calling me Jas," I said with a pointed look at Maddie. She knew what she was doing wrong. I didn't need to tell her.

Wyatt nodded his head, and I continued down the hall. They continued to play around with each other as I set to straightening up the house. It wasn't a complete wreck, but I had been avoiding cleaning lately.

As I worked my way back downstairs, I ended up in front of the piano again. At first, it started out with scales. I just wanted to run my hands over the keys and calm myself down a little bit. Before I knew it, I was playing random songs that popped into my head.

After playing for a few hours, Maddie and Wyatt wandered down the stairs.

"Jas, can we go to the park?" Wyatt asked. I nodded in response.

"Yeah, go get your shoes and make sure you're ready to leave in a few minutes," I said as I pulled out my phone. I held the two button down and waited for my girl to answer.

"His seat is in your truck. I put it in there when I walked out this morning." I laughed softly.

"How did you know I was calling to ask about his seat?"

"I know my child. I also know your daughter. They asked you if they could go to the park. They like it there," she said, a light giggle in her voice.

"Alright. I just wanted to check with you first, make sure it was okay," I said. She said it was fine and we said our goodbyes. My day sucked without her, but I understood her need to have a day with the girls. I was doing the same with the boys the following week, and I knew how much I was looking forward to it.

I walked back into the living room to see the kids with their shoes on. Maddie had on what Alice called ballet flats. Wyatt had his sneakers and was waiting for me to tie them. I bent down and tied them quickly. The kids ran out of the house as I was putting the leash on Shadow. It wasn't raining, so I figured he might want to go out. After grabbing my keys and making sure the door was locked, I let everyone into the truck. Once I made sure the kids were safely in their seats, we was on our way.

The drive to the park wasn't too long, no more than about ten minutes. As soon as I had the car turned off, the kids were unbuckling themselves. I grabbed Shadow's lead and watched as the kids ran off. It was nice to watch the kids enjoying themselves. They would slide down the slides with the biggest smiles on their faces. It made me smile. The day was going well—almost too well.

"Jasper," a soft voice purred. I turned around and was face to face with the only person who could piss me off on sight, Maria. At the sound of the voice, Shadow instantly started to growl.

"Maria, I suggest you turn around and walk away. That's the only way this situation will work out for the best," I said. She had a wicked glint in her eyes.

"I saw that you replaced me. I'll get what I want eventually. You'll see," she said. With that, she turned and walked away.

It seemed as if Maria knew what my biggest fear was. She was threatening me with Maddie. She wanted me to know that she was going to do everything in her power to take my daughter away from me. My hatred for Maria was reaching new heights with each encounter she had with me, Bella, and the kids.

Without a second thought, I called the kids and got them settled in the car. Luckily, Maddie hadn't seen Maria, so she wasn't scared. I made the quick drive back to the house and watched as the kids ran in and up the stairs. I filled Shadow's bowls and looked at the pictures of Maddie and I on the fridge. There were some of Bella and Wyatt there as well. With their pictures on the fridge, it really solidified that we were becoming a family. Wyatt and Bella were just as much a part of our everyday lives as my parents were. The feeling warmed my heart.

After straightening up the downstairs, I began to wander the house. As I came across the playroom, I could only imagine the kind of trouble the two little rugrats were getting in to. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked into the room. The kids had fallen asleep on the floor next to each other. With a soft laugh, I picked Wyatt up and carried him to my room. After laying him on the bed and carefully removing his shoes, I did the same with Maddie.

Shadow was waiting for me outside the bedroom door. Once I closed the door, leaving it open just a crack, Shadow plopped down onto the floor right in front of it. It was like he knew the kids needed to be protected. As long as he was in front of the door, no one was getting in there.

I heard the front door open and close, and I grinned because I knew it was Bella. She slowly made her way up the stairs and started to go toward my bedroom. I shook my head and lead her to the guest room.

"Sorry, Bell, the kids are sleeping, and I didn't want to wake them up." I lied back on the bed as Bella slipped her feet out of her shoes. I quickly pulled her down with me, and she instantly snuggled into my side as I wrapped my arms around her.

"So what did you do with the kids today?" she asked. I placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head as a grin crossed my face.

"They played around the house. I took them to the park, then brought them home, where they collapsed in a tired heap in the playroom. I just moved them to the bedroom." We both laughed softly.

"Anything else I need to know about?" she asked, looking up at me with a raised brow.

"I ran into Maria again at the park. The kids didn't see her, so they don't know. Nothing major." I shrugged. Bella huffed, clearly annoyed, but put her head back down on my chest.

A few minutes later, I heard the door open and soft chuckles filling the room. I looked up to see the two kids standing at the foot of the bed watching Bella and I. They quickly climbed on the bed, Maddie going to Bella's side, and Wyatt crawling to mine.

Bella and I both sat up and pulled the kids into our laps.

"You're both going to be good for Grandma and Grandpa, right?" Bella asked. Both kids nodded.

"Good. Go get your shoes and meet your mother and I downstairs. We're leaving soon," I said.

The kids climbed out of bed and ran down the hall. I laughed softly and shook my head. Going into my room, I pulled a pair of sneakers out of my closet, and slipped them on quickly. I grabbed my keys and then met Bella back in the hall.

She was sitting on the floor with the kids, tying their shoes. Both of their bags were sitting outside of Maddie's room, and I grabbed the two of them, carrying them to my truck. A few minutes later, Bella and the kids were exiting the house. I scooped up Maddie and put her in her carseat. After everyone was settled into the car, I pulled away and made the quick trip to my parents house. As soon as the kids were in the house, my phone rang.

"Jasper?" I was stunned to hear Rose's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Rose. What's going on?" I asked.

"You and Bella are coming out to dinner with us, right?" She sounded almost like she wasn't sure of it.

"Of course. We told you earlier in the week that we were going to do it. Why? What's wrong?" I asked in a gentle panic.

"Emmett needs a guy's night. I was thinking you and Edward could take him out to the bar tonight after dinner. The girls and I will take Bella out to a movie. We'll bring her back to your place later tonight." I could hear the desperation in her voice, so I quickly agreed.

After the call with Rose, Bella and I made our way back to my house. As soon as we walked in the door, we were greeted by Shadow.

"I'm going to let him out. You are free to get a shower if you want," I suggested. Bella smiled before walking over and kissing me softly.

"You are more than welcome to join me," she said. She didn't give me time to respond before walking away.

I quickly let Shadow out before running upstairs to the bathroom. As I opened the door, I was stunned by what I saw. The door was fogged a bit, but I could still see her body through the shower. She was rinsing out her hair, and a soft moan reached my ears. I quickly stripped out of my clothing and stepped in behind her.

She pressed her back against my chest, gently moving her hips back and forth. That just made my need for her sky rocket. I groaned and pressed my lips to her neck, gently nibbling on the skin between her neck and shoulders.

"You know, you are absolutely stunning when you are in the shower." She spun and quickly pressed her lips to mine.

"No time for anything besides a shower, Jasper. You know how Emmett gets if we're late." Over the past couple of months, I had learned that Emmett was a stickler for punctuality. With two kids to handle, things never went our way. Emmett learned to accept the fact that Bella and I would be at least ten minutes late to everything.

"Not even for a quick fuck?" I asked. She groaned and pulled away from me.

"No, but maybe later. Now, finish your shower," Bella said as she got out. I watched her wrap a towel around her body, noticing the way the towel pushed her tits together. A low moan escaped my lips, and she turned to walk out of the bathroom with a wicked glint in her eyes. The towel barely covered her ass, and I could see the water droplets slowly rolling down her legs. I banged my head against the shower wall in frustration.

I did what I could to quickly get through my shower. As soon as I finished drying myself off, I walked into the bedroom and laughed at the sight in front of me. Bella had taken it upon herself to go through my closet and pick out what she wanted me to wear.

The outfit was nothing special. Just a black t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans with my black high top Converse sneakers. My socks were sitting next to the jeans, and I noticed that my boxers were missing from the outfit. If this was the game she wanted to play, I was all for it. I put the clothes on, sans underwear, without hesitation. I had the feeling that Emmett had a bombshell he was going to drop. I wanted to be as comfortable as I could.

I made my way down the stairs to see Bella in front of the door on the phone.

"I promise, Le. We'll be there for Thanksgiving. Yes, all four of us. Look, Jasper's here. I'll call you back later with more details. I know. I will. I love you, too. Bye, Leah." She quickly ended the call and shoved her phone back into her purse.

"That the mysterious sister I have yet to meet?" I asked. Bella laughed softly before kissing me quickly.

"Sue told her about you. She was just making sure you're treating me right and that you plan on coming up to Forks for Thanksgiving," she explained as I nodded in response.

"Of course. I already told Mom and Dad that we'd be gone for Thanksgiving. They just want us to be around for Christmas," I said as Bella grinned.

"We'll figure out the other Holiday's after Thanksgiving. Let's go before Emmett realizes we're late." With that, we were out the door.

Dinner was a quick meal. The girls could tell something was up with Emmett, and I just wanted to get him the hell out of there before he exploded. As we left the restaurant, I kissed Bella softly.

"Figure out what's up with him, and then come home to me. I have the sudden urge to hold you close and cuddle with you tonight," she purred, as I nodded slowly before agreeing with her.

Bella took off with the other girls as I got into Edward's car. The three of us quickly sped over to one of the bars in Seattle. Edward went to the bar to order drinks while Em and I went to get a table.

As we sat down, Emmett got hold of a napkin and started to shred it into tiny little pieces. Whatever was bothering him was making him nervous. I really didn't want to know what was going on in his brain. As Edward returned with two bottles of beer and a bottle of water, Emmett let loose.

"Bella told you about James, right?" I raised a brow at Emmett, wondering where this was going.

"The day she found out she was pregnant, she came home and found him dead. She said it was suicide. Why?" I asked. Edward took a long pull on his water as I took an even longer pull on my beer.

"A few weeks before, James got some news that he wasn't particularly happy with. You have to understand, Jasper. James was everything to Bella. To her, the sun rose and set in his eyes—all that romantic shit. So for him to leave her like that, well, it fucked her up completely. But the reason why he did it is going to fuck with Bella, too."

"Look Em, I'm not going to pretend to understand anything about what happened with James. I know Bella got her act together to take care of Wyatt, and right now that's all that matters to me. If there is something going on, you need to spit it out. I can't help you if you won't tell me the full story," I said. Emmett's shoulders dropped and he quickly mumbled something out.

"Say that again, Emmett. I couldn't hear you," Edward said. I shot Edward a look, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I said my father had an affair with James' mother. Wyatt has dimples that no one knows where they came from. Except for me. I know exactly where they came from because I have the same Goddamn dimples!" he shouted.

As I sat there with my jaw open, Edward was the one to think logically.

"So James was your brother? He killed himself because his parents lied to him for so long?" Edward asked, as Emmett nodded slowly.

"A few days after James committed suicide, a letter showed up at my apartment. Bella thinks that James didn't leave a suicide note, but he did, in a round about way. He sent me a letter. He explained what happened and why he couldn't stand to live with himself or the lies anymore. He asked me to take care of Bella because no one else would do a better job. I already knew Bella was pregnant, so I called my dad. He told me the truth—James and I were half brothers. The affair happened and not many people knew about it. Ultimately, I decided that Bella didn't need to know. To this day, she still doesn't." I shook my head.

"Emmett, you cannot expect me to keep this from her. It involves her son. I have to tell her!" I ran a hand through my hair as Edward went to get me something harder to drink.

"I'm not asking you to lie to her, Jasper. I just want you to not tell her. I swear, I'll do it. I just need to find the right time." Edward came back at that moment with a shot of Jack. I threw the shot back, stood up, and looked at Emmett.

"You had better tell her. Soon. Because if she doesn't know by midnight on New Years, I'll fucking tell her everything." With that, I was out the door.

I hailed a cab and went back to my house. I quickly sent Bella a text letting her know I was home and that the living room door was unlocked.

I made my way to my bedroom, quickly stripping out of my clothes and into a pair of boxers before sliding into bed. I couldn't seem to get myself to fall asleep easily. Eventually, Bella came home and climbed into bed with me.

"Everything okay?" she softly asked, tracing her fingers over my brow. I nodded my response and pulled her close to me. I kissed the top of her head as she faded into sleep. The only thing I could think of was how in the blue hell was I supposed to keep this from her?