Sign Of The Times || Jasper Hale

chapter 88

Alex and Jasper walk towards the clearing in the woods where Jacob, Edward and Bella would probably already be waiting for them. It had taken a while to convince Alex to come, but she only did it for Jasper. Knowing that it could be hard for him with Bella's scent.

Jacob faces Edward and Bella. They're in the center of the field. Jasper stops several paces behind Edward.

"You're not fighting? What you pull a muscle or something?" Jacob mocks and Alex frowns at the statement. She hadn't heard that yet. Her head turns over to Jasper who gives her apologetic look, he knew. They had discussed not telling her due to her recent anger issues flaring up again.

"He's doing it for me. Okay?" Jacob looks at Bella and then at Edward before he shakes his head with disdain.

"Whatever." Jacob rolls his eyes. "Just tell me the plan." Jasper steps forward slightly.

"This field will give us an advantage in battle." The five of them look around. Jasper had chosen this exact place, knowing the most about battles. Besides maybe Alex. "We can lure the newborns with Bella's scent, but it needs to end here."

"Edward and I are going to a campsite. But even if he carries me, they'll pick up our scents." Bella adds.

"Your smell, however, is revolting."

Jacob raises his eyebrows. "Dude, you really don't want to start comparing stinks..."

"He means, your scent will mask mine if you carry-.."

"Done." Jacob interrupts and Alex raises her eyebrows. As if the boy was just there to taunt Edward.

Edward turns to Jasper. "This is a bad idea."

"Edward, they won't want to get anywhere near his..." he looks over to Jacob who awaits the word. "Odor." He decides and Jacob smiles slightly.

"Let's just test it." Edward finally nods. Bella extends her arms to Jacob. He grins, picks her up and holds her tight.

"Eau de wolf, comin' up." Jacob smiles and turns.

"Run." Edward says and everyone feels the underlying threat.

"Should I go?" Alex asks but both Edward and Jasper shake their head.

"I'll do it." Jasper says and follows where Jacob and Bella had gone, leaving Alex and Edward alone once again.

"Thank you for fighting on our side." Edward says after awkwardly coughing.

"I didn't know I had a choice." Alex replies with a smile, though both knew it to be fake. She had been hostile towards Bella ever since they came back from Italy and Edward knew why.

"There is always a choice." Edward replies and Alex raises her eyebrows before giving a knowing hum. She knew that he didn't want to change Bella but the human had placed her mind towards it. There still was a choice.

After a while, Jasper jogs out of the woods. "All I picked up was wolf stench. No Bella. This will work."

Edward grits his teeth. "Great."

•

All the Cullens - except for Alice - and Alex gather in the Cullen living room. They were discussing where everyone would hunt, needing their utmost strength to make sure that they could beat the newborns. They all would split up in groups. Alice joining their adoptive parents and Rosalie and Emmett would go their own way as well. Leaving Jasper and Alex to her favorite hunting ground.

Edward would stay at the house with Bella and Alex knew exactly what they were going to do. If it was just up to Bella at least. It was something that Jasper and Alex had not yet done, saving it for a special moment. It had been both of them who decided that it would be best to safe it for later.

"You didn't tell me." She says as they walk towards the hunting ground, both of them wanting and somewhat needing conversation instead of just the rush.

"About Edward not fighting." He states and Alex hums in agreement. "It wasn't necessarily that we didn't want to tell you.." he starts his explanation, noticing that Alex was walking a bit further ahead. She hated confrontations with people she loved. He speeds up to her and tenderly grabs her arm, before tugging it a little making her turn towards him. He sees the glistening in her eyes and his face softens. "It's because you have these feelings at the moment.." before she can say what she wants, he talks further. "They are okay to have. Important to have. But you have been a bit angry at Bella and we knew that if we told you that you'd be really angry towards Edward." She starts to laugh and wipes an angry tear away.

"That's right." He grabs both her hands and looks her in the eyes, something she found incredibly hard at the moment. He would be able to see her raw emotions, rather than just feeling them. She knew he could after Italy. She was vulnerable ever since.

"We-.. I-.." he sighs and searches for the right words. "I need you to be at your best when the fight happens. Not because I think you'll lose, but because I don't want to see you get hurt." Alex' mouth opens slightly and she sees the honest emotion in his eyes. Tears start to well up once again and he hugs her.

"I won't." She says. "I'll do my best." Her voice muffled by his shirt and she feels him chuckle. The sound making her heart flutter. She pulls back slightly and looks him in the eyes. "You know I love you right?" He smiles and nods.

"I do." He softly kisses her lips and pulls away. "Let's go hunt, soon-to-be Mrs. Whitlock." A big smile appears on her face as he pulls her behind him. "Want to make another bet?"

"And be Emmett's brother again? Never."