Devotion, Jasper Hale

Chapter 27

June 13th, 2006, Cullen Residence
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Catherine was sitting on the couch, reading a book, trying to enjoy the peace and quiet. Rosalie and Emmett were close, playing checkers in the corner of the room. Alice and Oliver were god knows where doing god knows what. Edward was at Bella's house.

Catherine heard Jasper's footsteps behind her. She decided to let him come to her instead of raising her head. She felt him place his hands on her shoulders. He softly massaged the skin before leaning forward and placing his cheek against hers.

"Hey, honey." She leaned against him as he continued massaging her. "Hey, darlin'." He whispered before placing a soft kiss of her cheek. "Do you need anything?" She turned her head to face him. They were nose-to-nose when he responded. "Sort of. Edward has decided to stay with Bella during the battle. To protect her just in case Victoria is behind it." Jasper explained before removing one of his hands from her shoulder and instead placing it around her waist.

"What do you need my help with, lovely?" She placed her hand on his. He squeezed her shoulder before jumping over the couch so he was sitting next to her. She laughed in surprise at his sudden action.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" He hesitantly asked. Her eyebrows furrowed as she took his hands again. "Where?" She suspiciously asked.

"During the battle, Edward and Bella will go up to the mountains to hide. If Edward carries Bella all the way up there, the newborns could smell them and head their way, which would be incredibly dangerous. Our theory is that if Jacob were to carry Bella, the newborns wouldn't even want to follow the scent... or stench." He explained.

Catherine sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Why do you want me to come with you?" She asked as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer to him.

"You have a good nose, it could be of use to help test the theory," he tried, but she saw right through his lie. "What's the real reason?" She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.

Jasper sighed and unfolded her arms for her before taking her hands again. "See it as... exposure therapy," he tried to convince her. She sighed and shook her head. "Why would I try that when I can always keep a grudge."

"Just come with," he kissed her palm in a last effort. Catherine sighed and failed to hide her smile. "I'm only doing this because you want me to, not because I want to."
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"You're not fighting?" Jacob asked as he arrived to the field they had agreed to meet up. Catherine was tucked underneath Jasper's arm as she harshly bit her lip to keep her mouth shut.

"What, did you pull a muscle or something?" He ridiculed with a slight eyeroll. "He's doing it for me, okay?" Bella told the wolf as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand. "Whatever." Jacob dismissed her comment as he looked down at the ground.

"Just tell me the plan." He kept his face straight, but there was pain evident in his eyes. Catherine felt sorry for him for a moment... a short moment.

"This field will give us an advantage in battle. We need to lure the newborns with Bella's scent but it needs to end here." Jasper explained while squeezing Catherine's shoulder.

"Edward and I are going to go to a campsite." Bella elaborated while taking a step closer towards Edward. "Even if he carries me, they'll still pick up on our scents."

"Your stench, however, is revolting." Edward said with a straight face as he glared at Jacob. Catherine laughed at his comment, earning her a glare from Jasper.