Mourning Doves • J.H

Chapter 15

EVERYONE BUT Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, Alice and Emmett were in the office within the Cullen house. Bella and Dove were staring at a painting of someone, who resembled Carlisle. Dove turned to Jasper, who was only a few feet away from her.

"Is that Carlisle?" She questioned, her eyes on him as he moved to stand beside her, his arm wrapping around her waist.

"Yes." He answered, "He briefly stayed with the Volturi with a while." He explained. Dove furrowed her eyebrows.

"Should I know who the Volturi are? Do I even want to know who they are?" She questioned. Jasper sighed.

"The Volturi, are in a way royalty in the vampire world, they're sort of rule enforcers too. There's Marcus, Caius, and Aro there." He explained, pointing to each other vampire in the painting.

"Vampires have rules?" Bella questions, making Dove remember that it wasn't just her and Jasper, she often did that. Dove curls into his side as she listens to Edward.

"Only a few, and only one that's regularly enforced." He explained.

"What is it?"

"That we keep the existence of our kind a secret. We don't make spectacles of ourselves, and we don't kill conspicuously." Edward said, looking between Dove and Bella. Technically, they had broken half that rule. Jasper then met Edwards eyes for a moment. Their moment was ruined by Alice, grabbing Bella's hand and leading her out the room and down stairs, leaving Edward, Dove and Jasper to follow.

Dove looked around the room, noticing the vast amount of candles and gifts. The rest of the Cullen family scattered around the room.

"We're sorry about this." Carlisle apologized to Bella as she walked over to them, "We tried to reign Alice in." He joked.

"As if that were possible." Esme continued the joke, a big smile on her face as she hugged Bella, "Happy Birthday." She said before turning to Dove and giving her a hug. Dove turned and walked to Jasper, hugging him and keeping her arms wrapped around his side as she stared up at him. He smiled down at her, but his smile looked concerning, Dove kept her inclinations to herself. It was Bella's party.

"Dating an older women. Hot." Emmett joked, smirking at Edward who just stared at him, "What?" Emmett questioned, looking genuinely confused as Jasper laughed. Alice passed a gift to Rosalie who just held it half-assed in Bella's direction.

"Here. It's a necklace. Alice picked it out." Rosalie said in a bored tone. Alice then passed Bella another gift.

"This one is from Emmett." She said as Bella shook the box, hearing nothing inside and looking over to a grinning Emmett, confused.

"Already installed it in your truck." Emmett stated, "Finally, a decent sound system for that piece of.."

"Hey!" Bella exclaimed, "Don't hate that truck." Everyone laughed at Bella's protectiveness of the truck. Rosalie even smiled a little, being a fan of cars herself. Alice handed Bella a smaller gift.

"Open Esme's and Carlisle's."

"Just a little something to brighten your day." Carlisle said to Bella, smiling at her as he wrapped an arm around Esme's shoulder.

"Yes, you've been looking a little pale lately." Esme joked, grinning widely.

Bella struggled with the wrapping, catching her finger on a corner of wrapping paper, "Ouch, paper cut." She stated, holding her finger up to herself, watching as a drop of blood fell. Dove felt Jasper stiffen, then she felt her body being shoved across the room, she looked up in time to see Edward push Bella out the way and throw Jasper into the piano. Bella hit a glass table, the glass smashing and cutting up her arm, more blood gushing from her. Dove winced as she remembered the glass being in her skin from the incident with James.

Alice went over to Bella to help her  up as Emmett and Carlisle restrained Jasper, who looked rabid, his eyes black as he fought against their hold.

"Jasper, Jasper... It's just a little.. Blood." Alice tried to calm Jasper down, as Dove was still on the ground, sitting up as she watched what happened.

"Get Jasper out of here." Someone said.

It was a little while later that Dove was laying in her room, still in the dress she wore for Bella's birthday party, which ended in shambles. She hadn't seen Jasper since, and the awkwardness in the car with Edward and Bella was enough to nearly put her to sleep. She jumped when she heard a knock on her window, shocked to see Jasper waiting to be let in.

She jumped up from her bed and opened the window, standing back to let him in.

They both sat on her bed, the silence taking over again before Jasper spoke up, his voice filled with hatred.

"Say something." He said, almost pleading, "Tell me how disgusted you are. How scared you are. Something." He hissed.

"I can't lie to you, Jasper." Dove stated, grasping his hand in hers, "I'm not any of that, you had a weak moment, it happens."

"I nearly killed your cousin, I could've killed you." He stated, his eyes narrowed at her, they looked little brighter compared to what they were earlier, "I felt you earlier, you were scared." His eyes softened. Dove smiled weakly.

"It was just a moment, Jasper. She's okay, If you think I'm going to be mad at you or something, you're wrong." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. She watched him for a moment, seeing the internal struggle inside him, "Stop beating yourself up about it, please. I can't watch you do this to yourself." She whispered, pushing some of his curled hair away from his face. He sighed and his lips twitched into a faint smile.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Goodnight, Dove." He whispered before leaving through the window.

Dove furrowed her eyebrows, "Are you not staying?"

He turned and looked at her, half out the window already, "Not tonight, uh, I'm going hunting." He explained, but she felt like it was just a lie. Dove nodded, clearing her throat. He hesistated.

"I love you." She said, watching as he nodded, not replying before jumping out the window. She cried as she changed into some pajamas, not knowing that Jasper was hiding underneath her window, hearing her crying, his fists clenched as he felt everything she did.