To Love and To Be Loved (A Jasper Hale/ Whitlock Love Story)

Happy Birthday

I was pacing the floor uncertainly. I could hear Jacob coming, but I was frightened. What if something happened?

It had been two weeks since Bella came back from the honeymoon with that thing in her stomach. Jasper and I had no time to head out to hunt, and very little to spend time one-on-one with each other.

Both Bella and Edward were happy to hear of our budding relationship, and Bella insisted that she totally saw it coming.

In spite of the circumstances, it made me chuckle.

I heard Jake stomp up to the door, and I went down to let him in, Jasper following, and knowing he was being protective made me feel safe.

"ls it true?" he demanded, walking into the house past me.

"Are you alright?" I asked him gently, though I could see the tenseness in his shoulders. He stalked toward me, and I felt Jasper put his arm around my waist.

"Listen, just give it to me straight," he demanded, and then we heard Bella's voice.

"Jake, is that you?" she called, and he looked toward the sound before looking back at me almost accusingly.

"She's here?"

"Upstairs," I agreed. "They came home two weeks ago." He turned and began his trek up the stairs. "Jake," I started after him, much to Jasper's uncertainty but he kept going, and so I took his arm gently. He whirled around and glared at me. I felt Jasper, tense and ready to pounce. "I just want to warn you. She's not... Doing... very well."

"So she is sick?"

"You could call it that," I murmured, and he turned, storming back toward where Bella was, and I felt nauseous. I didn't even know vampires could feel nauseous, but I did. Knowing the heartache this would cause. Knowing the heartache it caused all of us. I just wished Bella would let us get that monster out of her already.

"l'm glad you came," Bella told him, though he couldn't see her, as Rosalie was standing between them protectively. I took a step back, leaning into Jasper, and I felt him relax slightly, wrapping his arms around me, comforting me. Jake tried to get closer to Bella, but Rose stopped him.

"Close enough," she snapped.

"What's your problem?" he snapped back.

"Rose," Bella spoke up. "It's okay." Slowly, she stepped away, and Jacob sighed.

"You look terrible."

"Yeah, it's nice to see you, too."

"So, are you gonna tell me what's wrong with you?"

"Rose, you wanna help me up?"

But seeing her stand made it all the worse. I squeezed Jasper's hand and looked away, unable to look at Bella any longer. But then he began stalking towars Edward.

"You did this!" Emmett grabbed his shoulder, stopping his beeline for Edward.

"We didn't know it was even possible," Edward admitted sadly.

"What is it?" Jacob demanded.

"l'm not sure," father spoke up. "Ultrasounds and needles won't penetrate the embryonic sac."

"l can't see it, either," Alice spoke up. "And I can't see Bella's future anymore." Jake turned his gaze to me, and I shook my head.

"All I see is energy," I admitted, feeling sickened with myself. "There's no coherence, I can't see what's forming inside..." I shook my head and swallowed. "And whenever I so much as try to manipulate the energy in her, it's like Jane's in my head... It... It hurts..." Jasper pulled me closer, sending me comfort and helping me calm down.