Key. Chapter Two: In a Church

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Chapter Two: In a Church

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The phone was ringing, and I didn’t understand why.

It was still dark outside. The curtains were closed tight. It was Sunday, and we didn’t need to be awake at least for a while longer. We were going to church with Jasper’s family then out to lunch, so we had an early start. It would bore him out of his mind, but it would make them happy. I enjoyed the time to just think. It let my imagination wander whenever I went with Alice. Usually, I thought about my stories.

The phone kept buzzing, and I couldn’t comprehend why someone else wasn’t doing something about it. It wasn’t mine.

“Jasper.” I swatted his stomach lightly. He was dead to the world, his mouth hanging open as he quietly snored. We had stayed up too late the evening before. “Jasper!” I hit him harder.

“What?!” He sat up swiftly, rubbing his face. “What’s wrong?” He demanded sleepily. I didn’t answer. Instead, I allowed his ringing cell to do so for me. “Oh. Dammit,” he mumbled as he reached over and finally picked it up. “Hale?”

“I’m sorry, doctor! Did I wake you?” A male voice asked in surprise. He was so loud.

His shoulders slumped as he shook his head. “Ah, Dr. Aro. Yes, but it’s fine.”

“Oh! Oh, no. I apologize,” he declared. “I’m on a plane and have no idea what time it is where you are,” he said immediately. “And on the weekend, too. I am very rude.”

“No, sir. It’s fine. What can I do for you?”

He cleared his throat. “Well, the Royce King trial is really ramping up in Albany. As you can imagine. And the DAs are already starting to build a robust case against him, but they want to make sure they leave no stone unturned.”

Jasper nodded his head in understanding, moistening his dry lips. “That’s expected,” he mumbled. I sat up beside him, pulling the blanket around my naked body. It was a little chilly. 

“They would like you to help them build it, along with your entire team.”

“Okay,” he remarked slowly before swallowing. “I mean, yes, sir. Of course. I’d be happy to do so in any way that I can.” 

We both already knew he would have to be a witness in the trial. So was I. We had spoken about it a lot. We knew this would be a part of our lives for a long time. We were only at the beginning of a tiresome journey.

“Good, good,” the male voice excitedly commented. “That is the attitude that’s getting you places, Dr. Hale! They’d like you to come up as soon as possible.” He paused, humming in thought. “Let me confirm the date. Ah, March second? It’s on a Monday.”

My boyfriend shifted uncomfortably, pulling the sheet up to his hip. He didn’t know what to say. It was so soon. “Uh, sir. Actually, I’ve put in for some leave-”

The doctor on the other side sighed heavily as if it bothered him. “I’m sorry to deny it, but you understand that this is a vital case,” he barely hesitated before his voice brightened. “As usual, we’ll take care of your room and give you your per diem. You’ll stay in a furnished apartment we’ve set up for you since it’s long term.”

“How long will I be there?” He asked in return quietly, closing his eyes. It was almost hard for him to get the words out.

“As long as it takes,” he stated.

I put my hand on his thigh, trying to comfort his clear anxiety.

“What about my new position?”

“I’ve already spoken to your boss, and she understands what’s happening and why. This is a very important case for everyone involved. I have secured everything for you until you can return to it. No worries, Dr. Hale,” he chuckled warmly. “This isn’t terrible compared to our normal work. It’s almost nine to five, five days a week. For you and your team, I mean. Not for the poor DAs.”

Jasper tilted his head to the side. “What will my role be, precisely?”

His boss hummed. “Witness and expert. We’ll go from there. No running around for a while. Just lots of talking, paperwork, and terrible cop coffee,” he joked. “It’s an easy way to come back after what you’ve been through, I think. Anyway, I’ve sent your tickets to your email. Maybe we’ll get to have lunch in person sometime soon. I may come up there for this one myself.”

“I’d like that, sir,” he replied with his eyes still shut. I wasn’t certain if he would or not. He looked almost defeated. “Thank you for making sure my position is secure.”

“Well, we can’t have our star special agent lose his new promotion because he’s helping put a monster away,” he said proudly. “One that you placed behind bars. No. That wouldn’t look very good for the bureau. Don’t worry about anything. And I promise when this is over, I will approve your vacation myself. You certainly deserve it.”

“Thank you, sir,” he responded before they wrapped up the conversation.

Jasper sat silently, his eyes forward as he held the phone in his hand with his thumb hovering over the ‘end call’ key. I moved my palm over his chest, waiting for him to say something. Several minutes passed. Still, nothing.

“Are you okay?” I finally questioned. I didn’t know what else to ask.

He merely shook his head, a ragged breath pulling in through his parted lips. “No.”

Then he threw his cell phone across the room with all of his might. It was in a thick case, so it just bounced against the wall and onto the floor with a dull thud. Both of his hands went into his hair, his fingers curling around the locks. Jasper’s knees drew up before he hung his head between them.

“Honey, it’s okay!” I began right away. “We can go on vacation when this is over. We’ll go for a full month, and then we’ll look for an apartment for you when we get back,” I continued as I got up on my knees beside him. Gently, I kissed his shoulder as I hugged his waist from the side.

He laughed hollowly, shaking his head. “It’s not even that, really,” he stopped, his eyes sealed shut so tightly they crinkled around the edges. “I don’t want to be without you again,” he whispered. “I just can’t.”

“What?” I asked, unsure if I heard him correctly.

“This will take months, Bella. Maybe longer. I have known things like this to go on for years. And I hate that I’ll be away from you for so long again. This isn’t what you signed up for.”

“Why won’t the FBI let me go with you?”

His red-rimmed eyes rose, confusion playing in them. Jasper was getting emotional. It was too early in the morning, and too much had happened already. He drew in a sharp, deep breath. “What?”

“Why can’t I come?” I repeated, holding onto his forearm. Even if I couldn’t stay with him the entire time, I could at least visit.

“Would you want to?” His face scrunched up. “I mean… There isn’t a rule or anything, I guess. It’s just-” He hesitated, shaking his head. “But we’d be staying in a shitty one-bedroom apartment. And things could change at the drop of a hat. It’s probably not nine to five like he says it is.”

Laying my head on his shoulder, I gazed up at him. “Sounds exciting. So, it’s kind of a trial run for living together someday?” I asked with a smirk. I shifted so I could lightly kiss his cheek. “We can play house! Oo, think of all the kinky roleplay,” I insisted excitedly as I gripped his thigh.

My boyfriend laughed again, his palms going over his eyes as his head tipped back. “It might be a really long time, darlin. Months. Maybe even a year.” I just shrugged. He peered at me, his mouth an emotionless straight line. “Are you sure? I can’t ask you to move away from your friends with a week’s notice.”

“It’s not forever. I don’t want to be without you either,” I promised as I leaned into him. Kissing his neck lightly, I let my lips linger on his soft skin. “So, when do we leave again?”

He smiled at my attitude. “March second. I think that’s what he said. I’ll have to double-check.”

It wasn’t that far away, almost exactly a week. Something dawned on me suddenly. “Oh shit! Tanya’s birthday is the following weekend. I already promised her I was going.” It was a big deal, too. It was her thirtieth, and she was having an all-day celebration. Only her dearest friends were coming for brunch with her family. Most were meeting us at the VIP room at the club Edward had rented for her.

“You could fly up after,” he offered with a wave of his hand. 

“Are you sure?”

Jasper chuckled and grinned. “Of course, I am. I think I can handle being alone for a few days. I just- I just can’t handle another month.” He shook his head and swallowed heavily. “Not right now. Not after everything that’s happened.”

“Well,” I pondered as I put my head on his shoulder again, wrapping both of my arms around his right. “Her birthday is on Saturday. I should probably use Sunday to recover and pack. Would the Monday after be okay? Just a week.”

Taking my face in his hands, he brought me in for a deep and lingering kiss. His fingers moved into my hair, holding me in place. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I brushed my nose against his. We stayed silent for a few moments. “This will be fun! I get to live in the Northeast for a while! I’ve done the northwest, southwest, and south,” I concluded softly.

“You’ll definitely get to go to New York City,” he mused. “I know you were really looking forward to that. There will be plenty of time.”

“I think you’ll get days off to come with me, too.” Humming, he nodded his head. His eyes were still sad around the edges. Lightly, I touched his cheek. “Are you okay?”

He looked off towards the window where the sun was coming up. The light was just beginning to spill through the crack. It was a faint, soft gray. Slowly, he straightened his legs. “I am so goddamn disappointed,” he admitted. Jasper scrubbed his hand over his mouth. “I didn’t want to think about anything else for a while. I didn’t want to think about that man’s face for two weeks.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” I breathed, rubbing his arm gently. “It’ll be fine, though. We’ll have more time to plan this way. We only had a couple of weeks-”

“Oh, I had everything planned and ready to go,” he interrupted. “I would have shown you today before I bought anything for sure. Tonight. But no. You’re right. It’ll give us more time to plan the perfect vacation for us. You’ve gone through hell, too. I’ve been selfish. It needs to be relaxing for both of us.”

I laughed at his sudden anxiety over it. “Okay, not that what I’ve been through has been pleasant, but it’s nothing compared to you. And I’d be happy to do whatever you need, sir.” Ducking to kiss his temple, I slid my hand so I pressed my palm against his heart. “Anything you desire. I just want to be with you. That’s all I need.”

His fingers curled around my cheeks before he turned his face to peck my lips lightly. “You are the best.”

Our alarm clock on his phone went off across the room on the floor. He sighed softly.

Jasper got out of bed and picked it up, checking the screen to make sure it wasn’t broken. Thankfully, it wasn’t. He switched off the alarm before putting it on the dresser.

“Do you want to cancel with your parents?” I offered lightly. “Say you’re sick, and we can have dinner with them later on in the week? We can just go back to bed.”

“No.” He sighed once more. Jasper was staring at his feet as he leaned against the drawers. “The guilt would be even worse. I’ll be gone for a while. And they’ve been looking forward to me being around more. I couldn’t do that to them.”

“They would understand. You’ve been through so much, and you’ve seen them a lot lately.”

“I know. But I was, too. Maybe not going to church,” he smirked as he finally glanced up at me. “No, we’ll go today. And I’ll spend more time with them again before then.” I nodded, crawling to the end of the bed. “If you told me a year ago that I would turn into such a family man, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

I giggled softly. “It’s kind of hot, actually. You are so straight-laced on the outside, it makes everything we do all that much filthier.”

Grabbing me up in his arms, he laughed as he kissed me forcefully. I eked in surprise against his mouth. “Want to go do something quick and dirty in the shower before we have to be squeaky clean all day?”

Humming loudly, I nodded again. Wordlessly, I led him into the bathroom.

Two hours later, we were in one of the largest churches in Dallas, sitting in a row that was comprised of his entire family. All of us were wearing our literal Sunday best. We were in the front pews, maybe five back. The place was multistory, and they had a full orchestra and choir.

Caroline sat on the end with Justin so she could talk to anyone that came by. There were so many people, all happy to chat with her. Her husband just nodded a lot. They all spoke to Jasper as if they knew him. They recounted how they prayed for him and praised him for his service. He was a hero.

I agreed with them.

It made him so flustered. His mother constantly complimented him, talking over her husband at her son with big hand gestures. She kept introducing me proudly. His grandmother was sitting between Rosalie and myself. “Lord, she is treating you two like new props,” she whispered.

“It’s fine, Mamaw,” he promised quickly.

She leaned forward to glare at her daughter-in-law with a sour expression. “Caroline, they ain’t gonna wanna come with us again if you keep using them to show off,” she continued as people went to their seats for the beginning of the service. Everyone was getting quiet, and she was so loud. Several folks turned around to watch.

Emmett was trying not to laugh. He was sitting on the other side of his wife, his lips pursed together. Rosalie bent over to peer at her anxious brother and me, shaking her head. “It’s your turn now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Jasper repeated swiftly. “We won’t be able to come back for a while anyway,” he mumbled under his breath.

His mother looked over sharply. “What? Why?”

Grimacing, he didn’t meet her eyes. “I’ve got my orders, and I’m shipping up north again,” he murmured as the pastor came out of the podium, the music starting to echo in the halls. She pouted at him, her entire body slumped in her seat. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to help with the case.”

Then something popped into her brain. “Bella can still join us!” She hopefully offered. He shook his head. “Why?”

“She’s coming with me. I might be up there for a few months, and I’ll have an apartment-”

“You’re going to live together?!” She asked way too loudly as the music stopped. A quarter of the church turned to look at us.

Her son flushed scarlet. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers, quickly nodding. “While in Albany, at least. Yes. Now, shh…” he hissed. Jasper then glanced back at me with his eyes wide. “Oh, good God,” he mouthed.

Both Mamaw and I snorted. I reached over to squeeze his hand. The entire service, I kept my head on his shoulder with our fingers intertwined on his thigh. I didn’t hear a word the pastor said.

All I could think about was our apartment in Albany.

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Thank to Gina for proofreading this chapter! 

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