Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Behind Steel Bars

By Midnight Dreamer

Chapter 04: Gone Whitlock

Growing up, Jasper and Peter Whitlock where inseparable. Whether they were doing chores or causing trouble, where one went the other followed. They however had their differences: Jasper was a rough and tumble fighter who was always protecting Peter when others picked on him. They say Jasper took after his namesake. He was tall (standing at nearly six feet by the time he was sixteen) with farmer tanned skin, blond hair that framed his face in waves, and glistening blue eyes.

Peter was also a blond haired, blue-eyed boy but was not quite as tall as Jasper. Peter was also the more laid back of the two, often the one to help clean Jasper up after on of his many fights. Both boys however were loyal to each other, often to a fault.

It wasn’t until Jasper’s senior year in high school that the boys parted ways: Jasper went through the JROTC program, while Peter sought out the sciences.

College years brought about an even deeper separation. Peter went on to medical school, while Jasper went into the military.

It was right after basics that Jasper returned home for two weeks.

During this break, Jasper had met Alice after a good friend of his mother’s – Esme Cullen – was over for tea. Jasper and Alice hit it off almost immediately, and when Jasper shipped out after September 11^th, they kept in contact through email, letters, and phone calls. The relationship grew and Jasper was deeply in love. When he came home for Christmas the following year he proposed. Alice, of course, accepted and started planning the wedding for the 4^th of July the follow summer.

The wedding was marvelous: flowers, streamers, and sparklers in shades of red, white, and blue. Fireworks were set to go off when the preacher said kiss the bride. After their two week honeymoon, Jasper was set to ship off once again. Alice begged him to stay but he couldn’t: he made a promise to the military when he signed those papers – and Jasper was a man of his word, if nothing else.

The years passed quickly. Once again, Jasper was sent home on one of his many leaves. He had been with the Marines for six years now, and married to Alice for five. They celebrated his return at the local bar owned by one of their friends, Edward Masen.

Edward owned Masen’s Tavern since he turned 18 – he inherited the business after the death of both his parents. They were all good friends and spent the few weeks that Jasper was home simply hanging out and visiting with other friends. When it was time for Jasper to once again return to his duties, Alice and Edward were there to see him off. Kissing Alice goodbye and giving Edward a “man hug,” he turned and headed towards his plane. Just before entering the terminal, he glanced back at his wife and best friend to find her wrapped in his embrace. She was crying of course, so Jasper paid it no mind and shrugged it off as just a friend comforting another. Then he was gone.

It would be two long years before he returned home to his wife for good.

Now during all this we mustn’t forget Peter.

While Jasper is out playing army hero, Peter is finishing his residency. It was one such evening  as Peter was finishing his rounds when a woman was brought in, looking like she had been beaten, and possibly raped. Peter took charge right away, cleaning and patching up her wounds. He had a nurse come in to do the rape kit before the police stepped in to speak with Peter. He told them his findings and that he would have more when the rest of her test results came back.

The following morning the woman woke up and told Peter that her name was Charlotte Walker and she was a prosecutor in Dallas. She told him that her boyfriend – well ex-boyfriend – did this to her when she tried to end things with him.

Charlotte again told her story to the police. After her all clear from Peter, she was discharged but stayed in contact with Peter. They soon got to know one another and over time, eventually fell in love. Two years later they were married. Jasper couldn’t make it to the wedding as he had just returned overseas, however he did manage to send them to Hawaii for two weeks for their honeymoon.