Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Behind Steel Bars

By Midnight Dreamer

Chapter 27: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Isabella had spoke to Jasper as he laid there on the hospital bed. She didn’t really expect to get a response, but when he sighed she just knew that it was him responding to her. So she asked him if he could hear her just to make sure it wasn’t just a normal reaction. When he sighed again she was utterly ecstatic and continued to talk to him until Charlotte’s out burst. Charlotte was pissed that Edward had gotten away with this and wasn’t going to stand around and wait for that asshat to do something else to her family. When Jasper’s blood pressure spiked off the charts everyone got worried. They weren’t sure of the cause, but Isabella was pretty sure that it was the conversation that had just taken place. Dr. Cullen was ready to give him something to calm him down but Isabella stopped him and whispered to him until he calmed.

They all continued to converse around him for hours before telling him goodnight once visiting hours were over. Isabella once again laid a brief kiss to his cheek before leaving with Peter and Charlotte.

The ride back to Peter and Charlotte’s was quiet. It wasn’t until they walked into the house and the door shut that Peter’s Spanish inquisition started.

“So, do you wanna tell me what is really goin’ on or are we still keeping everything all covert opps?” Peter asked with annoyance in his voice.

“What are you talkin’ bout, Peter?” Charlotte asked.

Peter turned to Isabella and asked:

“Who the hell are you Isabella?”

Peter always called her Bella, so to hear him call her out with the use of her full name startled her.

“What?”

“You heard me who are you?”

“Peter, she doesn’t have to say anything to you. Now lay off.” Charlotte got in Peter’s face. Just as Peter was about to fight back Isabella stopped them.

“No, Charlotte – he’s right. Y’all have a right to know who you are around. Char, you know because of work but they have no idea and I can understand why they want to know.”

“But Bella, you don’t have to tell them anything! If they don’t like you for who you are then what is the point?”

“I know, Char…”

“What the hell are you two ramblin’ on about? Of course I like Isabella!”

There it was again. Isabella wasn’t sure if it was because he was mad or that he was scared.

“I’m sorry, Peter. I should have been upfront about it from the beginning.”

“Upfront about what? What are you hiding?”

“First, can I ask a question then I will answer all of yours?”

“Fine.” Peter said, all huffy.

“Why do you keep calling me Isabella? You have never called me by my full name when we are alone together and now you have referred to me that way the last two times you have spoken to me.”

“I’m angry. I know you both have been hiding something from the rest of us. I’ve let it go until now and not been too worried about it since you seem to have a positive affect on my brother and I didn’t want to upset him by callin’ you out in front of him. But now he is hurt and Charlotte has once again had to run to you to fix what is wrong with him. So, I will ask again: Who. Are. You?”

“Fair enough, Peter. You have to promise you won’t say anything to anyone else yet. I would like to tell them myself.”

“Fine. But you had better do it soon.”

“Okay.”

“So?”

“My full name is Isabella Marie Swan.”

“Whoa – wait – what? Swan? As in the Swan’s?” Peter looked down right shocked.

“Yes, Peter.” Isabella whispered brokenly. She knew what comes next, once the shock and awe wears off then the fear kicks in and once again she would be alone. Peter wouldn’t let his Charlotte near her anymore. She felt the tear slide down her cheek as she stared at the floor.

“Whoa there, sweet cheeks! What’s with the tears?” Peter asked, lifting her chin up so she was eye level with him.

“This is how it always starts… Your shocked, then awed, then you get scared and then like all the others – you run. You won’t let Charlotte be friends with me anymore and I will once again be alone. Like it always is. The only one who has never judged me was Emmett.” Isabella said, crying softly now.

“Bella, you look at me right this minute! I will never stop being your friend and Peter could never stop me from being your friend. He doesn’t own me! And I love ya like my sister.” Charlotte said, looking right at Isabella.

Isabella jumped up and hugged Charlotte to her tightly. It seemed that both of them would have their share of tears to shed today.

“Bella, I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to upset ya. It is a shock that you are a Swan. But that would never make me change my opinion of you. You have befriended me and Char without a problem; you treated my brother like your friend even though you had never met him before, and you helped him to smile again. Our Ma is quite taken with ya, too. I truly am sorry, Bella.” Peter finished.

“Oh Peter.” Isabella sobbed throwing herself at Peter this time.

He wrapped her in his arms and shushed her. He was never one for seeing a girl in tears. It tore him up, even more so this time as he was the one to cause it.

“Now let’s sit down and talk about this shall we?” Peter said softly.

They all took a seat on the living room sofa.

“Where would you like to begin?” Isabella asked.

“Let’s start with how you met my Char?” Peter said.

The girls explained how Charlotte had to meet with different prison wardens to find a place for a murderer to go. Her first two meetings were a bust so she decided to take a break and get ice cream in the park. That was where she stumbled upon a beautiful girl reading under a tree. Isabella blushed when Charlotte called her beautiful. They then told him how Isabella asked Charlotte to join her, how they both talked about their day and said how they both had a meeting that afternoon – and how it turned out that they were meeting each other. Isabella said how shocked Charlotte was when she found out that Isabella was the warden and not some big fat smelly ogre man who would hit on her and try to grope her. Peter snorted and the girls laughed. Isabella explained how they often got together for lunch either at her office or at the diner in between Char’s office and the prison. Peter put two and two together and figured that that was how Isabella knew Jenks since Jenks would have to go for meetings with inmates if he was representing any of them. Peter laughed when Charlotte told him that Isabella was the one that caused the scene at the Police station the night Jasper got arrested. The rest, as they say, was history.

“So why would ya think that I would think any differently about ya if I knew who ya were?” Peter asked.

“Everyone does! They see me as the rich, stuck up, smart girl who was givin’ everything.”

“I don’t see ya that way…” Peter said.

“How do ya see me, Peter?”

“I see a strong, funny, caring person who is willing to fight for what she wants and protects her friends fiercely. Ya are tough cause ya have to be while working in an all-mans world. I respect ya for who ya are as a person.”

“Thank you, Peter.”

“Ya welcome, Bella. Ya have to remember who ya talkin’ to – Jasper and I are Whitlocks. We come from money – hell, some of the oldest money in Texas! Our name is just as notable as yours – for different reasons of course – but we do understand. Why do you think Jasper joined the military? If he didn’t, he would have met ya years ago since he would have been stayin’ in ya reputable housing establishment.” Peter said, laughing.

“Peter, is that a polite way of saying your brother would have been in prison? And why would he have been?”

“Well, Jasper isn’t known for sitting back and keepin his cool. He as always been a fighter, in the literal sense. That boy has more scars from fights then a double-D titted woman at Mardi Gras has beads.”

That caused them all to laugh.

“Anyway… If he wouldn’t have been in the military I think he would have found out about The Bitch and her lover long before now. And he would have been stayin’ with you for much longer then the 5 years that dick has him saddled with.”

“Don’t you worry yourself none, Peter. Jasper will be accepting my southern hospitality soon enough; I’m gonna pull some strings and make sure he is stayin’ here in Dallas and not goin’ to one of those disgusting dog kennels out there in Houston.”

“Ya can do that?”

“I’m a Swan – of course I can.”

“I see you know how to use the name if ya need ta…”

“Very much so! And I will not let this asshat get away with ruinin’ my date.”

“Is it just about the date or the man you were supposed to go on the date with?” Charlotte asked. Isabella blushed the darkest shade of red known to man.

“I knew it!” Charlotte cheered.

“Knew what?” Peter scratched his head.

“Isabella likes Jasper… very much.” Charlotte giggled.

“Really?” Peter asked, looking at Isabella causing her to blush harder if that was even possible.

“Well, I’ll be damned!” Peter finished.

“Just don’t say anything to anyone Peter… I don’t wanna rush anything after the whole ex-wife debacle. Speaking of the Wicked Wench – why haven’t we heard anything about her?”

“Maybe Edward left her ass since she could no longer get her hands on any of the Whitlock fortune, and she is off licking her wounds somewhere…” Charlotte answered.

“I don’t think so… I also don’t think were have heard the last from her either.” Peter said.

“She better stay away from Jasper.” Charlotte added.

“She has to get through me first.” Isabella hissed, surprising Peter and Charlotte. They both looked at each other and smirked.

“Nothing like a woman scorned to bring hell on earth to our doorstep!” Peter laughed.

“Watch it Peter, or you will find yourself sharing a cell with your brother!” Charlotte chided, causing Isabella and herself to laugh at the look on Peter’s face.