Alternate Universe.

Jasper/Bella.

M for language, lemons & violence.

Dark.

Twilight franchise belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Some Twilight lore has been changed to suit my fic.


Chapter One

..

BPOV

XX


XX

I laid curled up atop my queen-sized antique cherrywood bed shedding traitorous blood tears as my ears were subjected to the heart wrenching and torturous wails of my 'mother' echoing throughout the mansion. I could hear 'father' trying in vain to comfort her and murmur soothing words – but we all knew it wouldn't help until mother herself manages to collect herself.

I rolled onto my back and tiredly stared up at the wooden canopy of my four poster bed. None could escape the searing torment which befalls the souls of our kind – the kind of torment which eats away at your spirit with disease ridden, flaming teeth which won't stop feasting until nothing but a black yawning chasm is left in its wake.

I stood up swiftly from my bed and bolted out of my private chambers, through the mansion and into the inky black of the night. I had to escape the agony which flooded our home, the hopelessness, the despair. I flew past the trees pushing myself further and further away from the now distant cries of Elizabeth my mother.

When I finally stopped I found myself in my clearing deep within the Milwaukeean woods. It reminded me so much of…that clearing from so long ago. The wildflowers grew plentiful here in hues of blues, pinks, oranges, purples and white. The grass was thick and healthy and silky soft to bare feet. But I could never see the butterflies, bees, ladybugs or birds which inhabited the clearing by day, I could never feel the warm rays of sunlight upon my skin or marvel at the beauty of the clear blue sky. No, I was a monster who had to lurk indoors by day lest I burst into a flaming pile of ash.

The Cold Ones had it easy – they could enjoy the splendour of the day. The sun could warm their ice cold marble skin, the blue sky could reflect in their crimson or golden eyes, they could witness the honeybees and butterflies tinker around the flowers by day and listen to the sweet melodies of the songbirds perched upon the branches of the trees. And I resent them for that, I hate them and humans for being able to enjoy that small but soul warming experience.

With one more look filled with longing at the flowers illuminated by the silvery moonlight I bolted out of my clearing and suddenly caught a scent, such a very sweet scent of roses, fresh citrus and lilies. I followed the aroma to a cemetery just outside of Milwaukee, I passed a small red car which was parked near the entrance and after a few twists and turns between the crypts and headstones I found the source of the mouth watering scent.

A young brunette woman dressed in a lavender summer dress knelt before a grave with a tall stone angel overlooking it with both its arms outstretched to the heavens. She sobbed lightly while she rested her small hand over the grave. "Graham, my love – why did you leave me here without you?" was said in barely a whisper.

Her salty tears which were streaming down her face were laced with her natural scent which wafted into the cool night air and straight into my flaring nostrils. My emerald green orbs now glowed menacingly, the dark purple veins within my neck and face were now visible against my ghostly white skin, my brow-ridge protruded forward and my fangs pushed further out of their sockets. Any who saw me now would scream in horror – who said vampires of the original breed were pretty when hungry or angry?

I let a low growl escape through my burgundy lips before disappearing into the shadows. The human whipped her head around, her heartbeat accelerating as her weak muddy brown eyes squinted to see in the dark. "Is anybody there?" she called out with trepidation.

I growled out again, this time to her left. She spun around, but again could see nothing. I flew out of the shadows but too fast for her to see and scratched her exposed forearm with my razor sharp nails causing her crimson essence to pool outwards. She cried out before spinning around in a circle, trying in vain to keep an eye on every corner surrounding her. Holding her arm tightly to her chest she made to run to the entrance of the cemetery however I pounced on top of her before she could take five steps causing the both of us to crash onto the neatly trimmed grass. She screamed with fright while flailing her arms and legs out trying to break free from my hold. "Please don't kill me please!" she wailed out.

I roughly grasped her hair before pulling her head towards my waiting mouth effectively exposing her neck. Her veins were pumping blood wildly into her erratically beating heart making her scent all the more sweeter. "Now now my dear, I thought you would want to join your precious Graham hmm?" I growled into her neck before wrapping my lips over that throbbing vein.

"Please no! I don't want to die!" came her pitiful cry as she continued to attempt to wriggle out of my vice-like hold.

I raked my nose along her delicate neck inhaling the scent of her sweet aroma before sinking my fangs deep into her flesh and greedily gulping down her life force which soothed my scorched and parched throat effectively causing her attempts to writhe free to slow down and lose its vigour. Not before long the human was an empty slab of flesh and I was filled with satisfaction both for sating my thirst and denying another human the sunlight which I could no longer have.

I picked the body up and placed it into the outstretched arms of the angel above her Graham's grave before sitting myself atop the angel's head and staring far into the distance of the lightening sky. It would be so easy to end myself here, to just sit perched above an angel and let the baneful rays of the sun extinguish my accursed existence.

I looked down to the girl who now lay looking peaceful within the angel's hold. I was once like her too, a mere mortal stumbling through life in the dark. But that seems like eons ago, another negative of being an original vampire and not a Cold One is that we remember our lives before the change perfectly and crystal clear – I don't want to remember my human life, I don't want to remember the vicious death of Renee, Phil, Charlie, and Angela. I don't want to remember those damn Cullens or the final moments of my short human life which ended so tragically. But I do. It's burned deep within my mind, my soul – reminding me how I ended and how I now live in the shadows – as the bane of human existence.

I let out a piercing wail to the sky begging for something, anything to make my hateful existence happier or at least tolerable.

"Daughter, return to me" echoed the voice of my 'father' Gabriel within my mind.

I looked again at the lightening sky – I couldn't be selfish and leave father, mother, Tobias or Raphael. They were my family, who loved me as deeply as I loved them, especially father; my sire. The family who has never and will never abandon me unlike them.

With one more pitiless look down at my finished meal I leapt off of the angel and bolted towards home to my awaiting family before the sunlight could get a hold of me and light me up like kindling.

As I entered through the large rosewood arched double doors of our mansion my father Gabriel stood awaiting me with open arms and full understanding of how I felt. Every sire and their 'child' had a deep emotional link where both can feel what the other is feeling at all times, no matter the distance. And right now I felt vulnerable, only wanting the comfort of a father.

"Father"

"Come…"

Comforting arms wrapped around me effectively chasing away the dark, brooding thoughts which so often plague or kind.

"Perhaps we should start anew away from here hmm? The USA is a large country, I'm sure we'll find somewhere suitable – or we could relocate to one of our homes in Europe?"

"I think I'd like us to go the UK. There are so many places I've not seen yet…perhaps London? I hear it's a beautiful city at night…"

"So be it"