'Don't be dismayed at good-byes.
A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.
And meeting again, after moments of lifetimes,
is certain for those who are friends.'
- Richard Bach
Crimson & Cyan
The Farewell
Jane circled the shaking human, sitting in a wooden with her hands tied behind her back. Jane was dying to get a bite of her. Just a little nibble to tease herself. She could smell the human's blood, pulsing through its' veins. It was so alive, so warm. The smell of beautiful blood was almost too tempting for the Volturi. But the Volturi were all too well trained, and resisted sensibly. Jane was the youngest, and loved inhaling the smell of the human, so that she would not be as tempted to rip it to shreds.
"What do you want from me?" Bella asked, focusing on the floor in front of her. Jane shrugged, still thinking of how wonderful Bella's blood would taste. As Jane tried to keep her pondering to herself, she turned back, looking at Aro and her twin brother Alec behind her. They were testing her abilities, and everything was going well. She had managed to get into Bella's head, but was unable to use her powers on her. This was expected, seeing as Bella was one of a kind. She seemed immune to all of the vampire-inflicted tricks. It frustrated Jane, but she never flinched to show anger.
"Just a little… Talk." Jane circled Bella another time, dragging her fingernails along the wooden chair. The nails screeched briefly, making Bella whimper in fright. Jane heard her brother and Aro laugh, and she shot a glare at them, with a small, devilish smile.
"We're going to leave you two alone." Aro walked stiffly to the door with his hands sensibly behind his back. Alec pouted his lips firmly, proud of his sister, and follow Aro to the doors. "Do what you need to do, child." Aro said coldly to Jane, with an emotionless nod. Jane's red, beady eyes fell upon Bella once more, allowing Aro and Alec to excuse themselves from the interrogation room.
"I don't really know why I'm here and I don't need to be! I broke up with Edward because I told him I was too young to be married!" Bella begged, licking her dry lips. Jane scanned Bella's eyes, seeing no lies. Bella was on the verge of bursting out into tears. She had never been so scared for a very long time. Jane could destroy her. Just rip every single part of her to shreds. "Please! I don't need to be here!" Bella pleaded, shaking once violently in her chair, struggling with the ropes. Jane hid a smile, so happy to see the human in this state.
"We have to change you, we don't have a choice. You know too much." Jane circled her once more; tracing her hand on the back of Bella's chair again and feeling her own scratch marks. Bella smelt so alive, and it made Jane's red eyes gleam with pleasure.
"That's it? That's all?" Bella squawked, her eyes going wide. Jane smirked for a moment, but quickly hid it away. Jane was a afraid of two things: being powerless or not inferior, and showing emotion. To Jane, signs of emotion meant that she was weak. This was something Jane was hate, to be weak, to have emotions. Yet she secretly wondered so deeply in her own time about it.
"Yes, Isabella, I believe that –"
" – Shut the hell up!" Bella yelled, losing her cool in her aggravation. Jane smiled for a little, feeling so full of power. "You can't just go killing people or changing them just because they know about you! What are you? Stupid? You are all so weak!" Bella finally looked Jane in her red, bloodthirsty eyes. Jane was shocked, and something had triggered inside her. Could this human have a point? "We don't want to know about you! We don't need to be a part of anything to do with you! And besides, who would believe me? Mental patients might! But, I'm not mental am I? I have a family! I have people who love me!" Bella exclaimed, pushing Jane to her emotional limits.
Jane's evil smile was almost completely swept off her face. Jane's face had become much like cold stone, so paralyzed at the thought of Bella Swan being right, and her wrong. "If you… Get rid of me, how do you think it's going to do down? Not good, eh? You don't want Cullens and werewolves tearing your precious Volturi down!" Bella practically spat at Jane's feet, causing her to flinch. Jane pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, leaned down and wiped her shoe without Bella noticed. She was so self-conscious, and wanted to attempt at keeping her pride. "Look at Alec." Bella nodded to the photo of Jane and Alec hanging on the wall. Jane looked up, and smiled very faintly, and as quickly as possible. Her dearest twin brother, Alec. Why, he meant the world to her. Besides her incredible, unbeatable love for power. "If someone killed him," Bella began. Jane shut her eyes tightly at the thought of her loving brother's death. "You would never forgive the killers, would you?" Bella laid her daring eyes on the beautiful Volturi child pacing by the door. "I said: would you?" Bella asked much louder.
"No." Jane replied coldly. She hated the feeling of compassion. The feeling of understanding. She hated it all. "Never would I forgive anyone for even…" Jane pursed her lips tightly, and grasped onto the counter so hard until some of the wood crushed in her very grasp, "…laying an unworthy hand on Alec." Jane hissed, still watching the picture of her and her brother hanging on the stonewall. She would never be able to let Alec go. Jane hated to admit it but Alec was family, and she loved him.
"So, I'm asking you so kindly, to let me go and we can forget any of this ever happened. I'll never return and I'll never speak of this. I'm not asking you to think of this like a human. I'm asking you to think of this as a daughter, as a sister, as a lover, as a person. Please." Bella almost cried out to her. Jane's fingers grazed the crumbling counter beneath the picture, and she breathed heavily. She had never been so touched by anything in her entire life. Isabella Swan sure could pitch a speech. "Jane…" Bella finally addressed Jane by her proper name. Jane looked up at the beating, pulsing, breathing, and living human. "I'll ask you again. Can you please…" Bella trailed off as Jane approached her hastily. Bella's jaw dropped, afraid of being bitten violently at the neck. But no. Jane's hand reached behind Bella, and she tore off the ropes that kept her strapped to the chair.
"Get out of here, Isabella." Jane said to the older looking girl. Bella was confused momentarily, then Jane pointed at around door. "Get the heck out of here!" Jane whispered hoarsely, feeling tears in her red eyes. Bella scrambled to get out of the chair, but, turned to grasp Jane in her warm arms. Jane was confused, and almost clueless of how to react to a human embrace. She decided to hold Bella right back in her own icy arms just as roughly as Bella had.
"I'd prefer it if you called me Bella." Bella explained, letting go of Jane.
"Get out of here right now!" Jane said viciously, looking back at the double oak doors, which hid Alec and Aro. Bella obliged, and ran to the second single door. She swung it open, and glanced back at Jane whose hands were in fists as she glared at the double doors with great emotion. It was the most emotion Bella had seen from a Volturi.
"What's going to happen to you?" Bella asked curiously. Jane clenched her fists harder, to avoid showing any more emotion than she already had towards Bella.
"Just leave, Bella." Jane grumbled, her breath icy against the moist air.
"Hey! What's going to happen to you?" Bella asked again, more violently. Jane tried to ignore her, and swung a thin, pale, pointy finger at the door Bella held open. "I'm not leaving until you tell me." Bella said, walking right back over to Jane. Jane stood still, even if Bella had marched right up to her and she could feel her warm breath down her neck.
"Jane?" Alex called from outside.
"They're going to kill me." Jane said to Bella, eyeing the door carefully.
"Whoa…" Bella half laughed, "Correct me if I'm wrong but are you risking your life for me?" Bella thought she must have heard her wrong. There was no way a Volturi would ever do that.
"You are wrong." Said Jane, lifting up a hand and facing it to the door.
"Jane? How's it going in there? It's certainly quiet!" Aro called from next to Alec. Jane felt so… Alive. More alive than she ever had felt before.
"I'm not risking my life for you, I'm giving up my life for you." Jane corrected, crooking an eyebrow. "You've changed me, Bella. I like it this way. Thank you." Jane's tone of voice never changed, never altered. It was still the same old same old. Friendship. Bella and Jane were developing… Friendship. Bella grasped onto Jane's hand tightly and began rubbing her thumb against Jane's icy cold skin.
"We won't let anyone hurt either of you." Came a low, restrained voice from the window. Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle Cullen and Jacob Black climbed through the window and settled behind Jane. The Black clan and the Cullen clan finally made a pact, and actually began to just about 'like' each other on an agreeable level. "I read your thoughts," Edward said to Jane, remaining calm. "Thank you." Edward's golden eyes caught Bella. They were very close friends, and wished for nothing more. "I know there's a way that you'll be alright. Alice told me." Edward said reassuringly.
"There's a way for a lot of things apparently." Aro marched into the room with the Volturis behind him.
"Jacob, guard Bella!" Carlisle ordered instantly. Bella was torn away from Jane, and swung into Jacob's strong arms.
"I'm going to kill you, traitor!" Aro crouched, glaring at Jane. Jane hissed at him, getting ready to pounce.
"Aro! Stop!" Alec pushed in front of him and his sister. "I know you heard what Isabella Swan said in that room! Tell me that you do not understand what she was explaining!" Alec yelled, slapping a waving hand to his side. Aro was still, pursing his lips in anger. "I did some research in the library, Aro."
"How dare you! I told you not to go there! You vowed!" Aro's eyebrows curled into unbelievably anger, an anger her could barely contain.
"We can fix this! We can fix the bad blood between the Cullens, the Blacks, and the Volturi! We can actually fix it! We'll become an alliance, we'll become the strongest clan anyone has ever seen!" Alec exclaimed. Aro was now hooked in the conversation.
"Proceed…" Said Aro, watching Alec carefully as he walked over to his sister.
"I also found a way to change a vampire back to a human." Alec announced. Gasps were heard through the entire room. "And, in exchange for a trusting alliance with the Blacks and the Cullens, I would like you to change me and Jane back into human form. Don't tell me you don't know how, Aro. Don't tell me you haven't been hiding that book from the world for centuries." Alec finished, eyeing Aro with incredible power. Jane looked back at Bella, who was smirking and proud.
"I don't trust them." Aro said to Alec in a bitter voice.
"We don't trust you either." Jacob spat, looking at the Cullen men who shook their heads. Emmett growled at Alec, who arched his eyebrows with lust to kill.
"Don't even think about it, Emmett." Bella said to him. He was taken aback, like everyone else in the room besides Jane.
"See?" Alec turned to Aro, "Some of them are accepting!" He smiled at Bella, who shrugged back. 'Bella looks so tired, she actually looks like a stoned druggie.' Jacob thought, sort of smiling.
"That's not nice, Jake." Edward said to him, smirking. "I read that thought." Said Edward. Jacob laughed a little. Edward and Jacob were finally getting along since Bella was no longer a love option in their lives. Jane eyed Bella curiously, creating a escape conspiracy in her mind. Jane barely flinched while used her powers on Aro. Aro put both his hands to his neck and screamed. Everyone's eyes fell on him as he collapsed to the floor still crying out in unimaginable pain.
"Jane! You fool! How dare you! Seize the human at once!" Aro pointed up at where Bella and Jane used to be. Jacob looked around him confused.
"She was just here! I was just holding her!" Jacob exclaimed, looking worriedly up at the Cullens. The Cullens looked at each other, then back at the werewolf. They all had to make a run for it before Aro got back on his feet.
Bella threw her head back in laughter as she stretched out on the floor. Jane smirked, looking at the window she had just broke.
"Where are we?" Bella asked, rolling onto her stomach. She flinched, realizing that the floor hurt on stomach. Bella sat upright, wondering why Jane did not reply. Jane was too busy watching the human's behavior. It was none like she had ever observed before. Isabella Swan was different.
"I'm not sure, to be honest." Jane said softly, sitting down on a dark green velvet chair. "I just ran, and jumped. By the smell of it, I think we're in a hotel." Jane explained. She caught Bella nearing closer to the broken glass on the floor, and grew alert. "Don't." Jane warned, suddenly feeling under pressure, gulping. Bella looked up at Jane, and steered her hand well away from the glass shards.
"Still can't control yourself?" Bella joked. Jane became defensive, realizing that Bella really did know too much about vampires.
"Fine, go ahead." Jane spat, crossing her arms over her chest. Bella hid a smirk, knowing how Jane would react, and also knowing a way to stop her if she does. Bella picked up a jagged piece of glass, and pressed it down her finger. She restrained a small cry of pain when her finger drew crimson blood. Bella cursed under her breath, now feeling the pain that she tried best to avoid. Jane's eyes beamed at Bella's hand as it reached out to her. "I…" Jane stammered. Bella waved the hand in front of her, and tossed the glass out the window. As she held up her hand to Jane, the blood ran down her arm and stopped at her elbow, only to drip down and seep through the floorboards.
"You're going to have to learn to control yourself someday. Now, tell me what you want right now." Bella asked, still tempting her new friend.
"I really want to rip you to teeny, tiny pieces of flesh." Jane growled through her gritted teeth. Bella was used to this, being around the Cullens all day. Sure, her and Edward were no longer an item. And they both moved on. But, she still had such a strong bond with each of the Cullens. A bond that would be best unbroken.
"Wrong answer." Bella said, "You want to help me clean the wound, and get it fixed up." Bella stated frankly. Jane twitched, restraining herself more than ever.
"I don't want that." Jane gulped.
"Yes, you do." Bella got up, and took Jane's arm with her non-bleeding hand. Bella walked Jane into the hotel bathroom, and switched on the bright lights. She held her hand over the sink and waited. "Oh, hey, hey! Don't get too excited now!" Bella said sarcastically. Jane stood at the doorway, grasping onto the frame tightly. She was crouched slightly, afraid to hurt Bella. "Move it, let's go!" Bella orded. Jane cautiously stepped to Bella's side and reached for the sink. A shaky hand took Bella at the wrist while the other ran the tap water on it.
"Too cold?" Jane asked, to distract herself from the blood running down into the depths of the sewage system.
"Nope." Bella said bluntly, making sure Jane's full attention was on this 'exercise'. Bella watched Jane's facial expression constantly change from expressionless to scared and to lustful over and over again. Jane pulled Bella's hand further into the sink to wipe off the rest of the blood. "You're doing great, Jane." Bella said to her new friend. Jane stayed completely focused now, finding some sort of mental achievement inside of her that proved she was able to find her long lost self-control.
Some blood got onto Jane's hand and she let out a small whimper that made Bella snort with cheeky laughter. Jane quickly washed off the blood from her hand with the running water, and sighed shakily. Once the blood was all gone, and the wound ceased to bleed anymore, Jane pushed down on the tap. The water stopped running, and there was silence. Jane's face scrunched in pain. It was hurt pain, it was sad pain. Jane put her hands to her mouth, as if she was resisting a crying fit.
"Oh my God." Jane whispered through her hands.
"You did it!" Bella wrapped her wet arms around Jane and gave her a friendly hug. Jane felt like so much strength had been drained from her and barely hugged Bella back. She simply put her head into Bella's neck and stood there. "Alright, well now that I know you're not going to eat me while I sleep – I'm going to bed." Bella announced, releasing Jane who was sniffing her curiously. Bella laughed a little at Jane, seeing how creepy she looked smelling her.
"Sorry." Jane apologized with a shy smile, "Your scent seems different, and it's almost like I don't want to kill you as much as I used to anymore. You're actually beginning to smell nice." Jane admitted, feeling depressingly human.
"That's a relief." Bella said as Jane walked out of the bathroom. Jane sat on that same green velvet chair, and looked down at the floor. She just had a big break through. She actually helped a bleeding human. Jane's eyes quickly followed back to the open bathroom when there was a sudden movement. It was just Bella removing her top, revealing her dark blue bra. Jane began watching the human again. Taking in all the little details about her. Her waist, her curves, birthmarks, freckles, her height, and even skin color. Everything.
Bella prodded her shirt around her injured hand to absorb the blood, and set it down by the sink. She drove her free hand through her hair. It was her messy way of fixing her hair all the time. Bella's green eyes caught a glimpse of Jane watching her… Almost lustfully. Bella looked back at her reflection, fixing her hair some more. "Like what you see, Jane?" Bella teased. Jane's eyes quickly darted away, and she looked up into the dark sky through the shattered window.
"Go to sleep already." Jane commanded. Bella took one last look at her topless self, and switched off her lights on the way out of the bathroom.
"Going to watch me sleep?" Bella asked as she approached the very Italian looking bed. Jane opened her mouth for a negative reply, but Bella stopped her. "I'm used to that." Sighed Bella, falling softly onto the cushiony bed. Bella groaned happily, pulling a silk pillow close to her half bare upper body. She sunk slightly in the duvets that she childishly rolled around in and was in a state of happiness. "I'm in love with this bed." Bella sang, making Jane smile at her child like behavior. There was silence just for a moment, before Bella finally decided to relax.
"Do I have permission to watch you sleep now?" Jane asked formally. Bella laughed lazily into a pillow.
"Sure, just don't be a perv." Bella joked, yawning.
"What's a perv?" Jane asked, looking completely oblivious.
"The abbreviation of a pervert." Bella said bluntly, almost without thinking. Bella squeezed the silk pillow hard, and getting amusement out of it.
"What's that mean?" Jane asked. Bella sat up, looking at Jane questioningly.
"You don't know? Seriously?" Jane shook her head. Bella sighed, "A pervert is someone who can turn absolutely any situation into something sexually related. Everyone does it sometimes!" Bella collapsed back into the heavenly bed, allowing Jane to process her sentence.
"I don't." Jane shrugged, fiddling with her Volturi jacket. It was amazing how innocent Jane could get with certain topics.
"How do you not?" Bella sat up again, surprising Jane. "You've never had sexual thoughts before?" Bella's voice broke her in her sentence, so she quickly cleared her throat. Jane shook her head. "Have you even kissed someone before?" Bella asked. Jane shook her head again. "Holy crap, you seriously haven't lived!" Bella squeaked.
"Lived? Not really…" Jane muttered, thinking about her 'situation'.
"Get over here." Bella gestured for Jane to stand up and sit on the bed.
"Why?" Jane asked, hesitantly sitting on the very edge of the hotel room bed.
"All the crap I do for you people..." Said Bella, crawling over to Jane. Jane didn't quite catch that, and wasn't bothered to ask again. Bella pushed the duvets and pillows out of her way to get to the extremely confused Jane. "This is for your sake, not mine." Bella said to her. Jane crooked an eyebrow, wondering what she was on about. Bella let out a deep sigh, snaked around to Jane's side and tilted Jane's head upwards. Hastily, Bella pressed her lips to Jane's. Jane's eyes shut, and that was all she knew to do. Bella put a hand against Jane's freezing neck, and rubbed a thumb against her skin softly.
Now that Bella was so close to Jane, Jane could fully smell her sweet human scent, feel her warm human skin, and taste her delicious human salvia. Bella abruptly pulled away, just to see Jane's reaction. Jane's red eyes opened, to see Bella's beautiful face looking right back at her inches away. Shivers flew up and down Jane's spine at the feel of Bella's hot breath down her neck, and she gulped. "And… There you go!" Bella clapped her hands. Jane sighed in relief, as if she was just told by a doctor for terminal care that she was perfectly fine. "That was your first kiss! Now, let me sleep!" Bella fell back into her bed, exhausted from a long day of being chased around by a clan of bloodthirsty vampires. Jane slowly got up, and sat back down in the chair.
"I think you're my first well met acquaintance." Said Jane.
"You mean 'friend'?" Bella giggled, squeezing the pillow childishly once more. "You're so cute, I want to eat you." Bella said in a baby voice to the pillow. Jane smiled again, thinking of how stupid Bella looked. Stupid in a good way though, if that makes any sense.
"Yes, I should think so," Jane agreed, hiding the fact that she was scared tactless of making a human friend. Especially one that smelt so good, and one that was an enemy to her very own family clan. "But Bella, I still want to kill you." Bella smiled into her pillow, and began to doze off. Jane watched Bella closer than ever now. Her every moment, every breath, every twitch. It was the first time Jane had ever watched a human sleep. And, as Edward had once said, it was absolutely fascinating.
Every now and then, Jane would kick the bed if Bella began to have a bad dream, just incase of it become for terrible for Bella's dreaming. Then, Bella let out a high-pitched scream, and kicked a silky pillow right off the bed. "Bella!" Jane yelled in shock. Bella's eyes shot open, her heart seemingly racing faster an 808 drum. Bella was sweating, and breathing heavily in the warm bed.
"Sorry, I do that sometimes. Bad dreams." Said Bella, going back to bed. Jane sat back in the chair, trying to understand what had happened. Jane hadn't had a bad dream before. In fact, Jane didn't recall ever having a dream. For one of the few times once more in Jane's long lifetime, she wanted to become a human.
"Bella. Bella, wake up." Jane muttered, shaking Bella's shoulder. Bella groaned angrily, and slapped her hand away.
"Go away, Charlie…" Bella grumbled, pulling everything on the bed closer to her again. Jane rolled her eyes. Then, Bella raised an eyebrow, and opened her eyes looking up. "Oh, sorry, Jane. I'm so used to Charlie waking me up!" Said Bella, reasonably adjusting herself on the bed.
"Bella, I need you to go back to Forks. I've got to go back to Aro and my brother… We've got things to sort out." Jane confessed, making her way over to the window. Bella quickly sat up, and struggled to get out of bed. "Go back to Forks as soon as you can. Forget me for a while. You'll be safe." Jane looked down at the set of balconies, roads, rooftops, and hills that could lead her back to her Volturi home.
"No!" Bella protested, "There's no way! We, like, just became friends! I know you still want to kill me, but that's cool!" Bella squirmed to grab Jane, who pushed her away.
"Do me a favor, Bella, and just get out of here. I need you to…" Jane thought for a moment, wondering if her words were wide enough. "I need you to trust me…"
"I think I do…" Bella replied, looking at Jane's red eyes with uncertainty. Jane nodded, and put her hands on the windowsill, ready to jump out and sprint back to her home at unnatural speeds.
"Goodbye, Bella. I hope the weather in Forks brightens up a bit for you." With those last words, Jane leaped out the window with a growl. Wind hit Bella's face, and blew her long hair back. Bella looked back at the bed, then to the door. Dang it, Forks was going to be rainy
A/N: Reviews are definitely much appreciated.
