Texas, 1900
It wasn't the smell of blood and venom that led her to him. Nor was it the chilling screams. It was a steady hum of power, a kind of power she had never felt, even from her Masters. She was rethinking her decision to pursue him on her own. Perhaps a little of Felix's muscle or Chelsea's protection might have come in handy. She could handle him of course. But the Masters wanted him alive for questioning. She had little patience for gentle persuasion and she liked to save the threat of her true power as a last resort. Even the Volturi had only had little tastes of it.
The blonde demon was mechanically decapitating and setting fire to screeching newborns. He looked like the devil himself. He was beautiful. Lucifer was the most beautiful of all the angels, they say. The thought made Bella's lips curl into a smirk. She had always been drawn to the dark ones.
A beautiful woman was standing behind him, beaming with pride. Her smile made chills run down Bella's spine. She was not afraid of Maria, but she was disturbed by this woman's uncanny ability to create monsters. Jasper was one such monster. The Volturi wouldn't be made fools of any longer. Allowing these wars to continue made them appear weak, and weakness was not long tolerated in a world of immortals. They had to stop this now or risk losing their status as royalty. And that is precisely why they sent Bella. Not many people knew what she was capable of, but they certainly knew she was something to fear. After she watched Jasper for a few more moments she turned back and slipped in to the woods. Charlotte was waiting for her.
"You aren't going to harm them are you?" she whispered. Bella was quiet for a few seconds.
"Do you know much about the Volturi, little Charlotte? You are very young after all."
"I know enough to believe that you can stop this and we can finally be free." Charlotte murmured.
Bella smiled. This Charlotte was taking a great risk. She was desperate. "Your Peter…Will he leave without the Major? I'm afraid Jasper will have to come away with me." Bella explained.
Charlotte said nothing. Bella could see the doubt in her eyes. The Volturi's information told Bella that these two had worked beside each other for many years. Peter was very loyal despite his desperation to run away with Charlotte. He would do it to save her life, but would he fight to free Jasper? Bella thought he would. She closed her eyes, taking a very deep breath. She rubbed her forehead in frustration. Charlotte stifled a snort at the oddly human gesture. This Bella was an odd creature. And Bella had made a decision.
"Never fear, Charlotte. I will take care of things. Take your Peter and do not come back. Tell the Captain that his Major will be fine. I give you both my word." Charlotte gave Bella a small, hesitant smile before her expression was suddenly dark again.
"Do what you want with that bitch, Maria," she'd said "But Jasper is a good man deep down. Be sure the Volturi know that." It was obvious to Bella that Charlotte didn't know much about the Volturi's mercy, or lack there-of.
As Charlotte disappeared into the compound, Bella slowly made her way to the old barn where Maria and Jasper were currently finishing up their bloodbath. Jasper was holding his arm to his chest, sporting a fresh bite mark. His eyes showed his pain, but his face remained expressionless and cold. He was quite hardened for one so young, Bella thought. Maria was standing very close behind him, whispering in his ear. Bella wanted to rip Maria's head from her body for the disgusting things she was telling him. No wonder Jasper didn't have enough self respect to leave. He believed this is what he deserved. Before she lost her temper, Bella cleared her throat. Felix often told her that her oddly human mannerisms were part of what made her so strange and frightening. That always made her laugh.
Jasper and Maria's eyes flashed to her and they crouched, ready to fight her. They'd been caught at the end of their "culling" ritual, disposing of the newborns that no longer served Maria's purposes. All other vampires in the room were dead and burning and their newborn army was back in the compound. Still, Bella could see that Maria was confident. They hadn't met many vampires they couldn't beat in a fight, especially together. She simply smiled at them.
"Jasper, Maria. I have heard so much about you. Maybe you've heard of me. My name is Bella."
The two vampires froze.
Maria had heard of this vampire. She was the most powerful member of the Volturi Guard. She had a deadly reputation, but Maria wasn't exactly sure what she was capable of. Some said she could bring true death to any vampire by simply looking into their eyes. Others said she could burn you from the inside out with a simple touch.
Maria didn't believe a fucking word.
She was simply the boogie man of the Volturi Guard. She was certainly no more powerful than her Major. Bella was simply another worthless aristocrat, full of her own self-importance just like her Masters, Maria thought.
"If you have any sense at all you will get on your knees and beg us for mercy." Maria sneered.
Jasper grimaced. Bella frowned.
For the first time in decades, Jasper was worried. He knew that Bella was absolutely calm and confident. In fact, she was even feeling pity for Maria. That much confidence surely meant she had one hell of a power. Jasper didn't give a damn what happened to Maria. In fact, there was very little he cared about these days. He hoped Peter could escape with Charlotte when all hell broke loose. Bella had something terrible up her sleeve, he thought. He had been thinking for years that it would be a relief to finally die. Now that death was looking him in the eye, he was surprised to find how beautiful she was. She was so lovely she didn't look real. She looked like a porcelain doll. Yet there was something very disturbing about her delicate appearance. Something very old and inhuman lived in Bella's eyes.
Jasper came back to reality when Bella's gaze shifted back to Maria. Maria seemed to finally shrink back a bit. Bella finally answered Maria's threat.
"I really wish I could save you, Maria. I've got to believe there's a bit of good in everyone. Even you." With that, Bella closed her eyes. When she opened them, her eyes had become cold and grey…and something terrible and beautiful happened.
She spoke.
"Maria, you will come with me. You will pay for what you have done. You will not fight me. You will tell us the full truth. You will answer only to myself and my Masters. You will obey."
The air seemed to shiver while she spoke. Her voice had resonated with a power that made Jaspers head ache. When she stopped speaking the room was swallowed up by an unpleasant silence. He glanced sideways at Maria. The woman who had made him, owned him, was on her knees. Her eyes were glassy. He felt Maria's fear and anger, but she was also resigned. She stood, walked to Bella, and bowed her head. There was no fight left in her.
Jasper couldn't believe what he had heard, what he saw. It was as if Bella's voice alone had stripped Maria of her free will. Jasper should have been terrified. Instead he was merely in awe. Bella's eyes had become darker as if her power drained a bit of her energy. And then she laughed.
"Maria, dear. I expected more resistance from you. But this is for the best. Your cooperation will make things easy for you when you meet Caius. He does not appreciate rebellious behavior, you see." She looked at Jasper.
"Jasper, you should thank your friends for their loyalty. They have convinced me to give you a chance. The Volturi will deal with your newborns in their own way. You will never have to see me again if you go now and leave the wars behind you. This decision will mean going against my Masters, Jasper. Do not make me regret this."
His chest ached at the thought of never seeing her again, though he couldn't understand why. He couldn't think, couldn't find anything to say to the woman who was giving him back his life. She smiled at him sadly.
"Go now and be happy. That is an order, Major." He ran.
Bella knew they would make her pay somehow. Despite her considerable power, she was expected to obey. Perhaps it was time she make some changes.
She had no idea just how much that one decision really would change her life. Bella Swan had lived as an immortal, static and unchanging, for 500 years. But today she had spared Jasper Whitlock's life.
And everything changed.
A/N: This chapter was just back story. The following chapters will be in the present and will be lighter/funnier. Please let me know if you like this and think I should continue! It's my first fic ever! Plz pl plz review! =) Thanks!