A/N Jasper tells Bella, "Alice, she saw me coming"
Disclaimer: Alice, Jasper and all the rest belong to Stephenie... no money made, ad nauseum and etc... just for entertainment purposes...
SHE SAW ME COMING
There were three of them. Stark alabaster beauties under a full moon. I had never seen anything like them before.
"What is your name?" the dark-haired beauty in the middle asked me.
"Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am," I reply, sensing no danger, they were just women, of course.
"You can be of great use to me,"
I was rooted to the spot, frozen in place as she drew closer to me. I was lost in her deep gaze and then the last words I remember from my human life.
"I hope you survive…"
The words were whispered against my neck and still I felt no fear, and then her teeth pierced my skin and the pain was searing, the agony was unrelenting as her venom burned through my body…changing me for all time.
Chapter One
JASPER
It is the second day of our training with the wolves, preparing us all for the upcoming battle with Victoria's army of renegade newborns. Once again, I watch Alice from a distance; still unable to believe my good fortune. Remembering that fateful, yet luckiest day of my vampire life
Just as Bella is Edward's forever; Alice is mine, and I cannot fathom any existence without her gentle caress, her teasing smiles. The fullness of my unbeating heart that I would never have dreamed possible.
Love and family.
Then, the sheer terror I felt at the thought that I might lose her to the Volturi.
As much as I care for Edward, I thought that I would never be able to forgive him for the selfishness of his suicidal escapade, although I do understand what drove him to do what he did. Even if I could understand his utter devastation at what he thought was true, there was no doubt in my mind at all that if anything had happened to her and he still lived—if he had returned without my Alice-no matter how much Carlisle and rest of the family would have tried to stop me—I would have killed him myself—or died trying; and given his mind-reading gift he knows this for a fact.
When they all returned from Volterra and he finally managed to pull himself away from Bella for a short period of time Edward sought me out and apologized for putting Alice at risk again and again.
Right now, I glance over at him embracing Bella, and he casts a glance at me over the top of her head, he's read my thoughts again and remorse once again fills his eyes. I don't say anything, I don't have to—it's over, and everyone is safely returned—for the time being anyway. We'll deal with the Volturi when or if the time comes.
I simply nod in forgiving acknowledgement, before Alice's tinkling laughter as she gets the drop on Emmett fills my ears and I glance her way once more.
I don't think we are over confident about Victoria's little army, but with the aid of the wolves, and what I know for a certainty about the behavior of newborns, well, to put it in human terms, it should be no sweat.
The dredged up memories of preferably forgotten events are like proverbial battering rams storming relentlessly at the walls of my consciousness, and I know that the cause is my recent conversation with Bella—whose unselfishness on the other side of the world saved this entire family from the despair that the loss of Edward, Alice, or even worse, both of them, would have entailed, not to mention if Bella herself had been lost. My only concern now, is Edward dragging his feet on this. Bella's immortality is inevitable and I don't understand why he is the only one who doesn't see this.
Bella's questions while not expected at this point, were certainly not unreasonable—she has a right to know what to expect for herself and from an army of undisciplined newborns. I have no reservations about telling her of my previous life before the Cullens; before the unexpected love Alice gave me saved me from myself.
Even now I question what I ever did to be worthy of such an impish angel. Monster is such a generous term for what we have the capacity to be—for what I once was.
I had followed Maria's directives for as long as I'd been a vampire. A newborn created by her and for her own twisted purposes, chosen specifically for my soldiering skills. I had been created to be an executioner, and her protector, of course and after several decades it had become a tedious, and disheartening mission; and from the first day of my life as a newborn vampire she was my only relationship and she didn't share.
Simply put, it was the only choice afforded me since she never allowed any of them to live long enough for me to have any other friends. That is, of course, if you could be a vampire and actually have friends.
First rule of Newborn 101—only rule of Newborn 101—NEVER, EVER trust a newborn.
Case in point, the two female vampires with Maria when she created me had been among the first to go.
From one southern territory to another Maria kept me close, making me think she loved me. It had only been at the end of my time with her that I'd allowed myself come to the conclusion that whatever love she'd felt for me, if any, was nothing compared to her just using me to further her own agenda.
Like any general she expected her orders to be obeyed without question, and while my military experience was put to good use, my input otherwise was seldom asked for and certainly not taken as a good suggestion if she hadn't asked for my opinion.
The only thing I suppose that had kept me so close for so long was shamefully the sex; and toward the end of my time with her even that was becoming lacking. I suppose that her otherwise indifferent attitude was rubbing off on me.
Alone in the world or with Maria?
Didn't seem to be much difference in it to me anymore. All I knew was something told me it was time for a change.