A/N – Ok guys, here is the next chapter for Darkness. Let's see what happens now that Bella is slowly going through her change. How will the rest of the family react? How will Edward react when he finds out? Do we care? I am working on the next chapter already and I am hoping that this one can be a chapter a week update at least until it reaches its conclusion. We will see. Alright my lovely readers…you know the drill…I don't own anything that I am playing with…it's up to you guys to read…and enjoy!

Previously on Darkness -

Jasper took my hand from his chest and held it up looking at the bite mark James had left so long ago. "I don't want you to suffer Bells."

"I will…survive this…Jazz." I opened my eyes to stare into his black ones. "Worried…don't be."

"I need to get you back to Carlisle; maybe he could give you more venom to speed up the process. I will get you home as quickly as possible." He kissed my wrist and laid it back on his shoulder where I had it before.

"No!" I hissed out. "You…before Edward…finds out."

"Bella, not me, you don't want me to do that." He shook his head at me. "Besides, there is nothing Edward could do now to stop the change other than to…"

"Kill me." I finished for him. "You…trust…please."

Jasper looked down at me and sighed. "Why do you trust me so much? No one else does and they have known me longer."

And now on Darkness –

BPOV -

"Just do, Jazz. Please?" I could feel myself losing the battle of staying conscious. I didn't fully understand why but I just knew that Jasper had to be the one to help me. If Edward got to Carlisle before we did then he could come up with something to stop me from changing. "He doesn't…want…leaving…him. Help me?"

"As I said Bells, I will honor your choice." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and they were honey gold again and filled with defeat. "I can feel your emotions, you know, and I really don't understand your sudden fear of Edward. But it is your choice. So, I will do what I can to speed up the process."

"Thanks, Jazz." I reached up and placed my hand on his cheek and smiled at the shocked expression on his face.

"Don't thank me yet, Bells. This is gonna hurt like hell, but I will do the best I can to help you through it when we get back to the house." Jasper took my hand from his cheek and stared into my eyes as he brought my wrist to his mouth. Not breaking eye contact he bit down and took one pull on my wrist before injecting his venom into my veins and then sealing the bite closed.

I managed to keep from crying out as he repeated the process with my other wrist. Then he moved me away from him to gain access to my neck. Looking into his eyes, I saw the sadness he felt over causing me this pain and I resolved to do something to show my appreciation after my change. I closed my eyes as he leaned over and gasped as I felt him place a kiss lightly on my neck before biting. Keeping my eyes closed, I waited for him to move to the other side of my neck and I couldn't help the sigh as he repeated the light kiss before biting me.

"I am so sorry, Bells." Jasper picked up my left arm, firmly grasping my elbow and my wrist. With a quick jerk, he set the bone back in place causing me to cry out. "My venom will help heal the break quicker."

"What?" I asked through the growing haze of fiery pain flowing through my veins.

Jasper leaned over and placed a light kiss over where the break was and then bit into the underside of my arm, closer to the veins. As he let his venom pump into my bloodstream, he sent a small amount of calm into me so I wouldn't jerk away from him.

I clenched my jaw as the fire increased. The pain was so intense that I didn't notice he had sealed the bite on my arm until I felt myself being lifted again. I reached up with my right arm and threaded my fingers into his hair, holding on like it was my lifeline. "Jazz…"

"I've got you Bells. We will be at the house in a few minutes." He brushed a kiss on my forehead as he took off towards the house going faster than he had before.

I barely registered that we were back at the house, it wasn't until I heard Carlisle gasp which I can only assume was at seeing me in Jasper's arms.

"Jasper, what happened to her?" Carlisle asked from behind Jasper as we were still moving.

"Victoria got her. She did a number on her, broke her arm, slit her wrists and bit her neck. She almost drained her, Carlisle." Jasper's voice cracked as he spoke.

I felt the movement as he carried me up the stairs. I assumed he was going to put me in Edward's room and that wasn't what I wanted. "No…Jazz."

Jasper stopped short, causing Carlisle to run into his back, jarring me in his arms making me whimper. "Shh, Bells. I need to lay you down so Carlisle can look you over."

"Not…his…yours."

"What is she going on about Jasper?" Carlisle asked, confusion ringing in his voice.

"I'm not sure. She has been saying some strange things, but I'm not questioning her. She has been through enough already. Please move Carlisle." Jasper turned around and walked back down the hallway.

"Where are you taking her if not Edward's room?"

I held my breath as another wave of fire coursed through my veins. Jasper's cold body helped a little and the comfort was enough to make me not want to let go. I felt him walk through a doorway, but my eyes refused to open.

"Do you think this is wise Jasper? Edward won't be pleased to find her in your study when he gets back." Carlisle said with disapproval in his voice. "And Alice?"

I tensed, waiting for his answer. I didn't understand why but I was more afraid of his reaction to her name than Edward's. I had made my peace with myself over my new lot in life, a new family that chose me a long time ago, but no man. A groan escaped my mouth as I fought the urge to curl into the fetal position in his arms.

"Carlisle, she doesn't want to go to his room. I don't understand what is going on, but she never called out for Edward, only me. She ignored him from the moment he followed me into that cabin. If Alice is as good a friend to her as she claims then she won't have any problems with her being in here. I'm sure she already saw this happening anyway." Jasper sighed as he stopped.

I felt him tighten his arms around me as he bent forward, seemingly to put me down on something. I tried to let go of him as I felt my back touch something soft, but instead I tensed and held on tighter.

"Bella, you're safe. This is my study and no one comes in here but me. I need to set you down so Carlisle can look you over." Jasper said softly as he tried to pry my arm from around his neck. "Damn, she has a good hold."

Carlisle sighed. "So that I can look at her, maybe you should just sit with her in your lap. She seems to need you Jasper and Bella might relax enough for me to get a proper look."

"Alright. Hold on Bells." Jasper stood back up and turned around. Slowly sitting down, he adjusted my legs so they were out straight along the couch in his study. "I'm going to lean you back on the arm, Bells, so that Carlisle can look at you. I'm not going anywhere."

"K." I managed through my clenched jaw. For some reason the burn intensified as I was straightened out, but I fought the urge to curl back up. As he leaned me back on the arm of the couch, I relaxed my hold on him and he pulled my arm down, taking my hand in his.

"Bella, can you hear me?" Carlisle asked from beside my head.

I turned my head in his direction and finally managed to pry my eyes open and immediately closed them with a hiss. "Hurts."

"Can you tell me what happened to you?" He asked.

"Jazz…can." I clenched my jaw against another wave of fire.

"Damn, Bells, when did you get so strong?" Jasper hissed.

"No…laughing."

"Sorry, Bells." He squeezed my hand. "We tracked her scent to a cabin about 20 miles outside of town. Edward got there first, but he hadn't found her by the time I arrived. As soon as I got there I heard her whisper my name. Now that I think about it, Edward should have heard her as he had walked right passed the cabin about a hundred yards out. Anyways, I called out to her, she called back and I followed her voice. I went through the open door of the cabin and saw her propped against a wall on a cot.

"I called out to Edward, but then told him to stay away because of the blood. It was all over that part of the cabin on the cot and on Bella. I went to check on her and Edward stopped in the doorway. Victoria had slit Bella's wrists, which I sealed with my venom and broken her left arm, which I set before coming back to the house."

"Well, that's a lot for her to have gone through and now I can understand why she is in so much pain. Severe blood loss can do that as well as the broken arm." Carlisle placed his hand on my arm. "Bella, I'm going to check your arm and then we can bind it. I believe we are going to have to get you to the hospital though. There I can monitor you and do a blood transfusion."

I shook my head as he lifted my arm, which I barely noticed the pain of the movement due to the fire raging in my veins. "No…point."

"What?" Carlisle asked as he gently poked around the break. "Jasper, I thought you said she broke her arm."

"She did, I set it about ten minutes ago now. But you didn't let me finish. Victoria was still in the cabin. She had used Bella to set a trap for Edward. Somehow she knew that Bella was his singer, so she left her bleeding for Edward to find, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist the smell. Victoria hadn't accounted for me finding her first. Bella is the one that alerted me to Victoria still being in the cabin. We had a standoff of course, but Bella wouldn't let me get more than a few inches from her before she grabbed me in pain.

"I told Edward to get Victoria in my thoughts and as he took care of her, I checked on Bella and only then did I notice the bite on her neck." He paused as Carlisle groaned. "Yeah, but the kicker is, she did just enough to almost drain her and only allowed just enough venom into her bloodstream to start the change. It was meant to cause her as much agony as possible I guess as I estimate it would have taken Bella twice as long at the least to go through the change."

"Would have?" Carlisle asked. "What did you do Jasper?"

"I did what she asked me to. It is Bella's choice after all and everyone already welcomed her into the family other than Rose. So I bit her and injected more venom into her hoping it will speed things up."

"Jasper, did you think about Edward when you did that?"

"Carlisle…not his…choice…mine." I managed around the pain. "Don't be…mad."

"Oh, Bella, my daughter, I am not mad at either of you. I just think that as you are with Edward, he should have at least been there to give his thoughts on this." Carlisle reassured me as he brushed my hair out of my face. "You know we already think of you as one of the family. I just don't want to see you in pain."

"Jazz is…helping." Just then the fire increased its intensity, I groaned and tried to pull myself into the fetal position, but I felt someone holding my legs down.

Jasper laid his hand on my cheek and some of the fire left my veins at the same time I heard him hiss and go tense.

"Jasper, are you sure you want to do this? Edward should be back anytime now and he can stay with her. I am sure he will insist on it actually." Carlisle questioned.

"Carlisle, I will help her as long as she needs me to and wants me to." He shifted under me, moving his hand from my cheek to under my back.

I shivered as he moved my shirt up just enough to place his hand on my skin as I knew that intensified the effect of his gift. Another wave of fire swept over me and I yet again tried to curl up, but was still being held down by Carlisle. I groaned in frustration and pain. I knew they weren't trying to hurt me by holding me down, but it still aggravated me that I wasn't allowed to curl up. Just then, I sensed that we were no longer alone in the house. Forcing my eyes open, I looked around Jasper's study but didn't see anyone else.

Carlisle looked up at me and gasped. "Your eyes, Bella, I have never seen them change that fast before."

"What?" I asked, still trying to figure out where this mystery person was hiding.

"They are black. I can just see a faint line of red around your pupil and it seems to be growing as I watch. This is fascinating Bella, I just wish you weren't going through so much pain." Carlisle took my hand in his, trying to offer some comfort.

Jasper growled low in his throat as I shifted, trying to find a way to draw my legs up to my chest. "Carlisle, I'm going to lay her down on the couch and lay next to her, maybe that way I can keep her still and have a better effect."

"I will defer to you on this Jasper. Do you need any help?"

Jasper shook his head as he leaned forward with me still in his arms. Standing, he turned us around and laid me on the couch along the back of it. Without breaking contact, he laid on his side next to me, sliding his right arm under my head so that my head and neck rested on his bare arm. It was just then that I noticed he wasn't in a long sleeve shirt per his usual; he was wearing a short sleeved muscle shirt that showed off the muscles on his chest and abdomen. As he settled in next to me, he took both of my hands in his left one and threw his left leg over the tops of my thighs effectively pinning me to the couch.

Another wave of fire coursed through me, this one causing my back to arch off of the couch. I growled low in my throat as it subsided to a mere burn and relaxed back on the couch. It was then that I noticed Edward in the doorway.

"What's going on Carlisle?" Edward asked, staring at me, but not moving.

"Victoria bit her, son." Carlisle started as he turned to face him. "She is…"

"Why did no one suck the venom out?" Edward interrupted. He managed to take a step into the room before his steps faltered.

I fixed him with a glare. "I…didn't want…them to."

"But Bella, you know how I feel about this, I never wanted…"

I growled at him causing everyone to look at me in surprise. "Me…never wanted…me. I know…I want this…my life…so you can leave."

"Carlisle, there has to be something you can do to stop this." Edward turned to him, begging. "This should not be happening."

"Edward, you knew it was going to happen. The Volturi have already said as such from your theatrics in Italy. You set her on this path when you decided to stay with her." Carlisle walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Son, even if I wanted to, there is nothing that can be done at this point other than trying to make her as comfortable as possible until the change is done."

"But Carlisle…" Edward started but was cut off by my groan.

I had arched my back off of the couch again with the last wave of pain only to be pushed back down by Jasper. I was staring at the ceiling but it was going in and out of focus and I knew somehow that I would completely lose my vision at some point. I realized that I was still moaning as I felt Jasper's hand tighten on my hands.

"Shh, Bells. Be still. I will try to help if you can just be still." Jasper said soothingly as he moved his head closer to mine, pressing his face against the side of mine with his mouth near my ear. "I promise I won't leave you as long as you want me here."

"Alright Jazz…I'll try." I whispered and took a deep breath. As I let out the breath I relaxed my muscles as much as I could with the burn still being very evident. I focused on how safe I felt with Jasper looking out for me and how accepting he was of my choice. I could only wish that my boyfriend, my Edward, would be as accepting. I began to tense up again at that thought and tried to go back to relaxing but it wasn't working.

"Edward, I think you should leave." Jasper said without moving.

"I think I should stay and you should leave, Jasper. Don't you have a wife around here somewhere that needs your attention?" Edward snapped back, still standing just inside the room.

"Jazz won't leave her." Alice said from the doorway.

I tensed, waiting for everyone's reactions to her sudden appearance. Out of everyone I knew she was the one that had the final say over who stayed with me, or at least if it was Jasper. I would understand, but a part of me cried out at the possibility of him leaving me alone to face this burn on my own.

"Alice, talk some sense into him. He is your husband and should not be lying on the couch with my Bella." Edward pleaded.

"She will have to explain, Edward, but Bella is no longer yours." Alice said with a sadness in her voice, like she wasn't sharing everything.

The room grew extremely quiet, save for my erratic heartbeats and breathing. I knew what she was referring to as I had made my decision to leave Edward after my change as he didn't want me, not really. I was eerily calm about my decision. The only thing that bothered me was the family's reaction to it. If we weren't together anymore, would they cast me out? That question kept floating through my head and many others as my body changed. I hadn't realized that I had passed out before hearing the rest of the conversation if there was one.

Even as my body slowly burned to ash, I knew I wasn't alone. I could feel Jasper still pressed along my side, holding my hands and pressing down on me if I started to move. I did my best to stay as quiet as possible. He was already taking on enough of the burn to make it bearable for me, that I didn't want him to think he wasn't doing enough. If a whimper did happen to escape my lips, I would feel him sigh against my ear and then whisper that it was going to be ok and that he was there and wasn't going anywhere.

I spent the next two days going in and out of consciousness, aware that he was still with me and that no one else ever ventured into the room with us other than Carlisle. He only came in to check on me and to make sure that Jasper was ok. Everyone else would stop in the doorway and watch us for a while and then walk away. Each time that I came out of my fog I was able to hear better or smell more fragrances in the air around me and my skin was more sensitive at times.

When I came out of the fog again, I heard voices out in the hallway. I tensed when I heard Edward's voice filled with anger and then Alice was responding with as much hostility. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I could sense their emotions and I just wanted to block them out, but I couldn't. I started to shake.

"Shh…Bella. It's alright. You are safe in here." Jasper whispered in my ear, calming me instantly. "It's almost over, Bells. Not long now and you won't feel pain ever again."

Somewhere inside me I knew that as long as Jasper was there, I was safe. He would keep Edward away from me. I no longer felt the need to curl up due to the pain as I had become accustomed to it over the past few days. Without the pain to distract me, I was able to pay more attention to what was going on around me. I could hear everyone in their respective rooms, talking softly or reading books. I could hear the breathing of the now quiet duo in the hallway as well as smell a very overpowering scent of tobacco and cinnamon.

As I let the scent flow through my senses I succumbed to the fog again and I dreamed. In the dream, I was running from someone and I was in the woods. The same woods that HE had left me in all those months ago. I felt so alone and scared. I was too scared to cry out for help, too afraid that I would be heard. I came to a stop behind a big oak tree, wide enough to hide behind, and held my breath. All I could hear was the thundering beat of my heart and the steady footfalls of whoever was following me.

As I hugged the tree and waited, somewhere in the distance I heard a growl. Suddenly I knew who was chasing me and I knew somehow that HE meant to kill me. I don't know why, but I knew that I was going to die in these woods. HE had come back to finish what HE started so long ago. I heard the footfalls get closer and then they stopped. I bolted away from where I thought HE was and started to panic. I knew HE would be able to catch me whenever HE wanted to and that HE was just toying with me right now, like a cat did with a mouse.

I entered a clearing and the smell of tobacco flitted across my nose and I looked up, sensing a familiar presence nearby. I was so scared I couldn't see anymore. Stumbling, I made it to the middle of the clearing and I slowly turned in a circle, hoping HE wouldn't be able to sneak up on me. I finally lost all hope of being rescued and I fell to my knees. I knew HE would find me and HE would kill me. I waited with the stars as the smell of tobacco found me again and I thought of him. He would have protected me if he had known; he would have protected me if he was there with me. As I heard the footfalls get closer, I started mumbling in fear, a name being repeated on my lips like a prayer in hopes of being saved, Jasper.

As the name continued to fall from my lips, suddenly he was there with his arms wrapped around me, holding me in his arms. I felt safe; I knew he would protect me from HIM. I buried my face in his shoulder, afraid that if I moved he would disappear. I felt Jasper tense as HE joined us in the clearing. Even in his arms I was afraid, now I was afraid that HE would hurt Jasper instead of me. I started to panic again, clutching onto Jasper's shirt.

Just then I felt HIM lunge from behind me.

A/N – so we got to see more into the interactions between Jasper and Bella in this chapter and added in some good fatherly comfort from Carlisle. Alice also made an appearance and told Edward to bugger off. Now I need you guys to tell me what you thought. If you have questions for the characters, ask away, I will get them to answer like they would for LUBM. I look forward to hearing what you guys thought…review review review and there will be a new chapter for you ;-)

There is a FB page for my Twilight fics, it will have updates and such as well as questions from me…just search for Bella & Jasper - Love Under a Blood Moon & Stories

Favorite lines (hard to choose with this chapter –

"Damn, Bells, when did you get so strong?" Jasper hissed.

"Edward, you knew it was going to happen. The Volturi have already said as such from your theatrics in Italy. You set her on this path when you decided to stay with her."