AN: Thank you for all the reviews, I'm amazed at how many the first chapter got. You guys are brilliant. This chapter should answer some of your questions :)

Thanks again to xteamxjasperx for her input.

Chapter Two

And then she opened her eyes.

They were gold. Beautifully, painfully, gold.

"Jasper?" Her startled gasp almost knocked me over. No one had called me that for years, how could she possibly know my name?

And what she was feeling made no sense either. It was mostly shock and confusion, but underneath it, love and relief were rising steadily.

"Is it really you? Tell me this is real, tell me I've found you." She begged.

I was still struggling to get over the shock of her eyes, and I wished she'd shut up. I couldn't convince meself to look away from the eyes that brought back so many memories.

"Who are you?" I ground out.

"I told you, I'm... you know who I am Jasper, just look at me." And I did look, I took in the face that had changed, but was still the same and everything fell into place.

She was the little girl whose death I craved, and here she was, entirely at my mercy. It was fitting that she'd finally got her wish, and become one of our kind, only to be alone. To end up here, to die at my hands.

I stalked towards her trying to calm my rage. I didn't want to waste this opportunity and kill her now, when I could make her death last as long as I liked. Someone had denied me her blood, but they'd given me the chance to break her before she died.

She was babbling on and on about something or other, but I couldn't hear her. All I was interested in was choosing how to start the torture.

I ran my finger from her navel to her neck, then wrapped my fingers around her throat, stopping her from breathing. Confusion again, but she wasn't really frightened now. Perhaps this would be more fun if she understood what was going to happen to her.

I released her throat and stepped back. "Shut up Bella." I spat, and got at least a little satisfaction from how hurt she looked.

"You've been given to me as a pet, and I'll do with you as I see fit. And what I want to do, is to make you beg, and then kill you. Slowly." She still wasn't afraid, only more bewildered.

"What happened Jasper?" She asked.

"You honestly don't know do you?" I sighed, settling back in my chair. This was going to be a long night. "Alice left me because of you. They all left me. This is all I have now. War and women."

She looked down at herself, probably remembering her sate of dress and I smirked. It was a shame she could no longer blush.

"What do you mean; they left you because of me? I haven't seen any of them in fifteen years."

"You got a paper cut. Then you went and sliced your whole arm open. I went with my instincts and tried to drink you. Is this ringing any bells? My family had enough of me and sent me away. A heart warming story, don't you think?"

"They left you too huh?" She said quietly. "I guess neither of us was ever good enough."

"Silly little Bella. Edward always said you were so observant. Idiot. He left you because he loved you. He was trying to keep you safe. That was clearly a mistake." I laughed, enjoying her discomfort. "What happened to you then? It's only fair, I've shared my story."

"It's a long story." She mumbled, hiding her face behind a curtain of hair the way she had as a human.

"We have forever." I reminded her. Reluctantly she began to tell me what had happened over the last decade and a half.

"When he left... I fell apart, I existed, but that was all. Jacob Black put me back together and we became friends, and then a couple. He was a werewolf, part of the Quileute pack. Victoria came after me, in revenge for James' death, a mate for a mate she said." Bella chuckled but her sadness was almost crippling.

"She bit me before Jacob could get to her. Then I was burning, and when my transformation was over I found myself alone in your house. He left me a note asking me to respect the treaty."

I waited for more, but she seemed to think the story was over. "Who trained you? Who helped you learn control, taught you to hunt?"

"No one. I spent the first year close to the house until I thought it was safe enough to travel around humans, then I went to Alaska where I'd hoped to find Edward, but I wasn't welcome there. Seven years ago, I met another nomad, Garrett. He made life... interesting, for a while, but he wanted a mate, and I... I wasn't capable of that, so we parted ways. He should be with the Denali's now if things worked out. I've been looking for you for a long time Jasper."

My anger faltered and almost died completely. I'd ruined her life as much she'd ruined mine. She'd spent most of her existence as a vampire searching for us, and she was as lost and alone as I.

"How do you like what you've found?" I asked sarcastically.

"I don't." She said flatly staring at the floor. "What have you become? You aren't the man I knew. If I'd have been someone else, any other woman, what would you have done? You'd have, you'd have r-raped me wouldn't you?" She stuttered.

"I'd have seduced you." I corrected, there was a huge difference and the distinction was important to me. "There is never a need for force. You'd have begged for my touch."

Her eyes flashed up to meet mine. "I'd beg for death first." She spat.

"We'll see." I laughed and began to use my powers on her. It wasn't the way I usually liked to do things, I never used my gifts for this, but I wanted a quick reaction. I wanted her to know just how powerless she was.

She was panting in seconds, and writhing in her bonds. I had to admit, it was a good look for her. "You bastard." She gasped, only making me add in my own lust to up the dosage.

"Ready to beg yet?" I asked pleasantly.

"... ugh... never..." I was impressed she'd held out this long, really.

A little contact and she'd crack. My hand trailed a slow path between her breasts over her stomach and down to the waistband of her panties.

"Please." She whimpered as I dipped a finger an inch below the waistline and ran it from one side to the other.

I smiled, knowing I was about to win. "Please what, Bella?" I whispered into her ear. "Tell me what you want."

"Please stop." Her voice cracked. Immediately I stopped projecting lust, and was able to feel what she was feeling. Utter terror. I was disgusted with myself. She'd truly thought I was going to attack her, and hadn't I given her every reason to think so? I was just as bad as Lucian after all.

"I'm sorry Bella." I said quietly, soothing her. "I honestly wouldn't have done anything. I'm very sorry I upset you. Please don't be afraid."

I reached up to remove her restraints knowing she'd never be able to calm down while she was still defenceless. As soon as her arms were free she dropped into a crouch and stared up at me warily.

Without taking her eyes off me her fingers worked at the cuffs around her ankles until she was free of them, then she darted around me to crouch in the corner. She'd picked up her shredded dress and was holding it against herself with one arm, the other raised in front of her ready to defend herself.

"I was just trying to get a reaction out of you. You are quite safe from me. I never have, and never will force myself on a woman." I was trying to calm her, but she was making it very difficult. She wasn't quite as frightened now, but for some reason she was indescribably sad.

"Would you like to get cleaned up? The bathroom is just through that door." She glanced at the door then back at me.

"You won't come in?" She said uncertainly.

"You have my word. I won't move from this chair until you come out." I moved slowly towards the dresser so as not to startle her. I'd ruined what appeared to be her only clothing and she'd need something clean to put on after her shower. I found her a t-shirt and some sweats that would be far too big, but they'd do until I could find something else for her to wear.

She snatched the clothes from me and darted into the bathroom, quickly locking the door behind her. I sat in the chair and waited. It took her half an hour to move away from the door, and another forty minutes until she got undressed and turned on the shower.

I felt terrible for making her so afraid. Though it was true that I had spent a great deal of time fantasising about hurting her, in many, many different ways, this wasn't one of them. I knew I had gone too far. I couldn't deny that a part of me had enjoyed her fear, and the way her voice had shook as she'd begged me stop, but the larger, better part of me was disgusted.

I could hear her crying now over the thrum of the water. I supposed the reunion hadn't been quite what she'd expected. She said she'd been looking for us for a long time, and when she'd finally found one of us, she'd been attacked. I'd told her I wanted to kill her.

I couldn't believe how long she'd been looking for us. She must still love Edward. I was intrigued by her mention of Garrett, a man I had heard of from Carlisle a long time ago. I wondered what she'd meant by her inability to be his mate.

From what I understood from what she'd told me, she counted Edward and the wolf as mates, so what had stopped her from giving herself to the nomad? Edward was the only conclusion. I was surprised to find myself angry at her for not giving up on him sooner. I had long ago lost any hope that I would be reunited with Alice.

I was also angry at her for dragging up memories that had been so carefully buried.

I closed my eyes, and for the first time in at least twelve years, thought about my wife.

We had been in Alaska only three days when she had cracked. She'd not said a single word to me since the party, not one sound had passed her lips. I'd tried repeatedly to get her to talk to me, but I couldn't even get her to look me in the eye.

I'd been able to feel every ounce of hatred she was pouring out, and all her sadness at losing her friend, but she wouldn't let me comfort her. Eventually, I'd used my powers to try to lighten her pain, and she'd thrown me across the room.

"Get out!" She'd screamed. I could hear the words playing perfectly in my head. "You've ruined everything. I can't keep fighting to stop you killing. You tried to kill my best friend, my sister, and I've had enough. Edward's left, Bella is broken and our family has been forced to run again."

I'd told her I was sorry, begged her to give me another chance. Told her that I couldn't cope without her, that I'd slip. She'd told me she didn't care.

"Go back to what you know Jasper." She'd whispered. "You always were a killer. I was stupid to believe I could ever make you anything else."

Her last words had haunted me for months, until I'd finally succumbed to the urge for human blood. I hadn't felt a shred of guilt. It was as if Alice had given me permission. As soon as I'd finished my meal, her other words had become clear. So I did as she'd said, I went back to what I knew.

The bathroom door clicked quietly open, and I met the eyes of the girl I had hurt so much, and who had hurt me so badly, thoughts of my past still spinning in my head.

I showered as fast as I could and threw on the clothes he'd given me. I wasn't sure I believed his promise to stay away.

How had this happened? It wasn't supposed to be like this. I should have found the family together and happy. Instead I'd found only Jasper and he wasn't even the Jasper I knew. He'd said he wanted me dead. And I understood why.

My stupid, thoughtless accident had led to his mate leaving him, and his life had completely changed. I wondered how he'd come to be a part of this, coven seemed like the wrong word, establishment was the best I could come up with. If I was a braver person I might ask him what this place was, and what Maria had been talking about earlier.

He said Edward still loved me. That he'd left to keep me safe, but that couldn't be true. Alice must have seen Victoria coming after me, and surely if he wanted to keep me safe he'd have come back and fought for me.

It was almost impossible that Alice hadn't seen what was happening, so the only conclusion was that Edward simply hadn't cared. None of them had. All my dreams withered to nothing as I finally thought about the things I'd locked out of my mind for so long.

I thought about the man waiting outside this room. His appearance was almost nothing like I remembered. He was covered in scars from his jaw to his collar bone, little crescents just like the one I'd had on my hand as a human. How had he got them, and were there more hiding beneath his shirt?

Had he always had them, or were they recent? Maybe my human eyes simply couldn't see them, or perhaps I had, but the memory was no longer there.

I was afraid to leave the room. He'd been remorseful about his actions towards me, or at least he'd looked that way. He could have been acting, and planning to attack me as soon as I left the bathroom. He was drinking humans now, his eyes had told me so quite clearly. He could be just as evil as James and Victoria. On the other hand, he could be telling the truth, I suppose I had provoked him a bit, and he had stopped as soon as I'd asked him to. He'd also let me out of those restraints.

I'd just have to risk it and hope for the best, if I stayed in here much longer he'd probably come and drag me out. It took me another seventeen minutes and thirty two seconds to open the door.

He was sitting in the chair, as he'd promised he would and he looked as broken as I felt. His eyes were full of shame as they met mine, and I knew that he wouldn't hurt me.

"Put your shoes on and I'll get you out of here." He ordered.

"Get me out?" I panicked. "I've only just found you. Please don't make me leave."

He straightened up in his chair. "You want to stay?" He questioned. "This isn't a good place for you."

"I don't care. I've been on my own too long. I'm sick to death of making plans and looking for people who obviously don't care about me. I'm sick of running. Let me stay." I begged.

"You don't know what you're asking."

"Tell me then. What is this place? Why do you need newborns. Who is Maria?" I knew sounded angry, but I wasn't, I was just trying to hide how desperate I was to stay. To finally belong somewhere.

He sighed and sank back in his chair, he looked like he was in pain.

He told me his story, beginning it long before he was born. His voice remained clinical, detached, as if he was telling me about someone else's life. I learnt that Maria was the woman that had changed him, and the horror his life had been before he'd escaped with Peter and Charlotte. I'd met them a year ago, but I didn't interrupt to tell him that.

No emotions crossed his face at all, even when he got to the part about meeting Alice.

"When Alice left me, or asked me to leave, I should say, I came back here, to the only place I was certain I'd be welcome. Maria was wary at first, but pleased to have me back, and I've earned her trust again. We currently hold Texas, and I believe Maria has plans to take Mexico at some point."

"Now you see why you have to leave. If you stayed here, you'll be as damaged as me, inside and out, within a year. You're not cut out for this life Bella."

"And you are?" I countered. "You're not happy here, but you're surviving. I'm good at that, I'd rather be unhappy here with you than alone again."

"You couldn't live this life, Bella. Do you honestly think you can watch while we turn people in vampires, only to send them to their deaths within a year?" He snapped and I tried not to flinch. "Can you listen to their screams as they burn? You wouldn't even be able to defend yourself against them, they'd rip you apart."

"Teach me then. You could teach me to fight couldn't you? I'm a fast learner." If war was his life, as he'd said, surely he wouldn't turn down a willing pupil.

"Why would I waste my time? I don't want you to stay Bella." He sneered and I had to fight not to cry. No one wanted me, not even someone as damaged and obviously lonely as Jasper.

I wrapped my arms around myself, just as I had as a human, hoping to close the chasm of pain inside me before he felt it. I couldn't give up now, and there was no way I could ever convince him to let me stay if he knew how broken I was.

"I can help you. I'll do whatever you want, keep things tidy, wash your clothes. I could find a job or two so I wouldn't be in your way." I pleaded. I knew how worthless my offers were to him. He didn't need me at all. I was the one that needed him, and I had nothing to bargain with.

"If I decide to let you stay, you'll do whatever I tell you to." He smirked. "I distinctly remember telling you that you were mine to do with as I wished. But perhaps you'd like a tour first, before we make a decision. Maybe you'd like to see the life that might await you."

I bit back any comments about belonging to myself. I was willing to do whatever it took to have somewhere to belong again. I briefly wondered how bad a life here would be. The Jasper that had taken me to Phoenix had been kind, but reserved. The Jasper before me was outspoken, harsh and needlessly cruel. I dreaded what awaited me, but I was more afraid of being alone again.

I kept my eyes on him as I tied a knot in the side of the pants to keep them up, and joined him at the door. He placed his hand on the small of my back, and I was assaulted by a memory of him doing the same thing in the airport so long ago. He dropped his hand immediately and scowled, as if he knew what I was thinking about.

Shoving me in front of him he locked the door behind us, and then pushed me down the corridor. The floor was smooth and worn beneath my bare feet, but damp and cold. I was grateful for my vampire skin and remained unbothered by the temperature. The air was cool and fresh, much different from the air at street level which seemed permanently baked by the hot Texan sun.

As we moved further, down more sets of stairs, the scents of vampires got stronger, until they were so strong it was almost uncomfortable. "Where are we going?" I asked fearfully.

He gave me another hard shove before he spoke, and I almost fell this time, only my quick reflexes saved me. "I'm taking you to the pit."

"What's the pit?" It couldn't be good, the amount of venom in the air made it bitter, I'd never smelt anything like it.

"You'll see." He chuckled mirthlessly.

Finally, we entered a large open room. The floor in the middle was sunken to form a pit of about fifty feet square. The sounds registered first, the snarling, snapping and keening that announced vampires fighting. I looked around for the source of the noise and saw two partially clothed men tearing at each other at the other side of the room. A few feet from them another was chained to the wall, struggling wildly against his restraints.

I counted eight in the room, seven of them on the lower level, and one surveying them from above. I was shocked to notice two of them openly having sex, and even more horrified to realise that the woman was actually struggling vainly to get out from under the man.

"Help her." I cried, directing Jasper's gaze towards the couple.

"Why?" He asked, shrugging. I couldn't believe he could stand there allowing that to happen.

"Fine." I growled. "I'll do it"." I jumped lightly over the low railing, but Jasper followed me and shoved me against the wall before I even had time to take step towards the poor woman.

"Think very carefully before you do that." He snarled into my face. "If you pull him off her, he'll just take what he wants from you. He has twice your strength, you won't be able to stop him, and I don't care enough to come to your rescue."

Jasper's hands were gripping my arms so hard it was painful, but he could have let me go, my fear froze me in place. I tore my gaze from the woman's anguished face to look up into his cold dark eyes and trembled.

I was ashamed that I didn't have the strength to help her, or the courage to try anyway.

"It will be over soon." Jasper whispered softly, as if that would make things better. He released me and moved to stand at my side.

Sure enough, a minute later, the huge male got up and wandered across the room as if nothing had happened. The man I'd seen on the catwalk above leapt down into the pit and picked up the sobbing woman, who had curled up in a ball, pulling her knees to her chest.

He approached us with her in his arms, grinning maliciously over her head. "Major." He nodded at Jasper. "This one's done. Might I be excused to dispose of her?"

Jasper sighed. "Ten minutes, Lucian. I've got things to do, don't keep me waiting."

Lucian grinned again and sped from the room.

"What did he mean? Dispose of her? Is he letting her go?" I wondered aloud.

"No." Jasper said sharply. "He's going to kill her. She's useless now, she couldn't even fight that one off and he's nine months old. She's too old, so he's going to get rid of her."

"And you've just let him? How can you be so callous? You stood by while that monster raped her, and now you've sent her off to be slaughtered. What did she do to deserve that?" I could hardly take it in. Only knowing I was unable to sleep told me that this wasn't a nightmare. This was real.

"She lived too long." He spat. "She was just a soldier Bella, nothing more, nothing less."

"She was also a woman, she was a person, and she was terrified, even I could see that, couldn't you feel it?"

"Yes I could feel it. I feel everything. You need to get used to this, they are not people anymore, they are pawns, irrational, dangerous pawns. Next time, I'll let you try to help, and we'll see how fond of them you are when you're trying to piece yourself and your dignity back together."

I couldn't see them as anything other than people though. I remembered the horror of my first year. The fear that was almost constant as I found out what I had become, what I was capable of. The shame and guilt of my first hunt, the inability to do such simple things as dress myself without tearing my clothes to shreds or crushing buttons to powder.

These young vampires had been changed and taught to fight, as far as I knew, they hadn't even known vampires existed until the day they'd died. And they'd woken up to what could only be described as a truly horrifying existence.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if that woman welcomed the death that awaited her. I know I would. From Jasper's reaction to the situation, it seemed that acts of brutality like the one I'd just witnessed were commonplace.

I knew that I couldn't stay here.

A strange mixture of fear and calm surged within me, and I turned to see what Jasper was doing. "Enough." He bellowed at the men that were still fighting. "Pick yourselves up and separate."

The men scuffled for a few more seconds before giving up and doing as he asked. Why couldn't he have done that earlier?

"I want to leave." I told him carefully. It shouldn't be a problem, given that he'd brought me down here mainly to convince me that staying in this place was a bad idea. "You were right. I can't do it."

The thought of leaving, of being alone again, was awful. But this was worse. I couldn't bear to spend another hour in this place, let alone a lifetime. Staying here would kill what little spirit I had left.

Jasper ignored me and continued to watch over the now silent newborns. I didn't want to see any more of them, so I stared down at the floor. Concrete, pitted and dented in places with impressions of the vampires that had fallen, or more likely, been thrown there.

Underneath the heavy scent of venom was old, dried, blood. In places, it stained the dirty floor, and I tried not to imagine feeding time in this hell hole.

Lucian, the vampire who'd called Jasper 'Major' earlier stalked back into the room, a satisfied smirk on his face. He came straight to us, ignoring Jasper this time, and addressing me.

"Who might you be?" He purred. I hated him already.

"Isabella."

He licked his lips as his eyes raked over me. I shuddered, but forced myself not to step behind Jasper as I wanted to.

"Are you keeping her?" He asked, turning to Jasper now.

I waited for his answer with as much curiosity as Lucian. "I haven't decided yet." He said guardedly.

"Maria said I could have her when you were done." Lucian grinned. "Don't mess her up too much, eh? I like the look of this one, pretty eyes."

"Maria says a lot of things." Jasper snapped grabbing my wrist and pulling me behind him. "Keep an eye on things; I don't want any more lost tonight."

He dragged me quickly out of the room and along the passages that led to his bedroom.

"I've changed my mind." He said, pushing me onto the bed. "I'm going to keep you."

I scrambled off the bed and to the door, but he was blocking it before I reached it. I'd sparred with Garrett, but it had always been in fun, I'd never needed to fight for real before, but there was a first time for everything.

I launched myself at him, hoping surprise would give me an edge, but he flicked me away easily, and when I got up he was still standing at the door as if I hadn't touched him at all.

Crouching, I feinted to the left before springing at him this time, and I managed to knock him to the side, but he took me with him and pinned me to the ground.

He held my wrists securely with one hand, the other fisted in my hair to pull my head to the side while his knees trapped my thighs. He had me immobilized completely and his teeth were millimetres from my throat.

I may as well have been human for all the good my strength did me like this. I kept totally still. "Are you going to be a good girl? Or will I have to spoil that lovely neck?" He whispered.

I swallowed my fear. "I'll be good." I whimpered. All I need to do was wait until he was distracted and then I'd run.

He reared back to look at me, and I was grateful for the distance between his teeth and my skin. His eyes were almost black as he stared down at me, and I felt some remnant of the worry I'd always had whenever Edward's eyes were dark.

He sat back, straddling my hips. "Let me see... what shall I make you do first?"

I panicked and tried to buck him off me. His low growl rumbled through me as he ground his hips against mine. "Oh." He purred. "Do it again."

I realised I was powerless, entirely at his mercy, and once again I was paralysed by fear. "I-I'm sorry." I gabbled. "I'll behave, j-just please don't..." I was pathetic, and too afraid to care.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. I need to hunt, and so do you."

That was perfect, if I could get out of this building I could get away easily.

"I don't think so. Don't feel too pleased. You won't be coming." He chuckled. I was soon against the wall again, trapped by those impossibly strong chains. I knew struggling was futile.

"Don't look at me like that. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"I won't eat human, Jasper." I reminded him quickly. I doubted he'd make the effort to find me an animal, but I refused to take a human life. I'd rather starve.

He left without a word and I struggled to calm myself down. I was alone again, in what was now my prison.

AN: So... Do you still like Jasper? Did I answer some of your questions? Or have I left you even more confused?