I do not own Twilight and right now I'm thankful for that because honestly I could even begin to decide who I would want the main couple to be. Of course one would be Bella, but y'all know my loyalty does not lie with only one leading lady. Like Tanya and Bella would make a great couple, but so would Bella and Rosalie! Wait!...let me bring it back… This is Bella and Jane let's focus people! On with the story!
Alec's P.O.V.
I already know that my Masters aren't going to be happy with me when I inform them of the condition we discovered Bella in. The whole point of us even going to Forks was to prevent something like this from happening. Of course I can't tell Jane that right now or she would have my head on a silver platter.
"Masters," I bow upon entering the throne room. I'm pretty sure thanks to the other guards who are unable to hold their tongues they already knows how our mission went without even having to touch my hand.
"Where is Isabella? Is she okay?" For some reason unknown to me Queen Sulpicia has taken an almost obsessive interest in Bella.
"Unfortunately we were too late to stop Edward. Isabella was severely beaten and pretty much dying. Luckily Jane was able to bite her just in time to save her life, but it was against Isabella's will. I'm sorry to tell you this but I'm pretty sure our source was correct. She has lived such a horrible life that she begged Jane to just let her die." I can see that my answer angered Sulpicia the most.
"Where is Isabella right now?" Marcus asks with a bit more bite in his tone than usual. I can see that he isn't pleased with my answer either.
"Currently she is with Jane in her living quarters. I felt like it was in everyone's best interest if Jane had some alone time with Isabella. She hasn't been in the best mood since finding her, and it's best for everybody's safety if she stays there." I can see that Sulpicia wants to protest, but she knows that Jane will be extremely territorial right now. Any of us trying to force our presence on either of them will surely lead to a fight.
"Mistress Sulpicia, if you don't mind my asking, why was this mission such a secret? Why do you seem to care for Isabella so much? I don't believe you have ever met her." I see a faint smile grace her face as she looks at me with amusement.
"Isabella is my several times over great granddaughter. After I was changed I, of course, had to leave my family behind, but I did my best to keep track of them. While you and Jane were gone, our source sent me a picture of little Isabella. She looks just like her grandmother, who happens to look a lot like me." I can honestly say that I did not see that coming.
"So are you planning on welcoming Isabella into the family?" I ask, wanting to have confirmation before we even attempt to bring this information to Jane. She's been known to lash out without having the full facts.
"Aro and I fully intend on making Isabella apart of the family, but we'll see how things go in the next few weeks. If what we heard is correct she probably won't be interested in entering another vampire family. The last thing I want to do is make her uncomfortable." I can see that Sulpicia is hopeful that Bella will want to stay here with us.
"I have little doubt that we will all have our work cut out for us. From what little I saw, Isabella is covered in many scars that no doubt hold many tragic stories behind them. We won't know for sure just how much damage was caused until she wakes up." All of the royals collectively release a fierce growl that would frighten even the most lethal vampire.
"I swear that the next time I see those Cullen's I'm going to kill them in the most slow and painful way that I can possibly imagine, saving Edward for last, of course." Caius says showing his darker, more twisted side.
"I'm sorry Master Caius, but I think you're going to have to get behind Jane for that position. I have yet to inform her that it was Edward that hurt Isabella because I knew she would want to go after him while we were still close. I'm positive that once she knows she's going to want to track all of the Cullen's down and kill them one by one for what they have allowed to happen." I shake my head as I remember how I could have lost an arm dealing with my dear sister.
"So Jane is already very protective of little Isabella. That's good. I'm happy my granddaughter has such a strong and capable mate." Protective isn't exactly the word I would use to describe Jane. Crazy, bloodthirsty, twisted, etc., but, of course, I'm the same way.
"I'm sure Isabella will have Jane wrapped around her finger in no time if she's not already." I couldn't resist telling them what happened on the plane because even by my standards, it was sweet.
"What has happened that would make you believe that she already is?" Aro asks as he slides to the edge of his seat. He is always in the mood for some interesting facts and tidbits.
"After we had loaded Isabella on the plane Jane had a small heart to heart with her. She said and I quote: 'I know you have no reason to believe me, but from this day forward I swear I will kill anybody who even thinks about harming a hair on your beautiful head.'" All of the Royals look highly amused by this piece of information.
"I'm glad Jane is effortlessly adjusting to their mating bond." Aro says with a faint smile. I know he has also thought of Jane and I like children to him in a way. He was very happy when I found Heidi.
"I feel as though I should warn you. Jane and I have discussed this, and we believe it is in Isabella's best interest if she doesn't know that she and Jane are mated. I will admit it was my idea because we do not know what kinds of lies Edward and the other Cullen's have been telling her. She could probably use a friend more than a mate for right now." Again another collective round of growls is released.
"Aro, I believe that after hearing of this transgression, it is in our best interest to reevaluate the kind of company that we keep. Carlisle and the majority of his family have been nothing but a massive disappointment, especially Edward." Marcus says, practically spitting out Edward's name with nothing but pure disgust.
"I believe you are correct, Marcus." Aro says as he shakes his head in remorse. "Carlisle was always so nice and caring, but clearly that temperament did not transfer over to his eldest son." I don't need Jasper's empathic ability to see that Aro is hurt by Carlisle lack of concern for Bella's safety and wellbeing.
Our meeting is interrupted by Demetri as he bursts into the throne room, frantically looking for me. "Alec, Jane needs you. She says it's urgent regarding her mate." I see the Royals have not mentioned Bella to any of the other guards yet.
"I'll be right now Demetri." I say in a clipped tone letting him know that he needs to leave right now.
Once the door is closed I turn to address my Masters once again. "I will report back to all of you when I find out what's wrong with Bella." I can see that they don't like my answer, but they accept it anyway.
I bow again as I take my leave, quickly running to Jane's room. What could possibly be wrong with Bella? She's supposed to be in the middle of her transformation.
I knock quickly as I walk into Jane's room and see Bella sitting against the headboard. What the hell? Before I even have time to process the fact that Bella's awake and still has a heartbeat Jane's rattling off a list of things she'll need to help tend to Bella's injuries. Just as quick as I entered I was being shoved out the door with an actual list of supplies in my hand.
Jane's P.O.V.
I lean back against my door as I look at Bella. I can see that she's uncomfortable, but I can't tell if that's from her injuries or if it's because she's in an unfamiliar setting.
"I'm sure Alec will be back soon. Would you like to talk while he's gone or would you prefer to wait until later?" I don't know why I feel so nervous, but I can't help it. It's not every day you meet your mate. It's also not every day you have to turn your mate, who then wakes up during said transformation.
"I'm okay with talking now, but is it okay if I stay on the bed? I don't think my leg can handle my weight right now." Bella says softly with fear. Does she think I would actually make her get up?
"Of course, please stay where you are. I want you to be comfortable." I say as I move to the other side of the bed. "Is it okay if I sit next to you? I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything, so if it's not okay I can just pull up a chair or something." I'm cut off by Bella's adorable laugh.
"Never thought I'd see the day when a human drinker was nervous. I'm pretty sure I'm the one who should be nervous, not you. I am the one in a foreign country with no plausible way to escape if you or somebody here decides to kill me." I release a fierce growl as the thought of somebody else harming my Bella crosses my mind.
I quickly stop when I see Bella's muscles lock up. Dammit I didn't mean to scare her. "I'm sorry Isabella. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just not fond of the thought of somebody hurting you. Nobody here will hurt you either I can guarantee that." I sigh as she nods her head stiffly.
"After I prefer Bella, if you don't mind." She mumbles softly as she looks down at her hands. "I still don't understand why you care so much. I can barely count on one hand how many people actually do care about me and they've known me far longer than you." Bella practically growls. I can see that she does have some vampire instincts like self-preservation, but it's likely she had that before I tried transforming her.
"I can see why you would question my motives behind caring, but honestly all I can say is that I feel a connection to you. I'm not asking you to trust me immediately, but I would appreciate it if you at least gave me a chance to try to be your friend." I watch as Bella eyes me suspiciously before slowly nodding her head.
"I don't think I've ever really had a friend…...I mean Emmett and Alice were always nice to me, and Esme tried her best. I guess at the end their loyalties were always with him…." I see Bella try to curl herself into a ball as the light fades from her eyes. I can tell she's becoming lost in her thoughts and I can't let that happen right now.
"I can't say I've ever had a friend either remember, but hey it's worth a shot don't you think? Besides I'm your caretaker until you're all better so you're kind of stuck with me. I hope that's okay." The last thing I want is for Bella to feel like a prisoner.
"You seem to be pretty nice. I find it hard to believe that you don't have friends. Is there something in particular that you want from me?" Bella asks giving me a skeptical look.
"Do I really have to have a reason to be nice to you?" I hear Bella release a dark chuckle as she looks at the door in front of my bed. I watch as her eyes darken again as I see memories start to take over.
"Most people I knew treated me like I was less than the dirt at the bottom of their shoes, and that's only if they bothered to acknowledge my presence in the first place. So yes, I do find it hard pressed to believe you're going to continue to be nice to me without some kind of motive behind it." Bella says in a hardened tone. Has her life really been that bad?
I don't really know what to say at this point so I just decide to allow silence to envelope us for the time being. I watch as different emotions play out across Bella's beautiful face as she continues to go deeper into her thoughts.
"You know my life wasn't that great either. Actually that's the understatement of the century. By the age of 16 my twin brother Alec and I were almost burned at the stake for being witches. Aro was about to save us. Before that I spent my whole life being called a freak by my parents and villagers. From that you can conclude that I never had friends, or really knew how to interact with others." I look over and see Bella giving me a thoughtful look that I can't really decipher.
"It sounds like we have more in common than I thought." She releases a dark chuckle before she goes back to staring at the wall. I think changing the subject is the best chance I have of pulling her out of her head.
"How about we not worry about that for now? Let's just focus on getting you better for now. Speaking of which, how are you feeling? Do you feel any differently?" I ask with genuine curiosity.
"Now that you mention it I do feel kind of weird. It's like my vision is more clear, and I think can hear better than I remember. Why? What did you do to me?" Bella growls as she shoots me a vicious glare.
"When Alec and I found you in the woods you were dying. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you die. So I bit you and brought you back to Italy with us." I look into her eyes, but I can't seem to get a good gauge on her emotions right now.
"I thought going through the transformation was supposed to heal any and all injuries I had while human? I don't feel very much like a vampire and my leg and side are still killing me." I resist the urge to reach out and pull her into my arms, but I doubt she would respond well to that.
"That's the thing, for some reason you woke up during the transformation. It seems like my venom only healed you enough so that you wouldn't die and it appears to have enhanced your senses, but other than that I have no clue what happened. I've never heard of this happening before so I'm just as lost as you are." I watch as a pain filled frown appears on her face.
"Of course, I'm such a failure I can't even transform into a vampire right." Bella says with a dark chuckle.
"Please don't say that Bella. I'm sure we'll figure out what happened. How about for now we just worry about getting you healed and back on your feet?" I say, trying to pull her out of her dark thoughts. It's amazing how much I'm contradicting myself right now. I'm usually all for dark thoughts, but not when it comes to Bella.
"Would it be okay if I tried to take a nap or something while we wait for Alec to get back? I'm not really up for talking anymore." I try to keep the disappointment off my face.
"Of course Bella, would you like me to leave you alone for a while?" I really want to stay, but if she wants me to leave I will respect her wishes.
"If you don't mind, I just feel like there's so much for me to process right now." I nod silently as I stand up and start heading towards my door.
"If you need me don't hesitate to call for me. I'll be here as soon as I possibly can. Also, please don't feel like you have to worry. Not a single soul in this castle will cause you harm, they fear me way too much." I could practically hit myself at how stupid I sound. Why did I have to keep talking? Please don't ask me what I mean by that.
"Okay and thank you Jane. You've been very nice to me." She sounds very robotic and stiff when she said that.
I turn around to face her and with as much emotion as I can I decide to embarrass myself some more. "There are very few people I will willingly be nice to you and you will always be at the top of that list Bella." I quickly run out of my room before she has time to reply.
This story is coming along rather nicely if I do say so myself, but it's time to add some turbulence don't y'all think? Even if y'all don't too bad! 'Tis my story and I'm ready for Jane to go a little batshit crazy.
Also you will notice that while Alec was in the Throne Room out loud he would refer to her as Isabella, but in his private thoughts he would call her Bella. It's a thing of respect. I'll be sure to explain it more later.