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Stepping out of the hot shower, I sensed his presence in my adjoining bedroom before I even opened the door. I had no idea what he could possibly want, and I honestly didn't care. I needed to hunt and I wanted to return before the gathering crowds outside became too large. I hated crowds these days, preferring instead to lose myself in solitude and strategic warfare. Frustrated, I slipped on my pants and threw on my shirt, not even taking the time to button it.

"Aro" I acknowledged as I entered my chamber.

He watched me with an amused expression plastered across his face. "Showering before you hunt, Jasper?"

"I wanted to ensure the previous encounter was completely washed away before I continued my evening."

He nodded his head in understanding. "Ah, young Jasper. It is okay to mourn the loss of your family, particularly after seeing two of them last night."

"I have nothing to mourn." I knew he hated the cold tone to my voice, but I didn't care. I just wanted to leave.

"But you do, Jasper, you surely do." Trying to end the conversation, I turned my back on him and I heard him sigh in frustration. "I do offer my humble apologies for your two visitors."

"There's no need, Aro. The mission was completed."

"Yes, it was. And, I trust it was not too hard for you."

"No." My answer was cold and harsh but I did not feel sorry for it. Hell, I didn't feel period and Aro knew that.

"Do you not realize that you are losing a little more of yourself everyday?"

"Aro," I turned to face him, my eyes dark and cold. "Are you unhappy with my work here?"

"No."

"Then what the hell do you want from me?" Although I may not have felt it, I knew he could see the frustration in my body. I just wanted to hunt and return to the seclusion of my room.

"Watch out, Jasper. You might actually feel that frustration painted all over you."

I growled at him as he responded by laughing at me.

"Go hunt, Jasper. Come to my chamber when you are in a better mood."

"My mood doesn't change."

"I know, my son. I know." He whispered quietly as he left my room.

Without a second thought, I turned to my window and leapt forcefully from the room needing to escape the suffocation thrust upon me from the moment I returned to Volterra. Landing amidst the people on the ground I immediately started running before they could even sense my presence.

And so I began my hunt. Racing across the terrain, I lost myself to the predator within searching for my next kill, aching to trade their life's blood for my own. I closed my eyes when the scent I desired finally hit me. Without hesitation I sought it, smiling as I realized the large number before me; it was unusual for so many to be together in this isolated place, but I was going to take advantage of it. Swiftly I snapped twelve necks before a sense of urgency could weave among the group causing panic and fleeing. Classic fight or flight. I knew the moment that sense reached them because a stampede of sorts began as the others raced to save themselves from the unknown threat.

With the ensuing silence that followed the stampede, I feasted. I drowned myself in the blood laid at my feet, relishing in the smooth richness as it coated my throat and surged strength through my body. This is what I needed today. I needed to lose myself in this moment, swallowing any potential emotion that even thought of forcing itself through my barrier as I swallowed the blood.

An hour later I wandered into Aro's chamber, clean, sated, and once again devoid of any emotions which was exactly the way I preferred to feel.

"Jasper, come in," Aro called sensing my presence. I stepped through the ornate door and noticed the relief that flooded his eyes. He was worried about me.

"Aro," I acknowledged, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind me. I knew others outside of Volterra, and even inside, had their own opinions of Aro, not all good ones. However, I also knew that he cared for me, the way Carlisle cared about his family, and I knew that he would do anything for me.

He sniffed the air around him before opening his eyes and staring into mine. "Really, Jasper. Again?" You know we do have better delicacies around here than that."

I smiled as I sat, my golden eyes swimming hi his laughter. 'The native Tuscany wild boars are a favorite of mine. Don't knock it until you try it."

His ancient melodic laughter filled the room. "I don't think I'll be trying it anytime soon, Jasper. It's bad enough that the leader of my enforcement squad struts around with golden eyes; I don't think it would be well received it if I did as well."

"You know my stand on the subject."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "I do. You have been nothing but honest regarding your intentions on the subject."

"I won't kill for you, Aro, whether the life is human or vampire." This had been a part of my initial conversation when I first came to Volterra.

"Yet, you blur the line every time you plan one of your masterpiece missions."

"Yes, I may blur the line as you say; but, I will not physically end a life." This was a decision I held fast to, one that I made the moment I left, was forced from, my former life. True killing required sensory enjoyment; I did not kill for enjoyment but for sustenance.

"When did you indulge last though?"

I looked at him warily. Normally, Aro did not pay much attention to, or even seem to care about, my feeding habits. "Before we left for Africa," I answered.

"Are you in total control then?" I knew he was referring to my emotions as well as my hunger and I knew in that instant he had another mission for me.

"Where?" I asked as he smiled at my perceptiveness. The venom and stolen blood surged through my veins mimicking the heightened pulse a human would feel anticipating something and I found myself momentarily thinking of Bella. Her heart was as telling as the rest of her expressions, always racing in the anticipation of being near my idiotic brother as he attempted to appease her longings. Edward had been foolish enough to think he could placate her forever with minor touches and chaste kisses.

"Ah, my gifted one," Aro broke through my thoughts.

"I'm not gifted." I glared at him. And I wasn't, having learned to control the gift. I had enough of giftedness: mind-reading that stole your thoughts and didn't even work when you screamed at the person in your own mind, future-telling that offered no help in a moment that required more help than ever before, and empathy that paralyzed you. Stupid gifts.

"I was referring to your intuition that I had somewhere new for you to travel."

"So again, I ask where?"

Aro watched me closely, and I had to wonder what he needed done that he would be so wary of me. "Back to your roots, my son."

"No."

"Jasper, I need you to go to Texas."

"Maria." It was simple. There was only one reason he would need someone in Texas, and she would be the only thing he would be cautious of me being involved with.

"Yes, she has become quite troublesome. But, I'm not ready for her to be destroyed yet."

"Then why me? Surely you don't intend for me to try and work with her again to provide you with information."

"Of course not. Plus, she would never accept you back now. Your affiliation with the Volturri, in just these few years, has become quite legendary. No, Jasper, I need someone I can trust to go to Houston and monitor the situation. There is more than your creator at work down there. My reports have been sketchy but it seems we may have some interference from someone other than us. I need you to give me an honest assessment."

"Of course. I'll leave tonight."

"Excellent, Dimitri has all of the information you need. All of the arrangements have been made."

"Is he going with me?"

"No, I need him here. There will be another contact in Houston when you arrive." I turned to leave needing to pack a few necessities

"Oh, and Jasper. Start your search with nightclubs. Our information indicates she has been recruiting there."

Twenty-four hours later, I was sitting in my second night club of the evening. Typically, I hated clubs, but this one was different. Country music filtered through the air, strains of songs that I had not heard in years. For once, there was no bumping and grinding, just the flow of couples gliding around the floor. I knew Maria would be here. Despite the fact that Maria always enjoyed clubs like this, there was something undeniably strong about the men and women typically in places like this.

I scanned the room constantly, looking for anything out of the ordinary. There were several vampires in the club, but that was not necessarily anything unusual. So, I waited. Sitting in the corner, watching everything going on reminded me once again reminded of why I was glad to have learned to control my emotional gift. Typically, the lust and longing would filter past me, fogging my own mind, and filling my senses. Not tonight though, I would not lose myself among the crowd and my feelings tonight.

I watched the group of young vampires begin circling a small corner of the room. They were not exactly newborns, but they were still extremely young. I did not want any sort of problems tonight. First and foremost, I did not want to expose my position. Maria would sense my presence before long and I wanted at least a few days to observe what exactly was going on. But, there were also too many people in this room and it would be way too easy to draw attention to our world. People in Texas were not like those in Volterra; they would not so easily dismiss the unusual they saw around them.

As I reached closer though, several scents hit me all at once. I smelled their venom; they were ready to capture their prey but several of them were bordering being out of control. I smirked at how careless Maria was being to send such young vampires into a place like this. Obviously she had never found anyone to replace the strategic planning I offered her. I also smelled the humans around them, searching for the one they were hunting, scanning the area and planning my escape if need be. That is when it hit me.

It was freesia, lavender, and a hint of jasmine, the one combination that could belong to no one but her.

It was Bella. I saw her as she saw them, her body tensing as she recognized them for what they were.

I was fucked. It was bad enough to watch this group of young vampires hunt nameless humans in a crowded area, but to think of them hunting her…I shut myself off, preparing for the exit strategy that would take me and her out of here.

And then they moved. The door in the back corner opened and closed in a flash, separating the rest in the club from the world of night. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I found the nearest window and stole through it towards the back alley.

Bella was standing in the middle of the three vampires, her eyes constantly scanning the area as they circled around her. I sucked in a non-needed breath, tasting the charged air around me. There would be a fight tonight, a fight that I did not want to participate in. But, there was a part of me that couldn't stand by and watch her life end. I prepared to step in as her voice hit me.

"I've told you boys before to stay away from here," she admonished, her hand resting on her back hip, fingers inching towards her back pocket.

"Now, come on Miss Bella," one of the older ones replied. "You don't need to be like this."

"How many messages do I need to send back to that leader of yours? She is not welcome in this town, you are not welcome here. How many rules does she need to break before she unleashes the hell of the Volturri on all of you?"

I was stunned. Not only was Bella quickly approaching a fighting stance with these vampires, but this was clearly a situation in which she was completely comfortable. And, fuck me, she knew about the Volturri. I knew the family had never really discussed the group with Bella and I doubted Edward had told her about the realties of the ancient group as well.

"They haven't shown up yet," A sneering voice brought me back to the reality of the moment.

"It's only a matter of time. Really, John. I would have though you were smarter than this. Isn't that why she chose you? I realize that she may not have told you everything they are capable of, but I sure as hell have. Now leave!" She ordered.

I was stunned. There was no way this was real. She was human still; there was no doubt about this. But, there was an air of maturity and strength that she steeled herself with. This was not the teenage child I had last seen in Forks.

And, then it started. One of the younger, less controlled of the group lunged at her. It was three to one, but it was not a fair fight. A battle between three vampires and one human could only have one outcome and it would not be good for Bella. But, I could not move. Something grounded me as I watched her grasp the object she had hidden in her back pocket, swinging it in front of her in one swift motion, the object growing in length. Before it was over, I realized Bella had spun around, swinging the now obvious blade with her in the turn, effectively decapitating the monster.

Silence filled the alley as she turned to face the other two with her. "Now, John. It doesn't have to keep turning out like this. Stay out of my town. Tell Maria to stop drawing attention to yourselves. Make no mistake. I know Aro, he will not stay out of this much longer." Her blade glinted menacingly in the night, the city lights reflecting off of it.

He growled at her then, glancing at the ground towards his companion. I noticed then that they body was not searching for its head like it should have been. None of this made sense. As he took a step towards her, I noticed her hand tighten imperceptibly on the handle of the mysterious blade.

"We'll leave for tonight, Miss Bella. But, make no mistake. We will return and eventually we will find a way to stop you."

"No, you won't. Take this piece of crap with you and dispose of the body. You do still remember how to do that, right? It's not like there's more than one for you to deal with again tonight," she replied stepping away from him as he and his other companion grabbed the body and disappeared into the night.

I couldn't believe it. In a way that made no sense to me, Bella had just announced the death of the already dead vampire in front of her. She possessed authority and strength and she took them on. In that moment, she was probably the hottest thing I had ever seen. And then, she turned to me.

Slowly, ever so painstakingly slow, she walked towards me her dark hair flowing long behind her and my eyes drank her in. Just because I refused to feel anything did not mean I couldn't appreciate the sight in front of me.

"Jasper," she whispered, staring into my eyes. I watched confusion flood through hers as she gazed into mine and for some reason, I knew she was expecting to see red ones looking back at her.

"Bella," I called, her name a whisper on my lips.

"Go back to Italy, Jasper," she ordered, surprising me. "You aren't needed here."

With that, she pressed the blade back into a small unit and into her pocket as she walked back into club.

Oh, hell no. There is no way I was leaving now! I have orders to follow and I will follow them. Watch, observe, report back. Simple. That is all I will do, but I will not leave.