Chapter Four

JPOV:

We needed to come up with a battle plan and fast. Alice said Malia was on her way, and we didn't know how to face her. In all my combat experience I had never felt so unprepared before. This was new territory for any of us, and I didn't like it.

There was no way that I would allow the family to face Malia because of me. It was bad enough that I had to deal with a haywire power, but could Alice or Edward deal with it? They were my family, and I needed to protect them.

I shifted Bella in my arms, and held her against my chest. I think it was more for my comfort than hers. She just sighed, and wrapped her arms around me. She was trying to keep me safe from the demons inside me, and I needed to keep her safe from the demon that was hunting me.

I needed to do something.

I made up my mind, I needed to leave the family. I could face Malia alone if I needed to. It would be easy. All I would have to do is slip out while Bella was at school with Emmett and Peter. Peter would make sure that Bella was safe. Since they had found out they were related, they seemed to take to each other like peas and carrots - or whatever that meant.

I never understood food analogies. But I digress.

With Carmen, Eleazar, and Rose being away on some secret trip, it would be fairly easy to sneak out. I would only have to get past Alice, and as long as I didn't make any decisions and kept making last minute moves, I wouldn't place anyone of my family in danger.

"Jasper, what are you thinking," Bella asked biting her lip. She was straddling my legs, and rubbing circles on the back of my hand. It was a nice soothing motion.

"Don't you fucking even think about it," Edward yelled from somewhere in the house. I had forgotten to block my thoughts from him. Fuck.

"What is he talking about Jazzy?" Alice asked.

"Nothing," I replied quickly. They didn't need to know about the thoughts I was having.

"Jasper," Bella warned quietly in my arms, calling me out on my bullshit.

"Why don't we all congregate in the living room," Carlisle suggested, walking by the bedroom door. "We need to talk about the newest developments. Esme made Bella some coffee."

Alice skipped out after Carlisle leaving Bella and me alone for a couple of minutes.

"Are you sore? I'm sorry for knocking you on the ground." It was an accident, and I felt really bad about that.

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine, probably will have a little bruise on my back, but what else is new." She rubbed her back with her free hand. Sure enough, there was a small bruise on the small of her back from where she had collided with the bedpost. It was a 1 in 10 money shot, and of course, she nailed it.

I placed my cold hand under her camisole and soothed the spot. "That feels good," she murmured, burrowing her head into my neck.

"Jasper, when you get done feeling up my granddaughter, your presence is requested," Peter yelled.

God, I hated that man sometimes.

Bella groaned. "Stupid, overbearing old fogy."

"I heard that," Peter screamed.

"Good!"

I snickered, feeling Bella's slight embarrassment mixed with annoyance at her newly discovered "grandfather." I tucked an errant hair behind her ear, and kissed the top of her head.

"Come on Darlin, let's go talk battle plans."

We walked into the dining room hand in hand. Esme was glaring at me, Edward no doubt had told Esme of my plan to protect the family. It was an errant thought, and something I was still going to consider if it got out of hand.

Malia wanted me, not them. It was my crimes, not theirs.

"If I have to chain you up in the basement to keep you here, so God help me Jasper Whitlock Cullen, I will!" Esme screeched. "We are a family, and we will fight together as a family."

Shit, she used the whole name . . .

"Mom, please," I pleaded. She faltered underneath the term of endearment I used for her. I felt that she and Carlisle were essentially my parents in this life. They were the guidance that we all needed, sounding boards, if you will. "I don't know what else we can do. If Malia gets a hold of Edward or Alice, their powers could go haywire too. I don't know what she could do to you."

"We will protect each other Son," Carlisle said diplomatically. "You won't run off."

I could feel the anger radiating off of Bella, and pulled her into my lap. "Don't you dare Jasper. We will talk later. Right now, we need to figure out what we are going to do about this bitch." I heard Peter snickering at me, and Bella shot him a glare. "Don't forget I heard your earlier attempt at embarrassing me Grandpa . . . I will deal with you later. Maybe switch your A-B positive for some nice badger blood . . ."

Edward chuckled, laughing at the antics of his ex. She glared right back at him.

"What!"

"Nothing," he held up his hands in self defense. "You are really something, going up against vampires and now voodoo bokors. I wouldn't want you as an enemy."

He was surprised at the changes in her personality. She truly was no longer the girl that he had dated years ago.

"What exactly did you see Alice?" Carlisle asked, bringing us back to the task at hand. Sometimes, our family meetings didn't exactly go the way we planned and we were easily sidetracked. Carlisle always had to coral us.

Vampires with ADD.

"I saw Malia coming for Jasper. She's pissed. She's coming alone. I don't see a struggle, but the vision is real foggy."

"She hasn't made a concrete decision regarding time frame, but she is coming," Edward told us, pulling Alice to his side in a show of support for his mate. He kissed her forehead, and whispered words of reassurances in her ear. I knew how hard it was for Alice sometimes. The family depended on her visions during times of crisis to help us with decisions.

Her visions were both a blessing and a curse. This is why I had to protect her from Malia. Alice would be forever lost in visions and Edward would lose another person he loved. I had to protect them.

"This doesn't fall solely on you," Edward said addressing me. He was feeling protective over Alice and Bella. I understood completely.

"I know, but it would be easier to keep her away from us. Just let me go to her, I'm the one she is after. I will do what she wants to keep her away."

"No!" Bella screeched. "No, I won't let you."

The rest of the family nodded, agreeing with her.

"Fine, if you won't let me keep her away, what do you suggest we do? She is a pretty powerful being. She crossed the bayou in a second flat, and somehow kept me immobile. She brought me to my knees without ever laying a hand on me," I told them. I never spoke of what happened in the bayou, because I really didn't know what happened.

I took an unnecessary breath and tried to shrug out of Bella's embrace. Instead she just held tighter. Her small hand rubbed soothing circles at the nape of my neck.

"It's alright Jasper," she whispered.

"No, it's not. Our family is in jeopardy because she felt the need to unleash Pandora's box on me. She wanted me to feel the pain that I subjected on her village in the 1800s. I was following Maria's orders to expand the hunting grounds. There was a village on the borders of Louisiana and Texas that she wanted. It was a bloody massacre, and I led it.

"I can still hear their screams, remember the faces of the humans and immortals that I turned to ash. I told her that I had changed, that I was no longer the evil one, Maligno . . ."

"But she didn't believe you," Carlisle surmised.

I nodded. "I tried to fight it Carlisle . . ."

"I know," he said. "Jasper, you aren't that man. We know who you really are." Carlisle placed a hand on my chest, wear my heart would have been. "You know what is in there. Now we have to figure out how to keep her from harming us."

BPOV

I listened as they talked strategy on trying to stop Malia. But, everything they came up with, still yielded nothing. Truth be told, they were spinning circles. No strategies could be figured out because they didn't know exactly how to fight her.

I could feel the frustration rolling off of Jasper in waves.

It was something that bothered Peter and Jasper. They were both skilled fighters in both their human and vampire lives. They had encountered vampires, werewolves, and humans, but couldn't figure how to scare a bokor.

"This is bullshit," Peter yelled, staring at the computer. His research must have yielded no results. "Nothing, there is absolutely nothing, on how to fight dark magic."

"Why don't we all take a break? It's lunch time, and I'm sure we all could use a little bit of sustenance," I suggested. Jasper's skin tone had improved since I first arrived, but he still needed to feed more to bring back a healthier shade of pale. I brushed his curls out of his face, and he sighed.

"I can't figure out how to keep you safe," he admitted.

"I'm pretty sure I can keep myself safe," I told him confidently. "Did you know that I tried to pepper spray James in his eyes?"

Peter let out a deep belly laugh. "My granddaughter kicks some major ass . . ."

Edward just shook his head, trying not to relive that night. My point was though, if I can survive a vampire bite, then a little bit of black magic shouldn't be that big of a deal, right?

We settled at the breakfast bar, where Esme was presenting Jasper with a cup of warm blood. I think she said it was cougar, which made Jasper smile a bit. He had said that carnivores tasted better, and thanked Esme for getting it for him.

I watched as he took a pull of the blood. His Adam's apple bobbing as he drank greedily.

"What do you do when I sleep?" I asked as I sipped on my soup.

"I listen to you talk. Last night it was about unicorns and daisies. Now I know why Edward was so entertained by watching you sleep."

I smacked him lightly on the shoulder, knowing that he probably didn't even feel it. He faked being hurt though. "Ma, she hit me."

Esme smiled and shook her head. "Then don't antagonize her Jasper." Esme kissed her son on the cheek. "Why don't you two get out for a little bit? It has been awhile since both of you have been able to enjoy a nice walk. I think Bella's winter clothes arrived that I ordered for her the other night. Might as well get outside before it gets too cold to enjoy it. Maybe Jasper, you could take her up to the cliffs."

I looked over at him and smiled. "That sounds good. A little fresh air never bothered me. I do need to freshen up a bit." I was still wearing my pajamas and had my hair loosely pulled back. "Are you going to be okay for a little bit?"

Jasper shot me a look of annoyance. I knew theoretically that he would be okay, but I knew that the episodes were not fun for him. He tried to explain it as feeling like all hope was gone. Edward told me that he felt it once when Jasper was accidentally projecting, and that it brought the entire house to their knees.

My poor Jasper. I cupped his cheek, and he leaned into the gesture.

"I'll hurry."

"Take your time," his amber eyes bore into mine. "Please don't rush on my account Bella, you deserved to take a nice, unhurried shower. I will be fine."

I reluctantly untangled myself from his embrace and made my way up the stairs. I was in the shower when I heard him let out a strangled cry. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall for him.

He didn't deserve this. If I ever get my hands on that bitch, I will kill her myself.

JPOV

When I heard the water running, I let out a whimper of pain. It was getting harder and harder to fight it off. I felt Esme by my side immediately. She called for Emmett and Edward to help me on to the couch.

"Make it stop!"

I felt myself rocking back in forth in a vain attempt at soothing myself. I knew it wasn't going to work, but still, my body needed something.

I fought harder, pulling out of the stupor for a moment. Peter was standing there, holding a cup of blood for me. Each episode took a toll on my body. It was the equivalent of sheer and total exhaustion. If I could, I would have slept.

"Thanks Pete."

"You know, Bella is a smart girl. She is going to find out that these episodes are getting worse for you," he pointed out.

Fucker.

"It's a little intense," I agreed, "But nothing that I can't handle. She doesn't need to know. She doesn't need to feel that she can't have a couple of minutes of privacy. She needs to go to school and pursue the life she wanted before we dragged her back into this craziness."

"I think my granddaughter is more head strong, and will kick your ass for making decisions for her," Peter said.

I was getting ready to argue, when I got hit with another round of suffering and distress. I inflicted this on my victims, I could feel everything when I ended their lives.

I grabbed my hair, pulling at it, trying to get the screams out of my head. I felt her, before I realized she was back. She grabbed my hands out of my hair, and stopped the abuse I was inflicting on myself.

"You didn't tell me it was this bad again," she accused. "Jasper . . ."

"It's alright. You aren't responsible for making sure that the demons stay way."

"No, it's not alright," she wrapped her arms around me. "As long as I can stop you from feeling pain, I will."

"Sweetheart, I know that you wish that you could stop all this from happening, but you aren't responsible for my wellbeing. I'm afraid that we placed too much on your shoulders."

"I can handle this . . ." Bella trailed off. "Let's go on the walk Jasper."

She stood, pulling me up to my feet. She smelled fresh, like freesias and vanilla, and it was always stronger after showers. Her scent though didn't bring the customary burn though, it brought comfort to me. She had pulled on a cream colored beanie and was wearing a black cardigan over a cream colored camisole. She was wearing a pair of Rock and Republic jeans with black Uggs.

Living with Alice for years, well, I knew fashion.

"You look nice," I told her. I twirled her, making sure she stayed upright.

"Thanks, Esme has good taste. You aren't looking too bad yourself Cowboy," she complimented. I was wearing a simple long sleeve black t-shirt with a pair of ripped up Levis. I was wearing a pair of Nikes for the hike, but truth be told I loved wearing my cowboy boots.

Bella looped her hand into mine, the differences in our skin temperature apparent, but she never flinched.

We made our way to the backyard, crossing through Esme's gardens and to the tree line. Edward told me that hiking with Bella was an experience, and to make sure to keep her upright. Apparently he tried once, and ended up having to keep her upright about 100 times. Bella wasn't exactly known for her grace.

She griped my hand tighter. "Are there wild animals there?"

I held back a chuckle. She was getting ready to venture into the forest with the world's fiercest predator, but yet was worried about a little black bear here and there?

"You lived in Forks, where we were surrounded by forests and wildlife . . ."

"I know, but the last time I set foot in a forest for a walk, I got lost, and one of the wolves rescued me. Let's just say, after listening to the sounds of wildlife all around me for ten hours, that I started to become petrified of what was around me."

"He left you in the forest?" I asked, taking the first step into the foliage.

"Well, yeah, but I could see the house. But, I ended up wandering in, trying to find him. It was silly and dangerous, I get that now." She sighed. "I don't blame him anymore."

"I know you don't, but I can also say that you aren't the same girl that we knew in Forks. You are different, more self-assured. It's a good thing," I told her.

"How about you take me on a run?" She asked, changing the topic.

"Really?" It had been awhile since I had been running. Ever since this curse started, I wasn't able to go running because of the stifling emotions.

"Yeah," she said, smiling at me. Without hesitation, I scooped her up in my arms, carrying her bridal style through the woods. It felt so good, having the wind at my back and being allowed to be the the powerful creature that I became. I didn't realize how much I missed it.

After a couple of minutes and a couple of miles, I came to a spot I found when we first came to Maine. There was a hot spring nestled in the rock formations along the cliffs. The steam was rising up, and I figured it would be a good place for her to warm up after the run we just had.

She grabbed my hand, and brought me over to the water. "It's so warm here." She took off her beanie and handed it to me. I tucked it in my sweatshirt pocket.

"I figured you might want to warm up after the run. I didn't realize how much I missed be able to do that," I told her.

"Yeah, well I figured it must be hard on you, having to depend on anyone," Bella said. "From what I have been able to figure out about you, is that you are fiercely independent and strong. This situation has to be killing you . . ."

"More than you know." I sighed, running my free hand through my hair. "I can't do anything without a crippling blow. I know that I was awful during my first seventy years of this life, but I'm trying to atone for my sins."

"Hey, you don't have to defend yourself to me," she whispered. "You didn't know that there was another way, and when you found another way, you did it."

"Thanks." I could feel that she meant everything that she said. She really did get it. I had found out so much about her over the past two weeks. We were constantly together all the time, for obvious reasons, and talked about almost everything we could think about. Bella had a keen mind on her and a sharp wit about her.

"I realize that I barely know you," Bella said.

"Well Alice and Edward only did what they thought was best for us. I mean, look at what happened during your birthday party . . . I can't believe I lost control like that."

"How is your control now? We have been in constant contact with each other for several days now, and not once have you tried to take a taste . . ."

"You are tempting, don't get me wrong, but I don't feel any bloodlust for you. I feel an intense desire to protect you, to keep you from harm."

"As I do you," she replied. "Tell me about your human life. You have told me about your vampire life, but what do you remember of your human life?"

"Not much," I told her. It was true. I knew my last name, only because I had told Maria it before she bit me. "I grew up in Texas . . . a couple towns from Galveston. My father was a wealthy man who adored my mother. I grew up in the lap of luxury, much like Edward did. There was nothing that my siblings and I wanted."

"I never figured that," Bella said. "I always had you pegged for a cowboy . . ."

"That's not too far off from the truth. We were cattle ranchers and horse traders. Dad also had a lot of money tied up in the railroads." I never really told anyone of my upbringing, because I didn't really remember any of it. "Carlisle helped me reclaim some of my assets, and I actually own the old home. I haven't been there in years, but Charlotte and Peter use it frequently."

"What does it look like?"

"It's actually quite ostentatious for my taste."

"It's been my experience with the Cullens that nothing you do is ever small . . ." she suppressed a laughed. Quite frankly, she was right, we never did anything small.

"Anyway, it's a grand white house, with double porches and columns. I think there is about 10,000 square feet in that monstrosity. I remember Hattie complaining about having to clean it," I smiled, remembering one of the servants. For some reason, she was clear in my mind. "My favorite area was the rotunda. My mother would read to me for hours in there."

"So what were you like?"

"Honestly, I don't remember. I like to think that I was raised as a good southern gentleman, but for some reason, I don't think that was quite the case . . .

"I remember facts more than I remember me. Like I know that I had a little sister, fifteen years younger than me, her name was Katie. I had a brother named Caleb, he was older than me. Father wasn't around much. But I don't remember much about me. I remember having a girlfriend for a little while, but don't remember much about her. This is normal for a lot of vampires. Our human memories fade over time.

"The change with Maria was traumatic. She left me on the side of the riverbank, and came back right as I woke up to this life," I told her.

"Why did you join the army?" She asked.

"My brother had joined the cause, and I wanted to be just like him. I lied about my age and became one the youngest major in the Texas cavalry," I said smiling. "I honestly wished I remembered more, but I just don't. There are days where I remember brushing my younger sister's hair and reading to her at night, but I don't know if those are memories, or things I wished I would have done. All my human memories really did fade away during the burn."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," she said, when she heard the somber tone of my voice.

"No, don't be. You couldn't have known . . ." I trailed off, sensing her discomfort. "I have plenty of wonderful memories with Alice and the Cullens. Carlisle and Esme really did save my life, and I brought this on them. What happens if Malia hurts them?"

"She won't," Bella said confidently. "Alice will see something, or we will come up with a plan to life the curse."

I wish that I had her confidence. No, we weren't having any of that. This was supposed to be a good, relaxing time. I tried to shake the feelings of dread from me. With Bella holding me, these feelings weren't supposed to be bad.

I pulled her so she was straddling my lap, needing to have more of her on me. She tried hid behind a veil of hair, but I wasn't going to allow that. I brought her chin up, so her eyes met mine.

"Bella . . ."

I leaned in a fraction on an inch, feeling a pull towards here. A couple more inches and I would be able to see if she tasted as good as she smelled. I could see her chest heaving in anticipation when my phone started ringing.

I closed my eyes in frustration and grabbed the phone from my pocket.

"What!" I barked, not even bothering to see who called.

"Jazz, calm down. You need to get back here. Rose, Eleazar, and Carmen are back. They think they may have found a way for the curse to be lifted."

AN: Yep, we are getting there. I debated back and forth on having them kiss, but it doesn't seem right, at least at this point. Anyway, thanks to all the reviewers and readers for the support on this story. I do read every single one of them.

Reviews rock my socks.