Chapter 6

After watching all the Cullen's leave the house to go off and hunt, Rayne then watched as Bella began to ascend a flight of stairs nearby onto the next level with a tone of knowing.

"I'm going to listen to some of Edward's music. I'll see you in the morning. And just to let you know...what Alice see's...happens the way she see's it. Most of the time anyway. Her visions are projective."

"Sure it'll happen."

"I'll see you later then Rayne. Have fun."

"Yeah, yeah, later Bella."

Once Bella finished ascending the flight of stairs, Rayne then began to casually glance around her and move about from one spot to the next, subconsciously doing just what Alice had predicted she'd do.

And, in the end, just as Alice had predicted; Rayne tiredly made her way somewhat consciously towards a bedroom that seemed to call out to her.

Opening the door and walking inside, she vaguely glanced around half-awake before spotting the luscious dark navy blue coverings of a large twin bed nearby. Shuffling over towards it and sitting down leisurely, Rayne then subsciously leaned down onto her side, cushioned her head on the matching fabric pillow and slowly began to close her tired, dreary, eyes.

Then suddenly, without knowing it, she fell into a light, peacefull happy sleep.

Waking to the touch of something icy cold caressing her face, Rayne slowly opened her eyes to see a blury image of a man above her with soft dark honey-blonde hair and a dead pale complexion.

Raising her hand and rubbing her tired eyes, the blurry image then began to sharpen until she was finally able to see just who her visitor was.

Jasper Hale.

Sitting up a little bit in the bed, Rayne let out a long yawn before sleepily asking him why he was there.

"Your in my bed."

"Oh..sorry. I was looking around the house and before I knew it, I began to get a bit sleepy and saw this bed from my preferal vision and just thought of sitting down for a while to wait for you and your family to get back. Then, next thing I knew, I fell asleep. Sorry for taking up your bed."

"It's alright. You were tired. Besides, I don't sleep."

"You don't sleep? Why not? I thought vampires did."

"No. We don't."

"Oh...well, if it bothers you, I can give you back your bed and just sleep somewhere else."

"It doesn't bother me. You may sleep on the bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go back to sleep. You look like you might need it."

"Thanks Jasper."

Laying back down upon his bed Rayne began to glance around Jasper's room before settling her sights upon his lone figure that decided to stand still infront of his large full body glass window.

Gazing at him with leisurely thoughts roaming around her head, Rayne began to take in all the sights that his figure had to offer. His standing still presence, the way he looked so predatorial yet not at the same time. Small things that she's begun to notice about him since the first day of school.

Letting out another tired yawn, Rayne then shuffled into a more comfortable position on his bed before finally closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

NIGHTMARE BEGINS

She was screaming. Crying out for help. No one heard her. No one came to help her. There was...no one.

Pain was everywhere and nowhere. Her blood, spilt down upon the ground below her like a river.

His meniacal laughter was all around her. His words rang out inside her head. Never leaving, always repeating, always there.

"You are mine you little slut. No one will ever get to have you the way that I do. You belong to me. Your body is mine. Your mind is mine. Your soul...is mine. You belong to me! To me! Not to him! Not to that...that...freak! That vampiric creature! He doesn't own you! I do! You're mine! You hear me you little bitch? You are mine!"

NIGHTMARE ENDS

"Wake up. Rayne wake up darlin. Come on. Wake up."

A soft melodic male voice softly called out to her. Urging her to awaken. Forcibly opening her eyes, Rayne abruptly cried out in fear, pain, anguish.

Tears upon tears coursed down her cheeks. Her body wouldn't stop shaking. Her heart beat was irratic. Her breathing...came out in heavy pants.

Glancing up slowly into the face of the man that had called her out of her terrifying nightmare, Rayne was hardly at all surprised to see that the face of her rescuer belong to Jasper Hale.

Remembering where she was and why she was there, Rayne quickly muttered out an apology before trying to dislodge herself from his near bone breaking grip of a hug that he enveloped around her.

As she tried to leave his arms, Jasper continued to tighten them bit by bit until he was certain that Rayne knew she wasn't going anywhere without the possibility of breaking her fragile human bones with his vampiric strength.

Looking up into his beautiful amber eyes, Rayne began to wonder just what was on Jasper's mind that made him want to continue holding on to her for so long. She got her answer moments later, but not the one she expected.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?"

"No."

"If it will help I'll tell you something about myself in return."

"Really?" Rayne asked Jasper glancing up at him hardly believeing he would actually be willing to tell her something about his past.

"Yes. What would you like to know?"

"What was it like to live back in the days before you joined up with the Confederate Army?"

"It was...different. Much different than it is now. Back in those days I was considered to be a man and had to have been married with children before my twentieth birthday. Instead, I left my family and our way of life to join the Confederate Army when I was 17. I lied to the Confederate Listers telling them that I was 20. With my height and frame and features at that time, they easily believed that I was indeed twenty. After joining the army and seeing many of my comrades lose their lives in battle, I eventually moved up in the ranks rather quickly during my three human years alive in them to the rank of Major. One night, when I went back to a small town to look for more possible occupants that I could lead to safety away from the war that was coming to their town, I met her. Maria. She turned me that night and took me in as her ace in the war. I was given the position of training and leading her newborn army into battle. Soon after leaving Maria when the war was over, I eventually was found by Alice and we then met up with Carlisle and his family and they took us in as his children and brought us into this vegetarian lifestyle."

"But you don't take this vegetarian lifestyle as easily as they do, don't you?"

"It does get to be a little difficult at times, but I am adjusting to it."

"It's because that woman Maria had you kill humans back when you were with her didn't she?"

"Yes, she did. I killed many humans back in my early years since being a newborn while with Maria. But...I never liked killing them at all. I could feel their every emotion before and during my hunt then kill of them. It always bothered me whenever I had to take a human life just to satisfy my thirst."

"But it was what you needed at that time Jasper. Had I been there and I know you as well as I do now, I wouldn't have run away from you. I would have given you my blood willingly. Even now...I'd give it to if you needed it desperately enough."

"Rayne I could never do that to you. You shouldn't have to give your young innocent blood to a monster like me. I don't deserve to taste it. Smell it. Know what it would feel like to have it running around in my cold veins."

"If you had no other choice Jasper...I would give it to you willingly. Forcibly if I had too as well and you refused to take it."

"Rayne..."

"No Jasper. You are my friend. If you were indeed as hungry as that and you couldn't get to an animal fast enough, I'd give you free reign of my blood. Now...since you told me something about yourself. I'll tell you what my nightmare was about. Maybe when I'm done, I'll be able to get back to sleep without nightmare's this time."

As Rayne spoke to Jasper about her nightmare, she began to feel her fears, anguish, and emotional pain sliver away to nothing.

Once her tale had been told, Rayne felt herself begin to fall asleep once again. Only this time, she felt as if everything was going to be alright. Closing her eyes and resting her head upon Jasper's shoulder, Rayne began to feel herself falling asleep in his arms.

Hardly feeling him pick her up bridal style and bring her over onto his bed, Rayne shifted slightly in his arms a moment or two before Jasper gently laid her down upon his bed. Getting ready to stand up and leave her there, Jasper was suddenly stopped by Rayne's hand catching onto his sleeve.

Turning towards her, he gave her a questioning glance.

"Stay? Please?"

"I'll stay if you want me too."

"I do. Please."

"Very well then."

Setting himself to sit down on the ground floor nearby the bed, Jasper was then stopped once again by Rayne shaking her head no and moving over towards the far side of the bed to make room for him to join her.

"Please Jasper. I don't want my nightmare's to come back. I feel...safe...when I'm with you. I feel like...you can chase away the bad dreams that are out to get me. Please."

"Very well then."

Walking over and getting on his side of his twin bed, Jasper stiffly began to lay down beside Rayne.

However, his efforts were proved to be insufficient. Rayne then abruptly moved over towards Jasper and curled up to him like he was a her personal pillow or stuffed animal.

Jasper swallowed roughly to himself upon taking in Rayne's close, beautiful, human scent. Smelling her blood running underneath her skin so close to him made him feel like he was going to lose his mind if he didn't have a taste of her blood. Just a small taste. A drop even.

"You can Jasper. If you want too."

Jasper was then taken out of his thoughts by hearing a soft voice speak out right next to him.

Opening his eyes to see Rayne looking straight at him with solid conviction, Jasper could hardly stop himself from repeating her question.

"I said...you can taste my blood if you want to do so this badly. I won't mind."

"Rayne..I could not do that to you. I couldn't taste your blood here in Carlisle's home after all he's done for me. I won't disappoint him or my siblings by tasting even one drop of your blood."

"Will you taste it outside of the house then? At my house?"

"No. Why do you want me to taste your blood so much?"

"Because he wants too. The other side of you that you seem to hate so much but need to rely upon in order to survive."

"Rayne...I won't do that to you no matter what you say darlin. Now please, sweet Rayne, leave it alone."

"Alright. Good night Jasper. Thank you for putting up with me."

"Goodnight Rayne. I'll see you in the morning."

As Rayne curled more into Jasper and then closed her eyes, she then gently grasped his outer blanket and pulled it over herself as well as him and began to slowly, but surely, fall back asleep. This time...without any signs of her nightmare's return.