I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyers does.

Chapter 10

Jasper stared at the computer screen his back tense and his anger high. He wasn't really reading it, he was avoiding interacting with the women in the room. He had kept himself apart from people for so long he had forgotten how much their emotions could annoy him.

"Major would you like me to get you 'anything'." Helena asked. She emphasized anything and her lust nearly poured off her. Jasper was glad his back was to her because she would have seen him roll his eyes. He barely held back a growl as he felt Isabella's annoyance.

This had to be his worst idea ever. If he didn't think of something soon he was going to kill all three of them, further alienating Isabella. They alternated between lusting for him to scheming. He knew female vampires desired him for his strength, they didn't care about him. Sometimes he used them, but things were different and he didn't like the way they made Isabella feel.

He slowly turned around and eyed the woman. She seemed to take this as a sign he was interested. She walked over to him...more like swayed. He nearly laughed at her trying to be seductive, instead he growled, trying to warn her off. This seemed to encourage her, he was just about to tell her to back off when Isabella suddenly stood up and came between them. She grabbed his face and kissed him hard.

It wasn't passionate, it was short and possessive. In spite of that Jasper felt the softness of her lips, smelled the sweetness of her breath, and felt the desire she tried to fight. He started to put his arms around her to deepen the kiss when one of the women growled. He quickly remembered where they were and the danger his mate was in. He put her behind him and stood up to face the women.

Which one had growled he wasn't sure but Helena was the angriest. He knew his eyes were black and he projected fear on the women. He wanted to intimidate them not fight them. Isabella would feel bad if her actions caused him to hurt one of them. The problem was she had let the cat out of the bag. There could be no doubt she was his mate. It would get to James. He couldn't sit and wait any longer.

He eyed Helena...she was about the same size as Isabella. If he put a wig on her, from a distance they would look the same. He stood up and drew his shoulders back. The women who had huddled together in terror, slowly drew apart. They still didn't meet his eyes.

Should he try to warn them not to tell anyone what they had learned? Jasper decided the cat was out of the bag. Now that she had initiated physical intimacy he wasn't about to tell her not to do it again. He hadn't wanted to acknowledge to his subjects she was his mate till she was changed but he was finding the secret impossible to keep.
He was going to have to be on his guard at all times.

"Ruth go search for a wig that matches Isabella's hair. It doesn't have to be an exact match but get as close as you can." Jasper ordered.

Ruth eagerly left the room to do his bidding.

"Mary find Char and Erin and tell them to come to the room." Jasper told her.

Last he turned to Helena. "You are to change into a dress. We are going to set a trap." He told her. She glared at Isabella before leaving the room. He watched after Helena wondering if he was going to have to kill her.

He felt Isabella's fear and anxiety. He drew in a breath and let it out before turning to talk to her. She had tears in her eyes and Jasper felt her contrition.

"I'm sorry she was...I was so sick of it...I just wanted..." She stuttered out.

Jasper smiled and drew her close to him. He bent down and gently kissed her. It probably wasn't the best idea, he felt himself get lost in her as his tongue grazed her lips. She eagerly opened for him. The tender kiss that he had initiated to show his love soon turned into something more passionate. He heard her moan, the sound went straight to his groin but woke him from the spell. He pulled away from her with a groan.

He kept his arms around her waist and lowered his forehead to hers as he tried to gain control. She was breathing heavily and he felt her struggle as well.

"I understand Isabella. When Edward tried to kiss you I bit him, at least you staked your claim with a kiss." He told her with a slight smile.

She let out a breathy laugh. "I was glad you did that. He used his power to control me...It was nice to see him feeling powerless." She said quietly.

He knew she felt guilty for that. When...If she became a vampire she would be more powerful than Edward he was sure of that. He would like to see her make him feel the way she had felt. He stored the thought in his mind.

"Isabella things have changed. It will be hard now to keep it secret that you are my mate. If you would prefer we will but if you would like it in the open we will have to be very cautious." Jasper told her.

She seemed to think it over for a long time before answering. "I don't like it being a secret. I don't want women throwing themselves at you, but I'm not ready to be a vampire. I'm still not sure how I feel about the mate thing either and being a vampire would make it impossible for me to resist you..."

Jasper stiffened and pulled away from her. He had thought their kisses were a sign that things were moving forward, that maybe she cared for him. It had just been the mating pull, when given a chance to consider it she didn't want him. Jasper turned his back on her. It hurt and he didn't want her to see it. He felt her remorse but she didn't say anything.

Luckily the women started to come back. Mary and Char were first along with Erin. Then Helena came in wearing a blue dress, her emotions were now under control and she seemed to be willing to follow orders. He read no deceit in her. Last came Ruth, she had found a very good wig. Helena put it on...she wasn't nearly as beautiful as Isabella but at a distance she might fool him.

He pulled Victoria's head out of the desk ignoring Isabella's gasp. He gave Char orders to protect Isabella and took Helena with him to find Miguel. He didn't want to bring a lot of people. He wanted to entice James into attacking either him or Helena, he wouldn't if he knew he had no chance. He got the body from Miguel and gave Helena some orders before taking off to light a fire.

Bella touched her lips. When he had kissed her she was lost. She would have done anything he told her in that moment and it frightened her. Sure Edward had controlled her but there was always a little piece of herself she had held back from him. With the Major she knew she could hold nothing back. She felt naked before him, every part of her revealed for his inspection.

She wasn't afraid he would reject her, she knew he wouldn't. She wasn't afraid she wasn't good enough for him, sure she doubted she could be as strong and ruthless as he was but she knew without a doubt that she was important to him. He protected her, cared for her, sacrificed for her. No she was afraid of losing herself. The Major saw who she really was, he brought it out. All the masks she had used to hide herself were torn away with him. He brought out her true self, someone she didn't know and wasn't sure she wanted to be.

She knew without a doubt if she accepted him, became a vampire she would be something different from what she had been. Who she really was, she really didn't know. She wasn't afraid of what she would become, she was afraid of the change.

She had known that even if Edward had changed her she would always have been Bella Swan, shy, compassionate, insecure. With the Major she had yelled at him and another vampire, kissed him to claim him as hers, felt gratification at Edward's pain. She was changing and she didn't want to change. She didn't know if she wanted to be this new woman, Isabella.

Char laid a hand on her shoulder. She wasn't talking, that was a little strange but Bella didn't dwell on it. Char looked at the other two women in the room. "Ruth, Mary I need you to go get Bella some food." Char told them.

They obeyed her without a thought. Char turned back to Bella and looked at her seriously. "Bella we need to go to the Major. Peter told me before we left, that when he went to set the trap I needed to bring you to him."

Bella's mouth dropped open in shock. "The Major will kill you for that Char."

Char didn't look worried, she actually smiled. "We don't have a lot of time. Bella, Peter is never wrong. If he says that's where you need to be there then that is where I will take you."

Bella chewed on her lip. "Is he in danger?" She asked.

"Peter doesn't get detailed premonitions he just knows things. If he said you have to be there then you do, he didn't say why, but I am assuming the Major will need you." Char answered.

Bella remembered his face. He hadn't thought she saw him but she did. He had been so hurt...

"Let's go." She said without another thought. She hadn't liked leaving things like that, she wished she could have explained herself better, made him understand. She couldn't bear the thought of him in danger thinking she didn't want him.

Char smiled and bent down for Bella to climb on. They zipped out of the room. Erin wasn't at the door and Char managed to avoid everyone as they made their way out of the compound.

Jasper lit the bonfire and stood back, watching the flames. He felt a Helena's hand on his back and growled softly. She removed her hand but trailed it down his back as she let go.

"You don't have to accept her as a mate. She is weak and doesn't love you. She is human, you could kill her and take anyone you wanted. You could have a strong mate who will be a partner instead of someone you have to constantly protect." She said softly in a seductive voice.

Yah Helena was going to die. Jasper didn't want a different mate. Somewhere along the line he had fallen in love with her. She wasn't weak. She had looked him in the eye when Peter had been unable to get up off the floor. He had never met another being that was able to do that. She had put up with Edward's abuse in hopes of saving her family. She lived in a world of vampires as a human, loving them and accepting them. No she was not weak.

He felt emotions in the distance, arrogance, fear, grief. James was near. He lifted Victoria's body up from the ground and moved toward the fire. He left some distance between him and Helena.

When he felt James was close enough he threw Victoria's body into the fire. He heard James roar and heard him run toward them. He turned quickly. Just as he thought, James went after Helena. The man was a coward. Jasper quickly grabbed the man and decapitated him. Helena was looking at him wide-eyed.

Jasper ignored her and began to chuck James head in the fire. He soon had all of James and Victoria burned and was sitting watching the flames. He still ignored Helena, he felt her anger and fear, but was lost in the last emotions of James and Victoria and his own hurt at Isabella's rejection. The pain was too much and he sank to his knees. He knew the danger of showing weakness but he was so tired. Tired of the responsibility, tired of the brutality, tired of the loneliness. He wasn't surprised when he felt Helena, calculation. He doubted she would chance attacking him, though, he felt her fear.

"So I was bait?" She asked, anger in her tone.

"Of course." Jasper whispered.

He heard her move toward him and prepared to deal with her, before he could he felt Isabella near. It distracted him and he lifted his head to see her approaching at full speed on Char's back. His eyes were drawn to hers. He felt like he was losing himself in her beautiful brown eyes.

He heard a scream from Isabella and a growl from Helena. He turned to see Helena seeming to bounce off of him. He wasn't sure what happened but he quickly took advantage of it and grabbed Helena throwing her into the still blazing fire.

He turned back to Char and Isabella his anger blazing inside of him. How could Char put Isabella in danger? He growled loudly and let his anger be felt by them. Char immediately dropped to the ground. Isabella however slowly, carefully walked toward him.

He felt her fear but still she came forward. She could have been killed, why had she come? How could he convince her to not do something like this in the future. She was now directly before him and reached up to lay a hand on his cheek gently.

"P..Please Jasper, I had to come. I love you." She whispered.

Jasper closed his eyes, she had called him Jasper. How long had it been since anyone called him Jasper? She loved him. He felt her love and let her feel his own before claiming her lips with his own.

Bella held on for dear life. It had taken Char a bit to find the Major's trail but once she had she took off at full speed. Why was she doing this? The Major could take care of himself. He was going to be so angry.

Bella felt him before she saw him. The pain he felt was agonizing. Had she done that to him? She saw him at last, he turned to her. She caught his eyes for a moment, they weren't hard like they usually were, in them she read pain and love. In that moment she knew she was fighting a losing battle she loved him. All the excuses she had given herself were useless.

Just as she discovered this she saw Helena rush at his back intent on pushing him toward the fire. Bella's fear and anger overwhelmed her as she screamed. This time she was very aware of what was happening as she felt something leave her and surround the Major. She could see the faint glimmer of light that was her shield. She saw Helena seem to bounce off of it. The Major broke from his trance and in a second had thrown her into the fire.

She should be appalled but she wasn't. She was relieved, happy he was safe. He turned to them and she saw his eyes were black. She felt his anger, stronger than she had ever felt it. She saw Char out of the corner of her eye drop to the ground. She stood and walked to him.

She was shaking like a leaf but she was determined, she had to touch him. She had to tell him. She couldn't let another minute go by with him in pain. She finally stood in front of him and raised her shaking hand to his cheek.

"P..Please Jasper, I had to come. I love you." She whispered, he was the Major and he was Jasper but he was hers. Her kind hearted lover and ruthless warrior. He closed his eyes and she felt his love answering hers. She felt his lips on her own and wondered why she had fought this for so long.