Cheap Thrills

by MozzarellaMermaid

If there was something I had to say I lived for; it would be the thrills. The rush, the adrenaline... So when I woke up in the body of Bella Swan I thought this could be exciting. Sadly, I was right. For all the wrong reasons. SI-OC, M for language, violence and sexual themes. Part one complete.

11. Chapter 11

Some self-congratulations needed here, I have never wrote quite so much to a single story, and certainly not so fast! I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it's more filler than action, but it's a prelude to more action next chapter and for now you shall learn new things, and learning is fundamental.

For those of you following my Tumblr [MozzarellaMermaid] you will have likely seen some of the edits I've made for how the characters look in my story and on the OC's I've added. I also posted deleted scenes, and exerts from future fics, so it's worth checking out if you want to learn more about this and what else I have in store.

Disclaimer: Today I talked myself out of getting a Pizza because I'm poor, ergo I make no money from this insane effort. Shout out to Noisili for making it rain, literally.

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Chapter 11

"Kali! I'm so happy you're back!" Esme's open love and open arms had zero comparison, as she rushed to greet me the moment we parked. I unbuckled and hopped out, letting her gather me up into a surprisingly gentle hug. "It's been so quiet without you all here, I've been going out of my mind with worry, too!" She pulled me back tightly against her, Rose and Jasper giggling at my predicament of being the one Esme was using to reassure herself we were all safe.

"It's definitely been all go since we left. Hopefully Kali can rest up in peace back here, she woke up with a headache this morning." Jasper said as he slung my belongings over his shoulder and carried them inside. I smiled sheepishly up at Esme as she suddenly inspected me.

"You are looking a little tired, maybe a sit down would do you some good?" I smiled gratefully and let her lead me inside, Rose following behind us as she finished parking up in the garage.

It hadn't really been long since I'd left but so much had happened it felt like forever since I had seen the bright wood and enormous windows of the Cullens house, even when I lived here myself, I was in awe of how luxurious it was everytime I came down the stairs.

"Would you like some tea, Kali? Or perhaps a hot chocolate, you look like you could use a nap." Esme offered and led me to the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

"Mm, please, one of your amazing hot chocolate's does sound fantastic right about now." I said and let my head fall into my arms on top of the counter, Esme smiled at me sympathetically and heated up a pan of milk on the stove.

There was a tingle in the back of my neck like I was being watched, lifting my head, I found Jasper standing behind me. His beautiful face was tight, he appeared at war with himself over something. I reached behind myself and grabbed at the air until he got the hint and stepped closer me with a smile.

The short drive in the dry heat of the car had made the buzzing in my head a little louder, and I was left feeling just as pathetic and helpless as Jasper had teased me about being. Thankfully he wasn't interested in teasing me now, instead he rested a cool hand round the back of my neck and tried to feed me calming, soothing feelings to help ease the pain behind my eyes. I let out an involuntary, grateful sigh and leaned back to rest my head against his solid stomach.

"Still hurting?" He asked gently and brushed through my hair with his free hand. I nodded glumly and closed my eyes, enjoying the soothing sensations that were driving my pain back just a little bit.

"Yeah, don't think the drive did me any good. Sorry, I'm a bit useless today, I'll probably be better after a nap." Jasper gave me a lazy smile.

"Don't apologise, Darlin," He smile widened when he felt that little tremor of pleasure run through me at the nickname I was quickly becoming practically conditioned to. "Get your drink down you and I'll take you up to you room." I raised an eyebrow, and noticed Esme's hesitant pause out of the corner of my eye.

"Awh, gonna read me a bedtime story, Cowboy?" I teased, earning a light pinch on the cheek.

"If you behave." Curse him, curse him and his words that do funny things to my insides! He was teasing me, not only with his words, but with the undercurrent of playfulness I could barely feel in the sea of comforting emotions he was bathing me in.

"Like you have room to talk about behaving," I teased back with a smirk and was brought back to reality when Esme gently placed a steaming mug in front of me.

"Don't let it get cold," She warned kindly and gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze as she passed me by.

Turning away from Jasper, I cradled my mug and relished in the comforting feeling of drinking home made hot chocolate on a gloomy and chilly day, like today was.

"Hey, you are here! Thought I heard a heartbeat." A new voice suddenly called from the doorway, Emmett had appeared, arms laden with numerous grocery bags that Esme quickly began unburdening him of.

"Did you find everything I asked for?" She asked kindly with a grateful smile.

"Yeah, I think so, sorry if I missed anything." He apologised off-handedly and came to sit down next to me at the breakfast bar, where Jasper was still acting as the back of my chair. "You two seem to be getting along nicely." He pestered lightly, earning a light bump to the shoulder with my own.

"Don't you start, I'm feeling rough as anything, let me have my affection in peace." I grumbled at him, but smiled all the same.

"Wouldn't wanna be the guy to stand in the way of true affection," He teased and seemed to look me over carefully, taking in my slightly sunken eyes and papery complexion. "But you're right, you don't look so good." He said sympathetically and patted my shoulder.

"Kali's going to get a nap, so please do keep the noise to a minimum, Emmett." Esme informed him, earning a salute from the bear-sized man.

"Course! You won't even know I'm here!" He boomed with a grin, making my head hurt a little more. Jasper slapped him round the back of the head, making Emmett rub it on reflex with a sour expression.

"What was that for?" Jasper pointed down at me.

"Low tones, idiot, she's got a headache." Emmett looked abashed and looked back at me with a furrowed brow, I could only smile.

"Sorry, Kali, didn't realise it was a headache." He whispered making me giggle.

"It's alright Little John, I'm sure Jasper can keep me sedated." Grasping my quickly cooling mug, I drained the contents, letting the thick chocolate at the bottom slowly trickle down my throat.

As I was finishing the last swig, Rose stepped in with a happy smile and a notebook in her hand.

"Will everyone be alright without me for a few hours?" Esme put down the towel she was using to dry the surfaces and looked on curiously.

"Where are you going, Rose? It might not be safe to go alone." Rose's eyes fell on me and she gave me a secretive smirk.

"Just a few hardware stores, I'll stay away from Seattle if you like." I raised an eyebrow in curiosity, what on earth would she need from hardware stores that she doesn't already have in that over stocked garage of theirs?

Rose caught my questioning stare and her smirk grew.

"It's a surprise, I should have everything ready by the time you're up and feeling better." The buzzing in my head started rising again and I briefly closed my eyes to deal with the ache, Jasper felt my discomfort and amped up the good ju-ju he was sharing with me. "Are you alright?" Rose stepped closer, her smirk gone, inspecting me with a critical stare.

I gave her a weak smile and nodded against Jaspers stomach.

"Yeah, sorry, just this buzzing headache." I said and tried to brighten my features so they'd all stop looking so worried, even Emmett and Esme had stopped putting away the groceries in favour of checking up on me.

"Buzzing? That sounds unusual." Rose murmured and began her mini exam of me, checking my pupils, my temperature, and the insides of my ears.

"Merhhh, give it a rest, I'm fine. I know you guys don't get headaches anymore but it's really not a big deal." I explained as I swatted Rose's hands away and fell back against Jasper, who seemed more than happy to warp his long arms around my shoulders, like it was the norm.

Sighing heavily, I tried to ignore the beehive in my brain and focus on all those good feelings Jasper was giving me, both with his gift and his hugs.

"C'mon Darlin, bedtime I think." Jasper commanded gently and lightly pulled me off the bar stool.

"Yeah, I think I need a few more hours...Sorry, I'll be fine after I rest, I'm sure." Esme had been watching my interactions with Jasper carefully, I was surprised at how openly affectionate Jasper was being in front of her. I more or less assumed that he'd go back to being just friendly, instead of friendly. Not that he was getting fresh or anything, just his easy affection and obvious interest was more noticeable to me now that we had an audience that might not approve like Rose and Emmett did.

"Alright Kali, please call us if you need anything, we won't be far." Esme offered sweetly, her eyes snapping back up to my face from the arm Jasper had around slid around my waist.

I gave her a sheepish smile and thanked her, after being hugged by Rose, I was finally making my way up the stairs when Jasper just scooped me up and carried me the rest of the way. The surprise took my breath away for a moment and I clung to him so tightly he slowed his movements.

"Sorry, bit fast?" He apologised in an abashed voice, I nodded against his collarbone.

"Mhmm, everything's a little fast right now though, take it easy with me, Cowboy." Jasper fought of a grin as he carried me the remaining steps.

"What?" I asked and poked his twitching lips.

"Nothing, nothing... it's just-" He dropped his voice to a whisper so the others wouldn't be able to hear us. "I'm surprised you want me to take it easy with you, Sugar." I felt the blush rise in my cheeks but I grinned back all the same.

"Later, hot-stuff, let a girl get her rest, eh?" He chuckled lightly, I could feel it pleasantly against my ribcage.

"I'll hold you to that, Princess." He replied lightly and fought off another grin as he heard (and probably felt) my heart stutter at the implications of his words and the new nickname.

"You're a dick." I stated, making him laugh lightly as he nudged open a bedroom door with his knee.

"You love it." I snorted but couldn't help my smile.

Gently, he deposited me on a gigantic bed, the sheets were a beautiful silken grey, the room was made up of bright creams and orange woods, just like most of the house. Jasper began helpfully closing the curtains on the oversized windows as I kicked off my shoes and noticed my empty bag in the corner of the room. Gotta love Vampire speed for putting away clothes quickly, I'd have to thank Rose or Jasper (whichever one had unpacked my stuff) when I was more coherent.

Standing on wobbly legs, I made my way over to the dresser and opened draws until I found some of my PJ's to change into. I stuck to something warm, seeing as winter was just around the corner and I happened to have the hots for a pretty frosty guy. With my red baggy top and fleecy matching bottoms in hand, I plodded over to the en suite bathroom and changed quickly.

When I came back out, I found a glass of water on the bedside table and a Vampire in my bed.

"Damn, you're eager." Jasper laughed and patted the spot next to him.

"Just get in and let me help you sleep." I rolled my eyes but did as he asked, slipping into the covers and preening with happiness as he tucked me in. Taking the initiative, I pulled out my arm and threw it over his waist, sliding my hand up the back of his shirt and stroking the icy cold skin along his back. "And here I was thinking I was supposed to be making you feel good." He teased quietly, making me snuggle closer until my head was tucked under his chin.

"Oh hush you horn-dog, I like stroking skin and you need to be touching me to use your power, everybody wins." There was a low rumble in his chest as I lightly ran my nails down the length of his back. At first, I thought he was growling at me, but when he relaxed into the pillowy goodness, I realised he was purring.

"Awh, you purr like a kitty. Y'know that whole 'pussy' thing wasn't literal, right?" Jasper laughed and reached up a hand to stroked my hair.

"Can't help it, it's nice." I was a little surprised, in some way, I thought that his steel skin would be less sensitive to things like touch, but judging by his reaction, he was loving it.

"I'll keep that in mind Cowboy, you gonna knock me out or did you get in my bed for more nefarious reasons?" Jasper chuckled and tucked in his chin to press a surprising kiss on my forehead.

"Goodnight, Kali." The nicknames were good, but there was something inside me that reacted to the way he said my name. Like those four letters were intimate and special, something just between us.

Moving my head back so I could see him better, I shuffled up and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek, lingering perhaps a little longer than necessary. Jasper smiled at me through lidded eyes and untangled his hand from my curly hair to lightly cup my chin as he gave me another kiss, though this one on my lips. It was possibly the sweetest kiss we had shared to date; no sexual frustration, no teasing, no playfulness. Just a kiss.

"Goodnight, Jasper." I murmured against his lips and went back to cuddling him, burying my face in his chest so he couldn't see me.

He let me lay with him like that for a few more seconds before the feelings of lethargy started to overwhelm me, and I was so sleepy I couldn't have kept my eyes open if I tried.

But when I finally fell asleep, I was assaulted by unusual dreams and sensations. It was like I was trapped in my own mind, I could hear the buzzing now. It was louder in my dreams, but it didn't really hurt, not like it did when I was awake.

There were faint images and feelings, my body was surrounded by something thick, cold and damp, it was like my bones were covered in wet cement. Someone's hands were on my foot, their fingers were in between my toes, but it was clinical and uncaring like a pedicure, and they weren't touching my nails. I tried to speak or open my eyes to discover what was going on but I had no mouth, no tongue and no eyes, I wasn't even breathing. All I could feel was the sensation of touch on my not-skin, because it couldn't be real, it was being pushed and pulled and folded and squished. It was so wrong, wrong wrongwrongWRONG!

My terror and confusion had kept me still, but my curiosity out weighed them and I tried to move my hand to touch my face but the person touching my feet grabbed my arm and held it down. I heard words, but they were so muffled and faint I couldn't make them out, it was like my ears had been sealed with candle wax.

Being unable to breathe, see, hear or smell was making me panic, I was also very, very weak. Just trying to lift my arm had sapped all the energy in the limb, but I wasn't going to give up, this felt so disgustingly wrong, I had to make it stop, I had to wake up.

Pulling out every bit of determination I had, I wrenched my foot out of the hands of this stranger and tried to stand. I was on some kind of table and instead, rolled off and hit the floor with a wet splat. The pain was horrible, it was foreign and far too strong for just falling on my side. I wanted to moan in agony, but I couldn't make a noise, instead I clumsily slapped the ground in front of me and attempted to drag myself away from whoever was touching me. The fall to the floor can't have been more than a few feet yet somehow strips of flesh from my arms ended up dragging across the floor as I tried to escape. It was to no avail, I was blind and deaf and mute and so very, very helpless.

I was dragged back roughly and the person went back to work on the floor, the hands felt small but they had well practised movements as they pushed and tugged at my skin, stretching me and shaping me, they were literally moulding my body.

There was a shaky, whispered command, that I could clearly hear inside my head.

"Rest, you are not ready." Against my own will, my body started relaxing even though my mind was still in a complete panic, I was still and compliant.

I wanted so desperately to scream and to move, but there was nothing I could do, I was trapped in a body that wasn't whole. Something damaged and unnatural, everything hurt, the pain was fresh and so brutal, like it was my first time being injured.

A terrifying thought struck me that maybe I had somehow used Takeover whilst asleep and ended up trapped in some monstrous form? How on earth would I get back if I couldn't even breathe?

There wasn't a thing I could do but silently scream until this hell ended.

---

Jasper's POV

Today had been the first day I had felt truly at peace with myself.

Sure, there was a group of crazy nomads hell bent on stealing away Kali, and Kali herself was unwell, but in my head and my heart, I felt good. The invisible weight I wasn't aware I had been carrying was lifted from my shoulders, simply by admitting to myself and to Kali, Rose and Emmett how I felt. It wasn't as painful, or as difficult as I thought and surprisingly I had yet to be reprimanded by anyone for being interested in the woman borrowing my adopted brothers, ex's, body. Yes, it is as confusing as it sounds.

Though if the way Esme had been carefully watching the way we interacted was any indication, that was likely to change soon. Her feelings were mixed; I could sense her trepidation, that she was pleased and worried at the same time, and it wasn't difficult to guess why. I wondered if she would talk to me herself or if she would just ask the others what was going on. I couldn't hear anything but Kali's heartbeat which was a sign that they were purposely speaking so quietly I couldn't hear them, I hoped that Rose and Emmett would be on my side because I was probably the topic of choice.

Right now, I didn't much care, I was content where I was.

It was a while before I noticed something was wrong, when I finally realised I was touching Kali and I couldn't feel a thing from her. I frowned and sat up, cupping her face, I focused as hard as I could, but there was nothing. Immediately I began panicking and listened to her heart and her breathing but both sounded perfectly fine, though she was unnaturally still. From my recent experiences with Kali's sleeping, I'd learned she was a horrible fidget and I felt a little sorry for any bedfellows she'd had with the amount she kicked whilst she was unconscious.

I wasn't sure if I should wake her, but before I had the chance to make any further decisions I was surprised by sudden footsteps outside the room.

"Can I come in, son?" Carlisle's fatherly voice whispered from behind the door. I hesitated for a couple of reasons, something was wrong with Kali and I didn't want to start a panic, and there was an instinctual protectiveness because she was vulnerable.

Shaking off those stupid feelings I invited him inside, choosing to sit on the edge of the bed, taking Kali's hand with me so I could constantly keep an eye on her sudden lack of emotions. Carlisle gave me a tighter than usual smile as he studied my closeness, I could sense his disapproval and readied myself for a very quiet argument. He sat down on the love seat next to the window and studied Kali for a moment before he spoke.

"Jasper, I wanted to talk to you about your- interest in Kali." I sat a little straighter as Carlisle tried to find the right words.

"I see... You're right, we should talk." Carlisle seemed a little surprised, as if he has expected me to petulantly stomp out of the room or lose my temper.

"Good, good..." He was stalling as he tried to find the right way to air his concerns. "I've spoken with Rose and Emmett, and they told me that there's been a change in dynamic in your relationship." I took pity on him and saved him having to slowly get to the point.

"Yeah, I've become attached to her. I've talked it over with Rose and Emmett, and they agree that it isn't something I've been able to control, I just want to be around her. I know there are a hell of a lot of reasons why this is stupid but my mind knows what it wants and I'm not changing my decision." I stated simply and resisted the urge to haughtily fold my arms, I took a moment to check on Kali; I still couldn't feel a thing but her calm pulse against my fingers.

Carlisle watched me carefully for a moment before he began his slew of questions.

"But she's trapped inside Bella's body, are you attracted to Bella?" I shook my head.

"No, I'm not attracted to Kali's appearance, it's who she is that has my attention." Carlisle's frown deepened and he laced his hands together as he studied my reaction.

"What if she suddenly disappeared one morning though?" Of course this was a concern of mine but it was something out of my control.

"Every day she wakes up here makes it more obvious that either this isn't temporary, or there's something specific she has to do to leave. It's not something I'm going to agonise over, else I'll continue to make myself miserable and lose any chance I had." Carlisle nodded absently, he agreed with my reasoning on that much at least, only because it was a purely logical point.

"What about...physical affection? No matter what, that's still Bella's body, and it isn't Kali's to give to anyone." I swallowed back my embarrassment.

"I know. I won't be intimate with her, I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea myself." Swallowing, I was suddenly really glad I couldn't blush. "But I will kiss her." I declared and made sure to look Carlisle dead in the eye so he knew that wasn't negotiable.

He took a long moment to take in everything before finally asking,

"And how does Kali feel?" His question brought back my concern that I still couldn't feel anything from her, but there was no change in her position or pulse so I decided to leave her to sleep for a while, this headache might be interfering somehow.

""We've talked about it, if that's what you want to know. Kali shares my concerns, my interests and my wants." Carlisle looked away for a moment, as he fought back his embarrassment to continue.

"Yes, well, I'm still not sure that now is the right time for you to be getting into anything new, and I hate to say it, but is she really the right person?" My twinge of annoyance seemed to hit him before I could reel it back in and he looked a little sheepish at having to be the bearer of bad news, as it were.

"If you're talking about Alice, there's nothing more I can do about that. We've spoken, and she wants to go on a break, and now I don't think I could be with her again. It's like since she left I've almost forgotten how to love her, I know you probably think Kali's just a rebound for my hurt feelings, but it's not like that, really, we've bonded." I confessed in a light voice. It felt really good to stand my ground, and there was no way I was changing my mind now. I wasn't the sort to guy to back down from something I wanted, I may not always keep to my vows as far as Alice was concerned, but I will always fight for what's mine.

Shit, no, can't start getting territorial, Kali will probably destroy my bikes or something if I started staking a claim on her. She's a human, and I have to treat her like I was trying to date a human. Luckily I had heaps of unintentional experience just from absorbing the daily feelings of the teenagers at Forks, so I wouldn't be embarrassing her by asking to walk her to church.

Pretty sure she'd burn if she tried to set foot in one anyway.

Carlisle's sigh brought me out of my contemplation on how unsaintly Kali is.

"Well, it seems you've made up your mind, if Kali feels the same way then there is little more I can say, is there?" He gave in, his eyes looked tired which was understandable given everything that had happened lately.

"Nope, I've made my choice. It's nothing official, but it's what I want and I don't plan to go back on it now."

Once more I searched for Kali's feelings and when I felt nothing I bit my lip and decided to let Carlisle know.

"Uh, I'm not sure if something's wrong, but I can't feel Kali." Carlisle's eyebrows raised and he studied our joined hands.

"What, right now?" I nodded.

"Right now. She woke up with headache this morning, she said it was buzzing like electricity, she's unusually still too." Carlisle's sideways look let me know that my knowledge of how she slept was probably inappropriate, but I didn't really care.

"I see, let's try waking her up, she's been out for at least an hour now." I was a little surprised, had I really been cuddled up with her for that long? Carlisle's warm smile as he came closer let me know he had noticed my brief shock. "Kali, Kali, can you hear me?" He spoke loudly and lightly shook her shoulder.

At first there was nothing, no movement, no sign she was rousing, so Carlisle began checking her breathing and peeled back one of her eyelids. Her pupils didn't change size, which was very worrying, it wasn't until I forced a jumble of excitable emotions into her body, like a make-shift adrenaline rush and called her name that she shot up with a panicked shout. If it wasn't for our super speed, she definitely would have headbutted Carlisle or myself, she launched herself across the room at almost Vampire speed and slammed into the wall to stop herself from running further.

Her breathing was ragged like she had been hunted, she was suddenly covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and her heart was thumping as her eyes took in everything quickly, almost like she was assessing the danger.

"Kali? Are you alright?" Carlisle's voice snapped me out of it and I rushed over to help her back into bed.

"Oh! Oh, holy fuck that was horrible, oh wow..." She ran a hand through her hair, I could see her shivering in her warm PJ's, she was clearly shaken up.

"What happened?" I asked as I gathered her up, immediately she clung to my neck tightly and buried her face into my collarbone. I wrapped my arms around her protectively, shocked she was so scared from what I assumed was a dream.

I walked her back to the bed but she refused to get out of my arms and instead adjusted herself so she could sit in my lap as she gathered herself.

"I had a dream, a nightmare, no, a damn night terror ! It was so real, I could feel everything, and I was trapped, I couldn't get back until I felt your gift and I sort of followed it home." She tried to explain in a jumbled mess. It was difficult to understand what had happened but it didn't sound like a regular nightmare.

Carlisle had stood back and watched our interactions, waiting for the right time to check her over without interfering with Kali's emotional needs. None of us had seen her so frightened before, and I'd seen her threaten plenty of things that could kill her, so what could have possibly left her so shaken to the core?

"Kali, can you try to tell us exactly what happened?" Carlisle's soft voice made Kali try to gather herself and speak. She took several shaky breaths to steady herself.

"I woke up trapped in a body, it was heavy and damp and I had no face. No eyes, ears, nose or mouth. I was lying down and someone was touching my feet, not touching, more like moulding my toes." She shuddered at the fresh memories that assaulted her and I could only pull her closer against me, encompassing her in my arms as much as I could. "When I- when I tried to get away, I fell off a bed or a table and my skin splattered against the floor, bits of my arms and legs were trailing behind me and it hurt so much. I was crawling away but someone dragged me back and there was a voice in my head telling me to rest, and I did. I couldn't move anymore and I was stuck whilst they fixed the skin I'd just ripped off...no, not skin, it wasn't flesh but it acted like my skin. It felt so real, I could count every second of it happening."

Kali's nightmare sounded chilling, and it had clearly affected her. She pushed her way out of my arms as Carlisle and I processed what she told us and clumsily stood.

"I need a minute." She muttered and unsteadily made her way to the en suite bathroom, covering her mouth pre-emptively.

I frowned at her retreating back but left her to it, it was clear that she needed some time to come to terms with what she'd just experienced.

"Jasper, don't let her go back to sleep." I was surprised at Carlisle's quiet command and frowned up at him from my seat on the edge of the bed.

"Why?" I questioned, and was ready to argue that she looked like she her rest.

"Think about it, her gift is to Takeover a body using incense, it's very possible that she could one day learn to use it without tools. This could be a manifestation of what she's capable of and it sounds like the distance greatly increased as well, we don't want her to trap herself in what sounds like an inanimate body." I took a second to think about the logic behind his words. Sure, he had a point, but that was quite the jump.

"And what makes you think this isn't just a vivid nightmare? She didn't disappear, she was in bed the whole time. Besides if she could take over objects instead of living beings then she'd have trapped herself in a plan pot by now." I drilled him, as I folded my arms, not wanting to make the woman I was coming to care for, suffer if she didn't need to.

"She was practically trapped in her sleep, and you said it yourself that you couldn't feel anything from her, it sounds like she wasn't in her body at all, Jasper. Wait until that headache passes before she goes back to sleep." I frowned at him.

"What does her headache have to do with anything?" Carlisle's eyes darted to the closed door.

"It's the only thing that changed. Don't let her fall asleep until it's gone." He repeated and gave me a wary look. "With a gift like that, if she can't control it, we could lose her."

I swallowed tightly and looked at the bathroom door where I could hear Kali retching into the toilet.

"I understand Carlisle, it won't happen again." Already I was planning a way to stop something like this from repeating, not that anyone else in the family would agree, thankfully my reckless Sweetheart would likely be up for anything.

---

Kali's POV

I was cradling a strong cup of tea with both hands, ignoring how heavy my eyes felt from my lack of rest. My body may have been asleep but my mind or my soul or whatever, certainly hadn't been, and I felt like I'd pulled an all-nighter.

Everyone but Rose was gathered in the living room speaking amongst themselves, I was perched on the sofa next to Jasper, refusing to lay back because I knew the moment I did I'd likely fall back to sleep.

"Do you think it could be them?" Emmett asked Jasper, catching my attention. My nightmare had been the topic of choice since I woke up and after I stopped throwing up, I'd had all my usual medicine forced down my throat and a sandwich just in case I had used Takeover in some new way. I was happy that they weren't just acting like it was nothing but at the same time, I wished they weren't so worried. They were all giving me wary looks, like they expected me to suddenly vanish, and Carlisle had finally left to make a phone call, I assumed to another Vampire considering the quiet and fast tones he spoke in.

"Who's them?" I asked as I leaned forward to join in the conversation, anything to keep me awake.

"The nomads, do you think it was one of their powers?" Emmett asked and looked at my expectantly like I should know.

When I thought about it, I realised I did know. My head was all kinds of hazy, my headache was back with a vengeance and I didn't want to take my morphine tablets in case they made me fall back to sleep.

"Uh, no, they don't have one like that to my knowledge. Victoria can evade people and James was a badass tracker, I think. None of them had anything crazy like being able to steal my soul or call to it, or whatever. Pretty sure Carlisle's right, it's my fault, cause that was definitely no dream." I mumbled as I rubbed my temple.

"Language, Kali." Esme chided as she stood and began fussing around the house for something to do.

"Sorry Ma," I gave her a weak smile to which she gave me a pitying one in return and planted a kiss on my head as she walked by me.

Jasper pulled me back against him and petted my messy hair.

"I have an idea for now, if you feel up for it?" My full attention was captured, and I craned my neck to get a better look at him.

"I'd rip my own arm if it meant I could get some rest." Jasper grinned at the reminder and smoothed my fringe back down.

"You won't be able to sleep but it'll give you a break from your headache for now." Even in my sleep deprived state I could figure out where he was going with this.

"You want me to Takeover you?" He nodded, gracing me with a soft smile.

"I know it's not ideal but you can't use your gift accidentally if you can't fall back to sleep, you won't be tired and you won't have your headache. With any luck it'll have gone by the time we separate."

Whilst his plan had merits it also had glaring flaws.

"While I appreciate the offer, I don't think it's safe to put us at a disadvantage like that. We really don't want a repeat of my heart doing the dying fly either, just so I could avoid having a headache. I know I'm not supposed to, but I'll have a coffee and just keep busy. Sitting around like this definitely isn't going to help." Jasper looked a little disappointed that his idea wasn't goint to be used, so I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and a smile. "Thanks for offering yourself up though, I do appreciate it." Jasper smiled back, seemingly pleased and cuddled me closer.

Before we could come up with anymore ideas, Carlisle stepped back into the room with a smile.

"Eleazar is on his way here." Esme almost dropped the rag she was using to dust in her surprise.

"Really? Not the whole family?" She confirmed, to which her husband shook his head.

"No, Eleazar will be travelling with Irina, but he feels too many Vampire's suddenly passing through Seattle will cause alarm to our foes." I felt Jasper nod in agreement next to me.

"He's right, if he brought the whole family, the scent would be unmissable, and for a tracker, like James, that would definitely be noticeable and they'd be in danger. I take it that's why he isn't bringing Carmen with him, too?" Carlisle smiled tightly.

"Precisely, which is why they kept it to a small party, and are planning to wait until the weekend when heavy rain is forecast, to help hide their trail."

I suppressed a loud yawn and turned to the Cullen patriarch.

"Why are they coming at all? Now probably isn't the best time to pop round for a visit." I asked, curious and cautious, I never had much luck meeting Vampire's for the first time, I always ended up getting threatened.

"Because if there's anyone that can tell us more about your gift, its Eleazar, his ability is to understand what others gifts are, I was originally planning to introduce him to Bella at some point just so we had an accurate definition as to why she could block Edwards power." I wasn't comfortable letting more people in on the secret but I nodded amicably all the same.

"Alright then, as long as he doesn't plan on spreading his findings..." Jasper looked at me in surprise.

"Why are you so worried?" In my drowsy state, I hadn't really noticed the undercurrent of his gift searching out my feelings against my skin, but of course, that was Jasper's favourite pastime as of late.

"Because I don't know them and you're both basically agreeing that I should spill my secrets to a stranger." Jasper frowned at my suddenly terse tone and Carlisle looked at me guiltily.

"I'm sorry Kali, I should have asked if you were okay with this first." I took a deep breath and let the tendrils of irritation dissipate, I knew I was only being so sensitive because I was cranky and exhausted.

"No, I'm sorry. Just- please tell me first, in the future. I know you think you know what's best for me, and I appreciate the help, but I don't like my choices being taken out of my hands." Carlisle nodded along with me as I spoke.

"I completely agree, you aren't my child and I'm sorry for treating you as such. Would you like me to cancel? Eleazar is an old friend, the Denali's are what we refer to as cousins, they are a vegetarian family like us, and they wouldn't betray our trust." I bit my lip and shook my head.

"Nah, don't cancel. I trust your judgement, and I know he can tell me what gift I have, kinda curious of its limitations myself, to be honest."

It took a long time for me to gather enough of my thoughts to accurately remember the Denali's. Three sisters, and a couple that had chosen to live with them and adopt their lifestyle, they were nice, friendly people from what I remembered reading, but I knew that one of them ended up dying in one of the last books. I just couldn't remember who at the moment.

"Excellent, I'm sure Eleazar can be of help, he used to work for the Volturi, he could tell which members of a coven were gifted and which humans had the potential to be gifted after they were changed." It all came back to me, I think Kate was the only other gifted Vampire of their coven, so why was Irina acting as his escort?

"So what about Irina, why's she coming?" Carlisle seemed a little surprised at my question and frowned as he considered.

"I didn't ask, she has always had a bit of a thing for Edward so perhaps she's hoping she can run into him on the way and convince him to go back with her? She seemed rather put out that he never made it to Alaska." I snorted.

"She can have him." I muttered making Jasper chuckle and Carlisle give me a disapproving stare. "What? I'm not gonna date him." I said honestly making Emmett titter in the background.

"Yes, but I'm sure Bella would-" I cut off his gentle reprimand.

"And? Bella isn't here. She's currently in my home, eating my food, reading my comics if she has any taste, and if I ever get to talk to her I will explain exactly how he's been and recommend she find someone better. I'm sure you guys would still turn her if that's what she wants, but you can't expect me to play nice after everything he's done." Carlisle sighed and nodded glumly.

"Of course not, I just don't want you to make a choice that would hurt Bella in the long run, is all." My eyes narrowed as the implications of his words hit me, time for my mouth to start running away from me once more.

"You're talking about sex, right? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I don't plan on fucking Jasper until I can do it with my own damn vagina." I bit out the words more venomously than I intended, but again, super tired and super cranky. I was not in the mood to be "gently reminded" of anything.

I huffed and folded my arms to the dead silence of the room. No one really knew what to say to that, even Esme was too confused over which part of my statement to scold me over, the swearing, the general profanity, or the fact that I had confirmed I wanted to sleep with Jasper.

Oh fuck, did I really say that aloud?

I ignored the hot blush I could feel creeping up my deathly pale cheeks, and kept my resolve strong as I glared at the fireplace.

"I...see... Well, um, as long as you're safe about it..." Carlisle's suddenly high voice trailed off into somewhere in the realm of uncomfortable and I could hear Emmett trying his hardest not to burst into laughter at the awkward situation I had managed to put myself in.

The majority of me didn't want to look or even acknowledge Jasper, but I was a tad curious as to what he thought about my outburst. Ever so slowly, I turned my head just enough to look at his face and was surprised at the smug smile I saw there. I turned to look at him fully and he shot me a beaming grin, he looked like the cat who had got the cream. And the whole pussy whilst he was at it.

"And just why are you so damn chipper?" I demanded making him smile wider.

"Oh, no reason." He said in a cheerful tone and pulled me back against him, making me a touch irritated but I probably didn't want to know what was going through his head whilst I was surrounded by the majority of the house.

The silence fell again, and the Cullen "parents" looked a little uncomfortable to say the least, when the sound of a car pulling into the driveway caught their attention, they couldn't make excuses and scatter fast enough.

"That must be Rose." Emmett said as he slowly stood, he had been thoroughly enjoying this and I threw a pillow at his slow retreat, nailing him square in the back.

"Such a temper, but you aim is true, Robin." I couldn't help the bubble of laughter that escaped me.

"Oh, fuck off already," I managed to chuckle out and buried my face in Jaspers neck the moment he left.

Jasper let me hide in the crook of his neck for a moment before he coughed lightly to get my attention.

"Don't say a thing." I mumbled into his skin, making him snort.

"Okay, I won't." He was suspiciously quiet, I pulled myself off of him and glared at the grin he was fighting off.

"Oh, eat my dick, ya sparkly little bitch." I grumbled and folded my arms, turning purposely away from him. Jasper chuckled fondly and snuck an arm around my waist, tugging me back against him.

"Awh, you're so grumpy, would it make you feel better if I told you I'm looking forward to doing all sorts of things to you too when you're in your own body?" I felt the rush of heat in the pit of my stomach and bit my lip.

"Somehow that makes it worse." I groaned and gave him a half-hearted glare from my position against his chest. "This is just going to be one long fucking tease, isn't it?" He laughed and ran his fingers down my arm, making me shiver.

"Most definitely, but for both of us if it helps." I sighed dramatically and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard when I get my own body back." I muttered in frustration, making Jasper laugh again and plant a lingering kiss on my cheek.

"And I'll be sure to show you just how useful my gift can be." He whispered against my ear, before lightly nipping it and making me jump a little.

"Stop playing with your food," I moaned pathetically as he trailed a wet kiss down my neck. "I'm so gonna get you back for this." I threatened when he didn't stop.

"Sounds like a challenge, Darlin." His voice hummed against my throat, I felt that tiny thrill at the word challenge and the chance of beating him at his own game. That was all the motivation I needed to wrench myself out of his grip and straddle his lap, I ignored his steadily hardening cock for the moment, instead I tugged his head back and exposed his neck. Of course he let me, curious to see what I'd do and could barely suppress his groan when I ran my damp tongue from his collarbone to his jaw and whispered in his ear,

"Then prepare to lose Cowboy, cause I'm going to do things that'll drive you wild." His golden eyes were slowly darkening as he watched me, but I didn't waver instead I leaned forward and nipped at his bottom lip, annoying him when I pulled away before he could kiss me.

I stood in front of him with a smug grin, ignoring the on-going, painful, buzzing in my head that had become background noise, I finally found something to keep me entertained and awake at the same time, lucky me!

Before I could torment him further, the door opened and Rose gave me a conspiratorial smile as she dragged in her purchases, along with the rest of the family that had dutifully grabbed a bag and in Emmett's case; a sheet of metal about half his size.

"Not interrupting anything, am I?" I had a feeling she had stalled everyone for me so Jasper and I could have our "moment". I gave her a toothy grin and shook my head.

"Nope, whatcha got there kitty-cat?" I barely caught her speedy movement as she deposited her purchases at the doorway from the house into the Garage.

"Everything I think I'm going to need to make a suitable replacement for you burning incense," Emmett carefully propped up the long metal sheet and my eyebrows flew up underneath my bangs.

"Say what now?" I asked in confusion, making her gorgeous smile brighten.

"While you were sleeping last night, I came up with a few designs to build something that would make you using Takeover easier." I felt a bubble of excitement growing in my chest.

"Oh, wow, you gotta let me help!" I dashed over to her with a pleading smile, in response she began fixing my stray hairs.

"Are you sure you're up to it? I don't want you to make your headache worse." She asked absently as she studied my comfy night clothes, as if the way I was dressed was indicative of how I was feeling.

I gave her my brightest smile and tried not to look as tired as I felt.

"Damn right I am! I think sitting around relaxing isn't going to help, keeping myself busy would be nice." Rose gave me another grin and nodded towards the garage.

"Then lets get to work." I shot Jasper a longing look, but Rose hadn't invited Emmett along, and I did love the idea of girl time with my favourite sister. Bending down, I gave his cheek a peck and watched his face stretch into a lazy smile when I did.

"Think you can survive without me for a few hours?" I asked him cheekily, Jasper rolled his eyes and gently pushed me away from him.

"Go have fun," I gave him a last beaming smile and playfully nudged the grinning Emmett as I followed after Rose.

I closed the door behind me, more out of politeness than desire for privacy, from my experience garages got noisy and it looked like we were going to get a little loud. Probably not the best thing for my headache, but the more I moved around the less pressure I felt on my temples, so for now I planned to go on as long as I could.

Rose was moving around the garage so quickly, I could only catch sight of her when she moved something larger than herself as she cleared space for her project. Slowly, I descended the short stairs and made my way over to the work bench where all the clutter was quickly disappearing around me, knowing Roe would dodge my slow pace just fine. Eventually, she sat next to me on a work stool and deposited a notebook in front of me. Opening it, I studied the numerous pages of carefully detailed sketches with wide eyes.

"You did all this whilst I was asleep?" I asked her incredulously as I tried to make sense of the intricacy of her designs.

She had marked at the top of the page which designs she had found all the materials to and which were the best ideas. From what I could see, she had narrowed it down to three final designs: a bracelet comprised of tiny smoke bombs, a complicated necklace with some sort of ring pull, and a thick metal cuff that appeared to have a slot for burning ground herbs.

Gobsmacked I looked back up at her expectantly.

"Don't look so shocked, I've done plenty of engineering and mechanics courses at College's, plus I can work and think a hell of a lot faster than you. But what do you think, any of them take your fancy?" I snapped my mouth closed and nodded dumbly.

"All of them, well these three you've dog-eared. See, the main issue with Takeover isn't just getting incense lit to steal a body, it's changing back. Multiple methods would solve that issue, like here, the smoke bombs? If they weren't super sensitive, I could easily drop one or the bracelet for later use, but the cuff or necklace looks like they'd be perfect for changing into someone." Rose nodded along with a smile.

"That was sort of where my head was going, but I was also considering making the smoke bombs powerful enough to obscure vision for a moment so your actual power is still somewhat hidden, watching you actually use Takeover on someone makes it obvious what you're doing as long as it isn't happening to me at the time." She nudged me briefly clearly referring to last night, and I gave her an apologetic grin.

"I like the way you think, tactically, that would be brilliant in a fight." Rose raised an eyebrow and propped her chin on her fist as she gave me a withering stare.

"Oh? Planning on getting into a fight are we?" I swallowed my guilt and shook my head.

"Honestly, I'm expecting it at this point, though not by choice. I'd be quite happy just spending my days doing shit like this with you, Buttercup." Rose didn't look entirely convinced but moved on, turning the page of the notebook in front of us to the necklace.

"This one was something that might be better for your discreet Takeover's. The general idea is that you pull this cord and it triggers the electric lighter in the back that will superheat some of your concentrated incense." I chewed my lip as I considered her words.

"Alright, two things, firstly will I end up getting burned by this if I use it? Second, won't it be excessively large if you're using an electric lighter?" Rose smiled at my thought process and pointed to a circular scribble that I hadn't paid too much attention to.

"Actually, I was thinking of messing around with a car's electric lighter, they aren't so big and the ring pull was an idea I was playing around with, I could also keep it as a push in, but I thought there could be a chance of that going off accidentally. As for the heat, I did take into account that you are a delicate little flower and planned on glueing or sewing a hard leather covering so it'll only feel warm at most." I read her notes as she walked me through it and I couldn't help the grin that stretched across my face.

"Rose, my sweet blonde bombshell, you're a fucking genius." She preened at the compliment and casually tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"It's nothing, can't have you getting hurt because your lighter ran out of gas." I grinned sheepishly at her very good point.

"That does sound like something that's bound to happen, and hey, if I have all three of these then even if something goes wrong with one of them, I'll have plenty of back ups." The smile fell from Rose's face and she pinned me with a rather serious look.

"I know that you need to be able to access your power, but you have to promise me that you won't use this in excess. You could put your life at risk, Kali." Her face softened again and she stroked back my stray hairs.

I smiled and caught her hand.

"If our suspicions about the nomads are right, they are bound to attack us again. If I can use Takeover and capture, or stop them, then I will. I cannot promise I won't use it three times in a row to knock them all out if that's what it takes, but I will promise not to fuck around with it for fun and eat heartily after every use." Rose studied me for a moment before giving in to some internal battle and sighed heavily.

"Well, I guess that's the best I can ask of you. Alright then, let's get to work." I grinned and looked around at the tools scattered around the mostly bare desk with a grin.

"Where do we start?" Rose stood and grabbed a large paper bag from near the stairs and a stack of bowls out of a cupboard full of more scientific looking equipment.

She dumped the lot in front of me, I took the initiative and looked inside, pulling out numerous packets of powders, rocks and leaves in sealed bags. There were different thin sticks of wood, little bottles of oils and a few boxes of different incense. Holding up a bag filled with off-white crystals I grinned.

"Oh snap, are we doing coke?" Rose flicked my ear making me drop the bag on the table.

"Of course not, dugs don't work on Vampire's anyway, these are all the probable ingredients that make up your incense. Chances are, it's not the incense sticks themselves that trigger your power, but one single ingredient. It'll look odd if we start buying thousands of incense sticks to grind up, so I thought it would be prudent to discover what it actually is that causes the change for you." I blinked as her logic hit me like a ton of bricks.

"That's... that's really clever!" Rose beamed at me and pulled out the rest of the herbs that would potentially trigger my gift.

"I thought so too, problem is, you've got to use Takeover at least once before we get started. If it's a herb or an oil, I have to keep that in mind with whatever container I make, and I'll need to know what I'm working with before I make anything too concrete. Do you think you'd be up for it today?" I wrinkled my nose slightly at the prospect of worsening my headache, but time wasn't a luxury I could afford if I was being hunted by Vampire's and I wanted to do my bit.

Gathering my courage, I nodded.

"I can do it, you don't mind me borrowing your body for a moment, do you?" Rose smiled lightly and started unstacking the bowls, they appeared to be the heat proof kind and I could guess what she was planning on doing with them.

"I'm sure I'll manage, might be best if I grab some pillows for you though." I stopped her with a shake of my head.

"Nah, don't bother, I've been getting a better handle on it, I don't usually end up on the floor and I'll just sit down when I change back." Rose nodded and we began to set up our experiment, pouring powders and dropping different oils and leaves into all the bowls. I helped where I could (not that Rose needed it) and was careful to breathe through my mouth just in case the scent of anything triggered my gift prematurely.

"Okay, walk me through what we've got." I asked as she finished setting out the last bowl and grabbed a small blow torch from a cupboard.

"So I used my nose as best as I could to pick out ingredients, and guessed a few others. Let's start here, this is Frankincense," She pointed to the first bowl of sticky yellowish rocks. "and this is the oil. Stand back from the rest of these and inhale them both as is, if nothing happens then we'll heat them and see if that does anything.

I did as I was told and hopped off my bar stool with the two bowls and crossed the room to another counter before I took turns inhaling them deeply. The oil smelled the strongest, and it was sort of fruity and kind of woody at the same time, it was a sickly sweet scent that had no supernatural effect on me. Rose came and took the bowls off of me and handed me a pair of goggles as she lit the blow torch and heated up the bowls. I took my time inhaling both of them, but there was no reaction so we moved on to the next ingredient.

"This is Guggul," She handed me another bowl full of brown powdery rocks and I repeated the process, unsurprised when sniffing the bowl did nothing and a little disappointed that this wasn't my trigger either, after Rose heated it and I caught a whiff off the spicy, almost vanilla scent.

After that we tried the cocaine looking powder called Borneol Camphor, which I was also glad I didn't have to sniff or possibly snort, in the future. The smell was bitter and slightly acrid, and made my head a little woozy. Rose vetoed burning the oil and we moved on to thick, white bricks called Elemi, they smelled much nicer, kinda lemony and a little bit like the Frankincense. Again, neither the rocks or the oils when sniffed dry or burned did anything.

I was a little disheartened but there were only two herbs left, Chinese Hibiscus, a fine pinkish red powder that I couldn't help but stick my finger in, and shiny red resin that was actually called Dragons Blood.

"You're joking? Dragons blood is a thing? I've seen 'Dragon Blood' incense before and I always thought that was just a gimmicky name! Well, I'll be darned." Rose laughed at my surprise, it always warmed my heart to hear her laugh so openly, such a change from the bitchy Barbie attitude when we first met.

"Yes, Dragons Blood is a thing, also known as Sanguis Draconis. Get sniffing, I intend to get started on this before it gets too late." I sniffed the dry rocks and the velvety red powder, and was a little gutted when I felt nothing, but when Rose lit them there was a hard tug in my chest when I sniffed the powder.

"Wait a minute, it's something to do with this, it feels funny." Rose studied me, I could almost feel the pull on my insides, like how Takeover started for me, but it wasn't enough there was something missing. We tried rolling the warm resin in the Dragon Blood powder and lighting it again, I felt the same amount of pull but it wasn't strong enough no matter how many times we lit it.

"It needs something more, maybe its two ingredients, not just one? Would make a lot more sense why this didn't happen sooner in my life if it was a specific combination." Rose nodded thoughtfully.

"You have a good point, you'd never used the incense before, right?" I thought back as hard as I could and rubbed my aching skull.

"No... at least I don't think so, I was never too big on incense, one of those things that I'd forget I owned if I bought it, I liked candles more cause they lit up a room and smelled good." Rose nodded thoughtfully and turned back to the table of powders.

"Well, regardless, these are all the ingredients I could smell and match up so I'll mix a little with each while you smell the Chinese Hibiscus.

Lazily, I saluted her and took the powder to the other side of the Garage whilst she added the powdered Dragons Blood to all the bowls we had tried so far. There was no reaction when I smelled the powder, but damn it smelled good. Sweet, floral and almost tinged with something like marshmallows, and when I used the blow torch to heat it up on a counter, I nearly dropped the flaming tool when the smell hit me.

"We got a winner," I called out as I steadied myself on the side. Rose rushed over and snatched the blow torch out of my hands before there was an accident and held my shoulders steady.

"So, Chinese Hibiscus and Dragons Blood, both two red powders, let's see if they work together and we'll go from there."

Confident we had found the correct mix, Rose added the powdered Dragons blood to the Chinese Hibiscus and muddled them with a metal stirrer for a moment before she brought them to the side and lit them. She stood back and leaned against the wall for good measure as I leaned down and inhaled the sickly sweet aroma. Faster than ever before, my vision switched in milliseconds and I was standing in Rose's body, stopping my breath so I didn't change back straight away. There wasn't the usual slow dimming and I couldn't remember seeing the world darken, it was almost as if it had happened as soon as I blinked.

When mixed together, the smoke from the burning powders was heavy and pink, it looked like it would make an excellent base for the smoke bomb bracelet idea. I grabbed the jug of water Rose had put aside as a precaution and dumped it in the burning powder just as I inhaled. The switch back was faster this time too, I was suddenly sitting on top of Rose's still body completely awake, and although I waited for my headache to worsen, it wasn't quite as impactful as it usually was.

Seeing as this time seemed to be instant, I counted the seconds as accurately as I could until Rose awoke, lamenting my lack of forethought for bringing a stopwatch. I frowned as I hit 4 minutes and I was still counting. I know my three minute's countdown was a little shaky but it was definitely taking longer than normal. At 5 minutes I started panicking until Rose suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, nearly bumping my head but she barely caught herself at the last minute.

"This... this isn't as bad as last night." She said in surprise as she rubbed her temple lightly. I smoothed out her hair and gave her a cheeky grin.

"They say the first time always hurts, but thirds the charm babeh." I gave her an exaggerated wink, making her slap my arm but she still laughed.

"Oh hush, Kali. Honestly, you're worse than most men I've met, and I have unfortunately met many men in my 73 years of immortality." I grinned and needlessly helped her stand.

"I'll take that as a compliment, anyway, seems we've found the right herbs, and they are a hell of a lot more potent than the incense sticks." Rose was intrigued and asked me to describe the differences, taking a mental note of how much more powerful the powders were.

"I think the other ingredients may have diluted the powders to the point where it made you strain your gift more than you should have, how hungry do you feel?" I blinked in surprise, I barely felt hungry at all, and for a bottomless pit like me that was saying something. Sure, I could eat, but it was nothing like the ravenous hunger that I suffered through after my previous Takeovers.

"Only a little peckish, but I didn't even think about it until you said it." Rose grinned smugly.

"Exactly as I thought, without the diluting herbs and oils, this is more like what your gift should be. I think this will be a hell of a lot less strenuous on your body now." I couldn't help the hug as I slammed into her.

"Holy powdered resin Batman, you're a fucking genius." Rose hugged me back and laughed next to my ear.

"I try," She rightfully boasted.

Seeing as I felt fine, Rose was happy to let me continue helping her create my new smoke devices after I had a sandwich, which then ended up turning into a delicious tomato and basil pasta and dessert, all home made by Esme. Not that I complained, cause by god I would consider jumping in real lava for that sexy molten lava cake.

After we brought everyone up to speed on what we'd discovered, I was surprised at the Cullen "parents" happiness at our breakthrough with the incense. Though I guess they were more overjoyed to hear that I could use my power a little more safely, as opposed to me using it more in general.

"Well, I believe this shall be a worry off our minds if you can use your gift with less of a backlash, please, just don't go over board, Kali." Carlisle begged in a slightly tired voice, like the very idea of me being able to use Takeover more was exhausting him already.

I gave him a beaming grin from my seat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

"I promise nothing." Carlisle's hard stare made me crack up. "I'm just teasing ya, Doc, I've already promised Rose that I'll only use it when the need calls for it, not for fun. Same applies here." Carlisle nodded and gave me a tight smile, still unsure whether I'd keep to my word.

He seemed to be getting ready to leave, Esme came up to him with a briefcase and a gentle kiss.

"Back to work?" Jasper asked conversationally from his seat next to me. Carlisle smiled again and gave him a brief nod.

"Yes, I've offered to take the night shift, even if it's a little over cautious of me, I'd rather be close to Charlie in case of emergency and for when he does wake up." His eyes briefly drifted over to me and I gave him a small smile, trying not to let on that the reminder of Charlie's predicament was hitting me everytime I thought about the poor man.

"Send him my love." I requested and turned back to the last few crumbs of cake on my plate so no one could see my face. It had been briefly discussed that for my own safety, I shouldn't hang around the Hospital and keep my trail out of the house as minimal as possible.

I hadn't put up much of a fight about the issue, in a way I felt the need to distance myself from Charlie because whilst he wasn't my Dad, the guilt at what I had inadvertently caused was gnawing away at me. Spending time with him just watching him slowly heal, wouldn't help anyone, especially if it brought the nomads to the Hospital. So for everyone's safety, I'd agreed to stay at the Cullens again until further notice.

"I should probably get started on Charlie's door then," Emmett said as he separated from the hug he had Rose in and looked over at Jasper and I. "Did you fancy coming to help?" Jasper immediately shook his head and the casual arm around my shoulders tightened.

"No, we need to keep as many of us here at all times. Charlie's door does need to be fixed asap though, how long do you think it'll take you?" Emmett thought about it for a second and carelessly shrugged.

"Half an hour I'd say, but yeah, I see your point." He conceded and turned to give Rose a kiss.

"You should have a hunt on the way home, your eyes are looking a little dark, Emmy." She informed him making him grimace and nod.

"Alright, but you should too, I'm sure you and Kali can take a small break from your project to come get your own dinner." He asked with a teasing grin, Rose playfully swatted at him but sighed dramatically.

"Fine, I could do with the meal too, I'm sure Jasper won't even let Kali go to the bathroom alone once I'm gone." She muttered and gave Jasper a sly look.

Jasper frowned and his mouth fell open.

"Oi, I resent that!" I couldn't help but laugh, and patted his shoulder soothingly.

"She has a point, you are very overprotective of me." Jasper gave me a lazy glare and propped his chin on his fist and grumbled back,

"I wouldn't need to be if you weren't such a danger magnet." I stuck my tongue out at him and hopped off the stool to take my plate to the sink, where Esme automatically washed it before I could even get the chance to, and to give Emmett a hug.

"Thanks for going to fix up the door, I was a little worried about Charlie's getting broken into." Emmett gave me another beaming grin and squeezed me back lightly.

"No problem, you guys have fun, don't blow up anything." He threw airily over his shoulder as he dashed out the door making me laugh and turn my grin to Rose.

"I mean, that wasn't the plan but we could, I guess-"

"No. We have work to do, and you've finished eating so let's get started." I nodded and gave Jasper a smile.

"Be good, Cowboy." Jasper rolled his eyes, but I could see the corners of his mouth upturn at my usual nickname for him and he waved me away.

"Go back to your man cave, I'll get some reading done." I crossed the room and gave him a playful kiss on the cheek.

"You're such a delicate flower. Have fun, handsome." Jasper chuckled and waved me away.

I tackled Esme before I left with Rose and gave her a tight hug as she washed the dishes at a sedate pace.

"Thank you for dinner Esme, it was divine as ever, you should really consider becoming a chef." She tittered at my ideas like they were silly and pressed a light kiss to my forehead as she turned round to hug me back.

"Please be safe down there, you heard Emmett, no explosions." I grinned and gave her a lazy salute as I scampered after Rose.

Almost immediately, I was handed a full gear of safety equipment as I got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Put these on," Rose told me as she started running around the garage and grabbing objects, I briefly saw her car door open and close again as I began pulling on what she had given me. Some tough gloves for working with hot and sharp materials, a leather apron to help protect my chest and clothes, a pair of goggles that I perched on my head and a gas mask that I thought was a little overkill and put back down on the side.

"Keep that handy, if we're working with your incense and it heats up prematurely, it'll be a pain." I grinned at her logic and nodded, stuffing the mask in the large pouch on the front of my apron.

"Gotcha, so what's first?" With a smile she dragged over a sheet of metal.

"I was thinking the necklace?" I grinned broadly and helped her stand the metal without knocking anything over.

"What's a lady without her jewellery, am I right?" Rose laughed and get to work, we did.

Even with Rose's super speed, memory, and all that jazz, the work still took us nearly two days to finish two out of the three, but by the end of it, I was more than pleased. Rose was a mechanical genius but this was engineering on a scale I'd never considered when I thought of ways to use my incense.

Using a car lighter (from her own car, which kinda touched me) she had created a circular necklace that had a little grate on the front, for the smoke to escape, the whole thing was coated in a thick tan leather and at the base was a ring pull that neatly tucked into the back so I didn't catch it by accident. When it was tugged down, the electric lighter would heat up for about 30 seconds before the ring pull snapped back up, which was just enough time to super heat the Chinese Hibiscus and Dragons Blood powder, hidden beneath the grate. It was a little piece of genius and whilst we hadn't tested how well I could use it to Takeover anyone, we had made sure it worked and didn't burn my chest. Rose told me to keep it on for the time being just so we could see if my daily activities caused it to accidentally set off in any way.

The bracelet was another clever idea. The general thought process was that this could be used to change me back easier, because I could just pull it off my wrist and that the smoke bombs would also cover my Takeover, so I could use that confusion to my advantage. The smoke bombs were little shells dipped in some non-flammable gold paint to make it look more like decorative baubles, and less like a circle of tiny bombs. It took a hard tug to remove one from the bracelet, but when I did it would release the smoke. Rose had made it so that they would explode smoke when they were thrown the range was wider for me and it would hide what I did. Sadly, I didn't learn the process she used because Rose thought it would be a liability to have me so close to the smoke bombs whilst they were being built, especially since she was making them them the tiniest bit explosive. In all fairness, it was a good call, two went off in my sleep and the Garage had to be completely aired out.

The unusual headache disappeared after a day or so, and thankfully there were no more Takeover dreams either. Rose had made the finals touches to the necklace in my sleep but was generous enough to let me help test out the bombs.

"You make sure that gas mask is on tight enough, Kali!" Rose threatened as she stood across from me outside the front of the Cullen home.

"It's bloody well on! Any tighter and it'll cut off the circulation to my brain and I'd be a vegetable!" I complained in a very distorted voice, which really made me sound like a bad Star Wars cosplay.

"Well it's not like your IQ would suffer." Rose muttered referring to an incident from the previous day.

"I swear to Christ, Bella needs glasses! I did not mean to add the Dragons Blood to the necklace twice, how is it my fault they're practically the same colour!" I yelled back at her making her huff and fold her arms in annoyance.

"It says it on the bag! And I had to empty 20 of those little bastards just so I could get the ratio's right again!" I scoffed and threw my hands up in the air in exasperation.

"You don't even know what the ratio is! I told you just to pour the powder out, but you insisted on dusting the damn things until they fucking shone!"

A peppy, condescending voice cut across our half-hearted argument.

"Girls, girls, girls... If you're gonna fight please at least do it right, in bikinis and a pool of jell-o." Emmett said cheerfully with placating hand gestures, from the porch stairs that he and Jasper were sitting on. Jasper looked up at him like he'd grown another head.

"Dude, run." He warned as Rose vanished and all of a sudden Emmett was being dragged before me by his ear.

"Ahh, no wait, Rosie! I didn't mean it!" He quickly apologised as he awkwardly followed her until she released him in front of me and practically teleported to my side in a flurry of leaves.

"Damn girl, you like some Konoha ninja?" She raised a bemused eyebrow at me and crossed her arms.

"Hey, I love Naru-" Emmett started but was silenced with a glare.

"He's the Guinea Pig now." She declared, I snorted in amusement and turned back to Emmett with a wicked look behind my gas mask.

"You got it!" I took a step back coughed, putting on my best Godfather voice. "Emmett, I trusted you, we broke bread together, and this, this is how you repay me... on the day of my daughter's wedding. I gots one thing to say to you, McCarty," With a grin I tore off a smoke bomb from my wrist and threw it towards him. "Fire in the ho!" There was a tiny bang and Emmett started coughing as he was completely covered in a cloud of thick, pinkish smoke.

"This stuff tastes horrible!" He complained but stood still so we could see how long it covered him.

"You aren't supposed to breathe it stupid, she is!" Rose yelled back to him over the hissing of the bomb as it continued to release smoke. "And it's fire in the 'hole' not ho, that's completely different." Rose corrected me as she watched the bomb closely.

"You're right, this is field testing the equipment not a hooker at the STD clinic." Rose snorted and the smoke bomb finally stopped fizzing on the ground, the pinkish smoke cloud dissipated after another ten seconds or so, leaving a gagging Emmett.

"Oh gob, thap stuth ith nathty." He complained whilst he tried to wipe his tongue on the back of his hand. Jasper laughed at his brothers predicament and I gave him a sharp look.

"Don't you get giggly, Cowboy, else you're the next volunteer." Jasper held up his hands.

"As you say, Darth Vader." I snorted behind my gas mask and nudged Rose.

"The brains is strong with this one."

Rose rolled her eyes and walked over to pick up the remains of my smoke bomb, the small implosion had burst it open leaving it looking like a miniature cracked golden goose egg.

"Alright, you're gonna have to be sure to throw this quick, it won't blow off your hand or anything, but it'll definitely burn you if you're holding on to it for too long, I tried to make it trigger slower but that still might be too fast for you." Rose said thoughtfully as she studied the broken golden ball in her hand.

"I think I can manage it for now, I just want to be ready in case anything happens." Rose gave me a sad look and stroked my arm.

"If anything happens, we'll be here to protect you." I gave her a weak smile, not that she could really see it.

"How long did that last anyway?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Rose complied and told me the result of our test.

"The smoke keeps coming out for 33 seconds, and after that the cloud dissipates outdoors in average weather in just over 15 so when you use this you have just around 45 seconds to breathe it in and about 12 seconds to throw it before it explodes, providing it's a nice day." I nodded and looked down at my wrist, I figured that the smoke had definitely blown away and removed the stuffy gas mask, taking a refreshing breath of clean air as I did.

"Ugh that thing is sweaty... Well, test successful, now we just have to make sure they both work for real." Rose gave me a dark look and I groaned. "Oh c'mon, it's not so bad and you know it won't kill me to use it, even the headache is like 5x more mild, you said it yourself." She folded her arm's and said nothing.

Jasper whizzed over and placed a hand on Rose's shoulder.

"She does need the practise, and if we keep it to once a day, then she won't be in any danger." Rose still glared at me and took her time making her silent disapproval known.

"We needed you to use Takeover the once to find out exactly what herbs trigger your gift, this is getting dangerously close to that frivolous use we discussed you wouldn't do." I sighed heavily.

"Once a day isn't frivolous, I used the not-as-good stuff like 5 times in a day and barely felt a thing!" Rose's stiff stance didn't shift.

"That's because you were fuelled by adrenaline and lies." Emmett snorted and I flipped him off from the side.

"Point, but we know this hurts me even less than that and if we don't test it out, how do we know if it'll work? C'mon we can test out something else that I've been interested in at the same time." Rose seemed to give in somewhat.

"And what's that?"

I grabbed both Jasper and Rose's arm and led them to where Emmett was still standing.

"I'm curious to see if I can choose who I take over if you're all about the same distance from me." Rose sighed and followed my idea and helpfully stood in a line with Jasper as I backed up.

"Alright, but only once a day." I grinned and gave her a salute as pulled the whole bracelet off my wrist, letting it drop to the floor and hooked my finger into the tucked away ring pull on my necklace, pulling it out of the little leather strip and down at the same time.

There was a click against my chest and I began counting, once I hit 16 the light smoke over took me. I tried thinking about Rose, and taking over her specifically. However, the mind is really unreliable about these things and I couldn't help glance at Jasper who was watching me with interest.

"Dammit!" I said as I stumbled in Jasper's body.

"Not who you were aiming for?" Rose asked with a slightly disapproving tone.

"Nah, I was gonna get you so I could try and get that stick outta your ass myself." Emmett snorted and I hopped away from her before she could take a swipe at me. I skipped over to the bracelet and pulled off a smoke bomb and threw it at my feet.

"Shazam motherfucker!" I exclaimed as I inhaled and disappeared from view for a moment. Just as I opened my eyes, Rose quickly grabbed me and ran us out of the pillar of smoke I had created.

"You idiot, you need to throw it further away so you don't get caught in the cloud and just switch straight back!" I grinned sheepishly and rubbed my head, feeling a small knot of tension in my temples.

"I'm sorry, but on the bright side I feel pretty good." Rose set me down.

"C'mon, it's about time to feed you anyway." I scoffed and chased after her as she made her way back to the house.

"I resent the implication that I am your goldfish!"

"A goldfish would be a lot quieter..." Rose mused aloud and I clutched my chest.

"That's cold, man, that's cold."

Emmett crouched down by the unconscious blonde that was face down in the dead leaves covering the ground, and called us back before we reached the door.

"Uh, hey, what about Jasper?"

"Oh, he'll be up in like five minutes, no point waiting around for him, besides he's been getting clingy lately, the dirt nap might do him some good." Rose said casually and opened the front door, I giggled and skipped after her.

"Oh, Momma-bear! The test was a success!" I exclaimed cheerfully as I bounced my way over to Esme, who was re-reading the Home & Garden magazine she had been delivered that morning. She placed it on the coffee table with a smile and stood to offer me a hug that I of course flew into.

"I heard, and what's this about you using your Takeover once a day?" She questioned me whilst I was gently trapped in her steel arms.

"Oh...uh... Just so I can test it if I need to? Besides, I feel great, and so will Jasper when he wakes up." I tried to reassure her but was met with an almost Rose-like look of silent disbelief.

"Mhmm. I do hope you'll be careful, Kali." I nodded vigorously against her until she released me with a serene smile. "Good, then let me make you some lunch." Rose walked by me and gently tugged the bracelet and necklace off me as she did.

"I'm going to go check how much powder burned in the necklace and restock the bracelet, do you need to take your medicine?" I shook my head with a bright grin.

"Nope! All I want is a snack and I'd be raring to go again!" Rose shook her head and playfully bumped my shoulder on her way to the Garage.

"You're so reckless,"

"And you're so sexy!" I replied with a very exaggerated thumbs up and wink.

I did in fact feel great, no lingering headache, no massive disorientation and no feelings akin to starvation. Though I was looking forward to my snack. With nothing better to do I went back outside where Emmett was building some sort of twig house on Jaspers chest.

I snorted and made my way over to him.

"What on earth are you doing to him?" Emmett gestured to his neat little tent he'd made out of dead twigs.

"Playing Cowboys and Indians, obviously. This is the teepee, see." I fell to the ground in an undignified pile and grabbed some of the bendy will branches scattered around us and quickly twisted it into a funny looking human shape. I handed it to Emmett who beamed and held up his (far better crafted) doll of his own, complete with a little headdress made of dead leaves.

"Do you think Jasper will like it?" He asked with a pleased grin as he set up our little Native Indians in their teepee.

"Probably not, I doubt he'll see the genius in your architectural marvel." I gave him a gentle pat on his gigantic shoulder and he sighed dramatically.

"No one appreciates art nowadays." I giggled but before I could reply, Emmett had picked me up and was standing protectively in front of me. I was surprised but dutifully stood my ground behind him whilst he waited anxiously.

After another moment I could make out the sound of a car coming up the drive Emmett relaxed and turned back to me with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry about that, it's Carlisle's car. I guess I'm a little on edge too." I gave him a soft smile and grabbed hold of his enormous sleeve.

"Don't worry about it, I appreciate the protection, Bro." Emmett beamed right back and wrapped a giant, frosty arm around my shoulders whilst we waited for Carlisle to pull up.

We didn't have to wait for the good Doctor to smoothly drive up the road in his black Mercedes S55 AMG. I couldn't help but admire the purr of the engine as he drove, it's the sort of stuff that gives grease monkeys like me goosebumps. Carlisle had bought a damn fine car, I could faintly recall the S55 being praised for it's enhanced muscle and it's no-nonsense rubber tyres that added more meat than it's competitors, meaning it had more stopping distance and a lot of cornering grip than those in it's current market. Unfff, it's so hot.

I gave a low whistle as Carlisle stopped and exited the car, seeing us all gathered around a sleeping Jasper.

"Sweet ride, Doc, could I take her out for a spin sometime?" I asked with barely hidden enthusiasm, Carlisle was more interested in the downed Vampire though.

"What happened here?" I grinned and filled him in.

"Well, Rose and I were testing the necklace and the smoke bombs out, which work perfectly by the way. Sweet Jasper here became he victim for one of our tests, though he should be waking up any moment." I turned in concern wondering how long it had actually been, when I realised Jasper was awake and examining the stack of twigs on his chest.

"What the hell is all this crap?" He asked as he sat up and it all fell off of him, much to Emmett's dismay.

"Awh, there goes another great masterpiece." He said glumly and kicked at the ground.

Carlisle sighed at our antics and got back in his car to park up properly.

"Please be careful, Kali, we don't want a repeat-" I cut him off with a wave off my hand.

"I know, I know, honestly, you're starting to sound like a broken record. Rose and I had agreed to one Takeover per day." Carlisle didn't look pleased but nodded all the same.

"Alright then, I suppose I have no say in this but I would prefer not to have you comatose again." I grinned sheepishly at the reminder.

"I'll do my best, Mon Cappy-tan!" Carlisle gave me a tired smile and drove into the Garage. I planned to ask him about Charlie later, but for now I was more interested in food, Takeover or no, I hadn't eaten in quite a few hours whilst I was busy helping Rose finish up with the last fiddly touches of the necklace.

"Up you get Cowboy, dinnertime for the human." I needlessly offered Jasper my hand, he took it to humour me and pulled himself up, I helped pick the damp leaves off his shirt whilst he spoke.

"So, any idea why you took over my body instead?" I hummed loudly for a moment as if I was thinking.

"Because I was thinking about you," I said off-handedly and shrugged, turning to walk back up the steps. Jasper had other plans though and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back with a tug.

Before I could even think, my stomach was in my throat as he lifted me easily and jumped high into the tall Firs surrounding the Cullen property. I giggled as we landed on a thick branch and Jasper immediately angled me to sit facing him as his back rested against the thick bark.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a blazing smile on my face, he pulled me closer still until I was practically straddling his thighs along with the tree branch.

"Just showing you I appreciate it when you think about me." His hands on my waist travelled up my back to hold me steady as he peppered my face and neck with kisses. I couldn't help the bubble of laughter as my insides twisted pleasantly.

"Damn Cowboy, you couldn't have showed me on solid ground?" I trusted Jasper to not let me fall, as I released my grip on the branch I was sat on and wrapped my arms around his neck. There was a hum of laughter against my throat and Jasper pulled away long enough to speak.

"Privacy isn't easy to come by in a house full of Vampire's especially for a budding relationship, I'll take what I can get." His mouth captured mine in a rough kiss that I more or less melted into. I groaned in pleasure against his lips and clutched him tightly, there was a hot thrill running through my body and part of it may have been the slight fear of being so high.

"A budding relationship, huh?" I asked between kisses, making him hesitate and pull back from me to search my face.

"Yeah, at least I think that's what this is." He said quietly and stroked a stray hair behind my ear. "Don't you?" I gave him a soft smile to reassure him and wiggled a little closer until our noses were practically touching.

"I'm not sure what this is...you're- you're still married, Sweetie, and I don't want to set my heart on you to get my hopes up." He looked a little crest fallen, so I reached out and stroked his stone cold face, feeling the rivets of old scars along his jaw. "But I like you, a lot, and I want you. I just want to be sure you want me."

Jasper captured my hand with his own, but still held me steady with the arm slung around my back.

"I'm not sure what I can do to prove that to you, do you want me to divorce Alice?" I sighed and shook my head.

"Yes and no? It's not my call and I don't want to be the one to influence that decision. You should do what makes you happy, and if that involves me, then great, but if not I'll understand." He seemed thoughtful for a moment, resting his head against the trunk whilst his brow furrowed.

"I can't go back to Alice, too much has changed between us and Rose has more or less convinced me we were likely never mates. She probably used her gift to know exactly what to say to me, I can't say I'm happy about it but at the same time, I'm not mad. Alice brought me here, to my new family and though sometimes I feel like I don't belong, I'm happy here, plus I got to meet you." He said quietly, and gave me a small smile.

I watched him patiently, waiting for him to come to his own conclusion at what he wanted to do next.

"If that's how you feel, then tell her. It's all well and good telling me, but it won't change anything." Jasper gave me a resolute nod but his stare was gentle.

"I will... and if I get a divorce?" He fished and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Then you can take me on a date, Cowboy." Jasper beamed and pulled me against him, holding me closely.

"I'll hold you to that, Darlin."

---

Edward's POV

"Is she ready? You said she'd be ready today." I demanded of Felipe the minute I saw him on the promised fourth day. I caught the tendrils of annoyance in his thoughts be he quickly shoved it back to give me a regal nod.

"Sí. She will awaken soon, it will take a day or two for her to fully awaken, but you will have your woman." I could barely fight back my joy.

"Wonderful, I expect to know the moment she awakens." Felipe nodded and turned to leave, but I called out as I remembered my earlier conversation.

"Oh, yes, Natalie wants you to do her a favour, she asked you to call her as soon as you could." Already the desperate fool was pulling out his phone as he sped out of the dilapidated house to get some privacy.

I shook my head, he was such a fool, easily swayed by a woman and her wants. He had uprooted his whole life and the little operation he had going for himself in New York, using that strange Indian woman, all because his mate had asked. I too would do anything for Bella, but I would have made her seen sense instead of indulging her every silly demand as Felipe did for Natalie.

For the next few hours I dug about in the garden, keeping out of the way of James and his nagging. We had met whilst I was on my way out of Fork's, I had no real destination in mind at the time, but I didn't want to go to the Denali's and be punished like a child for trying to get Bella back home, where she belonged.

James said he picked up my trail and kept his distance to see what I would do, when he found me draining a deer, he became curious and felt compelled to ask me what I was doing that for when there was a perfectly good hunting ground in Seattle. Of course, I tried to teach him about my diet and how I lived, and he was shocked to put it mildly.

We talked for a long time, he told me a little about himself, but was more interested in questioning my lifestyle and my outlook on the world. I held out hope at first that I could convince him to see that my way of living was the better one, of course our thirst had to be carefully monitored and one was never fully satisfied, but it was a better life.

He humoured me for a while, even tried a black bear to see how it tasted, but he spat out the blood and claimed he'd drank better from heroin addicts. When he finally asked where I was going, I explained my situation, that my mates soul had been taken from her body and replaced with the spirit of a monster. He was fascinated by my tale and invited me to stay with him and his coven until I knew what I wanted to do next. I had accepted, under the illusion that perhaps I could sway his coven to my way of thinking, how wrong I was. They were savage killers that loved to "play with their food." It disgusted me yet no matter how clever my arguments, they would not follow suit if their leader didn't. James made it his job to try and convince me to taste a human again, he even went as far as to have Victoria attempt to kiss me with a mouthful of sickly sweet blood. Of course, I am not that type of man and my heart belongs to another, I pushed her away and told James to control his mate. He only laughed and offered me the rest of the dying teenage girl he had tried to force me to taste.

It was around then that I received a text that changed everything and started up a most heinous plan. I would not have agreed if it were not for Bella's sake, and the chance to be with her again. Felipe showed up only a day later and organised the timely kidnap of Charlie to get his blood and hair for Myra to do her work. I was conflicted, I chose not to be anywhere near Charlie for my own sake, and demanded that they return him to Forks without killing him. They complied, but barely.

I didn't ask what they had done to him, but judging by the heavy scent of blood that permeated the air, it wasn't good. I was assured that he had lived and was under Carlisle's care, knowing that made me feel easier, but it was all necessary.

"Edward, she's waking up." The words had barely left Felipe's mouth as I shot past him and dashed down to the basement. I burst through the door and scared Myra, to whom I didn't even spare a glance. Instead I waited impatiently in front of the coffin shaped crate she was locked in, I heard she had been a little active before she was even finished. It showed me just how much Bella wanted to get back to me. Felipe told me her soul would be there, and after a short while she'd remember everything.

I paid little attention to Myra, just watched the box shudder and shake until I couldn't take it anymore and ripped off the lid myself, throwing it across the room and terrifying the short Indian woman further.

"Bella!" And there she was, naked, but glowing with health. She smelt nothing like my Bella, I assumed because of the process used, the fact that we couldn't obtain her blood and had to settle for her fathers. The hair from Bella's hairbrush though, that would give her back her mind.

"Bella, love , it's me." I reached in the coffin to grasp her strangely smooth hand. Blearily, Bella stared at me, her long dark hair getting in her way and surprising her. She wrenched her hand free of mine and batted at it in fear before she threw herself out of the coffin on legs with the strength reminiscent of a newborn deer. I grabbed her before she fell on her face and pulled her up to look at me, her eyes searched me wildly but there was no signs of recognition.

"I'm sorry," She spat out automatically and I smiled wide, this was most certainly my Bella I could hear her compliance and could make minimal sense of her jumbled thoughts. Of course, this imitation of my beloved was without her shield and her mind was finally open to me.

All of a sudden I heard another voice in her head, it spoke differently from Bella and was harsher, almost enraged.

"Back the fuck up!" She yelled, surprising me and weakly shoving at me, even by human standards. She began clutching at her head and pulling at her hair as if she were insane, her knees buckling as her mind began screaming in separate voices, though what they were wailing about, I couldn't say.

Overcoming the initial shock, I turned to Myra with bared teeth,

"What is wrong with her?!" Myra backed up afraid, and I dragged the struggling Bella along the floor as I chased her into a corner.

"I don't know, I did everything I was told! The hair and the blood was of her and her relations, that's enough to build the connection when I make the body!" She babbled, staring up at me with wide eyes.

"Lemme go! -Please, I don't understand, what's happening?- Tell me before I rip your fucking face off!" Bella alternated between threats and begging, it was breaking my heart and Myra could see me losing my tenuous composure.

"There- there could be some interference from the one you said is inhabiting her real body?" She offered weakly, jumping when I turned and stomped away from her, dragging Bella along with me.

"Don't fucking touch me!- No, please don't hurt me- I'll knock your teeth down your throat!" She screeched, and as I heard that dreadful cawing of Kali, I couldn't help but tighten my grip on her arm. And I kept squeezing and squeezing, as her noise got louder, until I felt her arm start to crack beneath my fingers and she screamed piercingly as her entire arm shattered.

She fell to the floor, clutching her stump and wailed as tears streamed down her red, red cheeks.

"Fix her," I demanded as I stalked out of the room. "That's not my Bella."

---

Kali's POV

The days had gone by slowly, I felt like I was waiting for something happen, though what, I couldn't say.

Jasper took my advice to heart and tried to phone Alice, but she refused to answer, he settled for sending her a text saying that they needed to talk about their relationship but still he heard nothing back from her. I could see he was at a loss of what to do next but in the meantime he had divorce papers drawn up by some fellow named Jenks that was apparently petrified of him, and posted it to the house.

"Is that is?" I asked Jasper as I came over to the sofa he was perched on. He clutched a thick brown envelope tightly, he hadn't even opened it yet.

"Well, I don't get much post so I assume so." His voice was tight with barely contained emotions.

I made my way around the sofa and dropped next to him, I rested a hand on his knee and gave him a small smile.

"It's okay if you don't want to go through with it, I won't be mad at you." I tried to assure him, but he shook his head.

"It's not that. It's just... change. Change is a little, intimidating... and I don't think everyone wants me to make this choice so soon." He was of course referring to the numerous talks Carlisle tried to coerce him into.

Esme and Carlisle seemed dead-set against the idea of him hurrying his divorce through. Jenks could easily make it so it went through without Alice even knowing, let alone without her signature, and of course they thought it was wrong. Their argument had merit, and I was a little concerned that he was doing it just for me, as conceited as that sounded, but mostly that he was moving so fast.

"The call is yours, Jasper, I don't want to influence your choice but I won't lie, I'll be sad if you don't choose me regardless of what decision you make." It was Jasper's turn to reassure me, he dropped the envelope on the coffee table and pulled me against him for a hug.

"You worry too much," He teased, making me snort at the hypocrisy of it all. "I don't want to be with Alice, that decision is fine. I'm just hesitating because-"

"Because you're being a pussy?" I asked with a teasing grin, Jasper glared down at me in his arms and squeezed me a little tighter.

"You know you're in the worst position to be calling me names, Darlin, I could eat you if I wanted." He threatened lightly and my smirk only widened.

"Not until you sign those papers you aren't," Jasper apparently didn't realise the double entendre of his words and closed his eyes for a moment.

"You're such a Goddamn pervert, my ma would'a strung me up for talking to a girl like you." I laughed and reached up to kiss his cheek.

"And my Mom would high five me for getting a guy like you interested." Jasper chuckled and moved his arm so his could stroke my cheek with a cold thumb.

For a long moment he said nothing as he stared into my eyes in that intimate way that made my insides flutter.

"Interested is putting it lightly," He captured the back of my neck and pulled me forward for a proper kiss.

"Christ, you guys are hornier than Emmett on a good day." Rose's sudden voice made me jump and clutch at my weak heart that was already hammering from being so close to the object of my desires.

"Fucking hell Rose, I thought you'd given up on the cock-blocking?" I grumbled and sat back next to Jasper and straightened my shirt.

Rose grinned and stroked a stray curl behind her ear as she came closer.

"I think you horn-dogs have had more than enough time to get your affections out of your system, besides Carlisle wants a word with you." She looked pointedly at Jasper who huffed and stood.

"I smell an intervention, hide your whisky and weed, Cowboy." Jasper gave me an amused shake and irritatingly ruffled my hair as he walked by. "Hey!" I exclaimed and immediately tried flattened the fluffy mess he'd created.

"Don't moan, it'll give Rose something to do whilst she can't intervene in our 'affections'." I cackled and grinned up at Rose who looked mildly affronted.

"As if I don't have better things to do!" She berated Jasper as he lazily made his way up the stairs.

Nonetheless she glared at his back for only a moment longer before coming over and fixing my hair, making me laugh loudly.

"Oh shut up, you," I reduced my laughter to barely contained snorts until she tugged my hair hard.

"Ow! Savage sexpot..." I grumbled and let her finish fixing my appearance. I think one of the ways Rose showed she cared for someone was to constantly make sure they looked good, without interfering with their own general style, unlike what I read that Alice did. It was thoughtful, and she only meant well, plus I'm a sucker for the nails raking against my scalp as she freed tangles. I leant back against the sofa and sighed happily, Rose pushed my head back up with a tut.

"You're gonna mess it up, sit still." I nodded hard, annoying her more until she yanked my hair again.

"Oww-wah! Doesn't matter how perfect it is, Jasper's probably only gonna wreck it again for funsies." I grumbled making Rose hesitated for a second.

"You two seem to be getting closer." She said observantly and went back to my hair.

Shrugging I brought my knees up to my chin and idly fussed with the hem of my jeans.

"I guess so, why'd you bring it up?" I asked suspiciously, waiting for her to get personal.

"Oh, no reason, just something I've noticed is all." There was a long pause as she carefully pulled my hair back into some sort of ponytail. "I mean, kinda hard not to notice it, you guys aren't really hiding yourselves these days." I shrugged again.

"Seems a little pointless when you all know what's going on anyway, besides I have nothing to hide." I said resolutely.

A pair of cold arms snaked around my shoulders and Rose's head appeared at my shoulder.

"Good, and so you shouldn't be. Some of the family may question the decision and I want you to be just as proud of your choice as you are now, I'm happy for the both of you." I smiled and hugged her arms against me.

"Thanks, although nothings really final yet, he's not even opened that." I awkwardly nodded to the table in her arms, making er zip around the table and pick up the brown envelope.

Automatically, I reached up as if to stop her but she didn't open it and gave me a cool smile.

"I think we both know he's made up his mind here, don't think so little of yourself, we both know he wants you." I barely contained my girlish giggle as I felt those romantic feelings threaten to overwhelm me.

"I don't wanna jinx anything, I'm trying to just let him make the call, it's his choice and a pretty important one too." Both Rose and I perked up as the house phone rang but it was quickly answered by someone else, I assumed Carlisle's on the line in his office.

Rose looked a little confused and listened for a moment before her jaw went clack and her eyes wide.

"Rose?" I asked, trying to get her attention to find out what was going on. She looked down at me, her brow was deeply furrowed and a thousand emotions danced in her eyes.

Before she could form words the door upstairs slammed open and Jasper and Carlisle came running down the stairs.

"Charlie's disappeared," Jasper told me as Carlisle rushed into the kitchen, Esme came running back in, her dirty garden gloves in hand.

"What...?" I asked dumbly, not really comprehending what I'd just been told. "But he's sick!" I protested making Jasper look at me grimly.

"He didn't walk out Kali, someone broke in, killed his nurse and took him." For a long second I processed the onslaught on terrible news before I felt a rage inside me grow.

"This fucking shit again?! Give me your fucking body Jasper, I'm going to kill them myself!"

---

Poor Charlie, like seriously, I wanna kick myself for involving him again. Sadly, he must be brought back in to play for everything to continue!

Let's get to the discussions!

First off I want to address the Edward scene. I wanted to give a little insight into the old windbag's current thoughts and a little on how he ended up with James. I figured if a lone Vampire was making their way through Seattle with James the hyper sensitive tracker nearby, who as we all know enjoys hunting down humans and Vampire's, he'd find Edward easily. Seeing as how the whole vegetarian thing is kinda rare, I could see him being curious enough to ask what Edward's doing, and Edward being pompous enough to want to change a complete stranger because he thinks he knows best.

As for Myra, I don't wanna go into too much detail because more will be revealed later but she creates what I call Cadavers, using the blood of a person it can copy their shape and using the hair it can copy their mind. However, with the whole split body things going on, the Bella cadaver got both personalities which are completely conflicting.

There were a couple of fun Jasper/Kali scenes in this one as they both become more comfortable with being open with their feelings. Kali is a little worried that Jasper might change his mind, Jasper is more or less self assured about what he wants but is wary of what the outcome will be when it's all said and done. Rose and Emmett are happy to support their choices because they've seen them grow closer and have spent more time with Kali when she's been in dire straits. As opposed to Carlisle and Esme who both just want what's best but are wary of the sudden changes, understandable really seeing as they've pegged themselves as the maturest ones of the Coven and are thinking about how it'll effect everyone.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments, I've had some really touching reviews lately! To all those who have added this fic to their lists, and especially me to their favourites, a huge, huge thank you! You guys really make all this effort worth it!

Next time: An attack splits the group and a trade is offered.