A/N: So starting in the next couple of chapters, you will get more and more about what really happened and what is going on behind the scenes. I won't give you who it is that is after her yet, but you might be able to guess soon. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing the story, on with the next chapter.
Chapter 12 – Connections
"Have you been able to find anything?" Carlisle asked as he walked into Jasper's room and saw him sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. Carlisle knew that Jasper was trying to find the link between Bella and the kidnappers. He was also trying to find the two vampires that had been so bold as to crash the wedding, but nothing was turning up on either of those points.
"Nothing," Jasper exhaled loudly. The only connections he could find to Bella and vampires was the Cullen family and the Volturi. He had not been present in Italy, so he wasn't completely sure what happened there. Edward was not giving him any information and the only other two people there were Alice and Bella, the ones that were missing. He waited for Alice to call so that he could question her, but she hadn't yet and he didn't know when the call would be coming.
Carlisle looked at the frustration written all over the younger man's face. Jasper was taking this personally and he wondered how much longer until the calm broke, "Has Edward been able to give you any information?"
Jasper sneered, "He hasn't given me shit!" Looking back at Carlisle, he said, "Sorry."
"It's ok. What do you mean he hasn't given you anything?"
"Just that, when I ask him about Italy, he gives me the briefest story he can manage. When I start asking for details or more questions, he shuts up and says he brought this upon her. When I try to get more information about the voices he heard, he clams up. I can't get him to talk to me. I even tried using my gift to persuade him and somehow he gets quieter, more sullen."
"He is hurting right now. He lost Bella…"
"Don't you think I know that?! We all lost something that day, but you would think that he would want to find answers instead of pouting. I understand the grief and the loss, but if it were Esme, wouldn't you try to find out what happened and who sent them? Wouldn't you try to give anything and everything to get your answers?"
Carlisle sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Jasper was right; he would do anything it took to find out the truth. What was going on with Edward that he wasn't cooperating? Looking at Jasper in the eye, he said, "I would."
"So you can understand my frustrations right now with Edward. We are not hunting anyone down yet, but that doesn't mean that we cannot investigate these men. It might lead to a way to bring both Bella and Alice back to us."
"I agree. Let me see if I can talk to him," Carlisle offered.
"Ok. See if you can get anything out of him. Maybe you will have better luck than I did," Jasper said and turned around to face his desk again.
Carlisle walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He had a new destination in mind, Edward's room. Knocking on the door, he walked in to find Edward laying on his bed, listening to music, and reading. There was an air of mourning around him. "Can we talk son?"
Edward lowered the book and looked at his father figure. Sitting up, he nodded and watched as Carlisle entered the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, "What did you need to talk about?"
"How are you doing? I know that you are going through a hard time right now," Carlisle asked.
"I miss her. I thought it was hard to leave her before, but this is worse. I can't believe that she is gone and if Alice is right, I won't ever be with her again."
"I know son. I can't imagine what it is like. I know that if I ever lost Esme, I would not know what to do. I would want to know what happened though."
Edward knew this conversation was coming. He had read his father's mind when he walked in the door. He wanted Edward to give Jasper answers and didn't understand why he wouldn't. Will answers bring Bella back? Will it solve the problem of his existence without her by his side? Nothing would, so why bother? Looking out the window, Edward saw that it was raining again and remembered something that his mother told him before she died, "Tears are heaven's way of crying for you or someone else that is hurting." Sighing and pulling himself out of the memory, he turned to Carlisle again, "It won't help."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that Alice's letter said that we can't be together, so why try?"
"Even if the answers led to the culprit? If we could deal with him, why couldn't Bella and Alice come back?"
"Alice's vision said…"
Carlisle now fully understood Jasper's frustrations with Edward, "Alice's visions change depending on what path the person is on. If something changes the path, the vision changes. You know that as well as I do. Why have you already given up? Why have you already forsaken her?"
"Because I have a feeling that nothing is going to change this one," Edward whispered and turned to stare out the window again.
Carlisle was shocked. He had never heard Edward utter such words with as much conviction as he had just used. Looking at his son, he knew that the conversion was over and Edward had closed himself up once again. He would not be giving them the answers he sought and Carlisle was starting to wonder who could. Hoping that Alice would call home soon, he walked back to his study.
Once Carlisle had left his room, Jasper started to study the notebook he had been writing it. Two connections only: Cullen's and Volturi. Was someone in the family setting her up, or was it someone in Italy. Jasper supposed it could be the wolves, but they wouldn't make a deal with a vampire so that had ruled them out. It could have been the Denali clan, but what did they have against Bella. The two strongest connections were Cullen's and Volturi, and he had a bad feeling about what was going on. "I really hope those two stay safe. Something about this whole thing smells worse than manure," Jasper said to himself. He had a feeling when everything was said and done; they were going to be reeling from the outcome.
