An Animal's Soul- Chapter Twenty One

Rating: M

Pairing: Bella/Alice

A/N: So here's another one. I finally finished Chapter 23 late last night (Or well Liked it enough to send it off to get edited, anyway). So I thought I'd reward myself by posting another chapter. I still haven't found that Illusive Muse of mine on this story... But she has no problem popping in and saying 'hi' to my Bella/Rosalie story... Pain in the ass woman...

Oh Well... Here you go.

I don't own anything related to Twilight. Pointless to sue, don't got money.

Enjoy! ^^

She stocked through the forest, following the red eyed vampire she had seen in the town. Usually she would simply leave the vampire's be, nomads would feed and pass through, but most would only kill one or two in her area. No, this guy had killed ten in the span of a week, and even turned two. She had killed the newborns the moment she had found them. They had barely been awake a week and they thought themselves better than her... Until she unleashed her fire; then they had tried to plead for their lives. It didn't work.

She had left their piles of ash where she had found their base, and waited until their maker had come back. Once he found the piles, he had fled, showing his true colors as a coward. She had been chasing him for well over a week now. Sure, she could have killed him instantly, but when he had run, he turned in one single direction and booked it as if there was a raging forest fire coming after him. While that was true, he did not know that; and she hoped he would lead her to other vampire's. She had been itching for a good fight lately.

Her chase was not in vain, three days later, he finally came to a stop in front of a little run down shack outside some town. There were four others that came out, demanding to know why he hadn't brought them any newborns. He stammered out some half hearted reply that he found none worthy of the honor. They didn't seem to buy it, and demanded that he go get some so they could start their war on the town.

She felt the creature inside her stir at those words, and before the vampires could do anything more; she unleashed her inner fire completely. The last thing the vampire's saw before they died was that of an angry bird of fire, swooping in to kill them.

When there was absolutely nothing left of them or the shake, she made her way back home, feeling a sense of pride at still being able to inflict terror in vampires. She was minutes from her home when her phone went off,

"Hello?" She asked, after pressing the answer button.

"Jennifer?"

Jennifer tilted her head, "Bella?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if you could visit us. We're down in Forks, Washington." Bella responded,

Jennifer sighed, "I told you I was looking for my mate." She stated, opening the door to her house, "Why do you need me up there?"

"I'll be leaving soon... And something tells me you'll find what you're looking for up here." Bella answered.

Jennifer huffed, rubbing the bridge of her nose lightly to fight off the headache she could feel forming, "When do you need me there?"

"Sometime within the next few weeks?" Bella said, her tone implying it as a question, "Ali-Cat is all about timing, so somewhere in there should be fine."

"Ali-Cat?" Jen asked, getting a bottle of water from the fridge.

Bella told her what had been happening in the last few weeks with her pack, and Jen promised to be in Forks by the end of this week. Once they hung up, she set about getting everything shut off and boarded up. All of the food in the house was donated, as were most of her old clothes. When she felt everything was in order, she got in her Mustang and headed on the highway.

~o0o~

"Alright Ali-Cat." Bella said, placing her phone on the counter, "Jen's on her way. Knowing her, she'll be here in the next four or so days."

Alice smiled, "Good." She said, then looking in the living room, where only Rayn sat, reading a magazine. She sighed gently at the sight, "Do you think Jade is ok?"

Bella shrugged, "In truth, no. But if Rayn is sitting here reading, then Jade is in a state of 'alright'. Rayn wouldn't be this far away from her sister if Jade was anything less than that."

Alice nodded.

It had been a little under a week since Angela's near rape, and Jade barely came home. She had gotten the human's car from Rosalie; returned the rental, but Angela didn't seem all that into driving anywhere. The girl had just this morning broken down and talked about everything she was feeling with Jade, and the panther was hoping the human's nightmare's would stop.

Dragon and Leah were spending more time together with the wolf's family, and Bella was sure they would be going on their own date soon. Alice wasn't getting any vision of them, so she just took her mate's word for it.

Rayn, on the other hand, spent most of her time sitting on the couch, playing the few single player games she liked, or reading one of her fashion magazines. She would go out only if she needed to, and even then it was only for one hunting trip and to pick up groceries. If she wasn't on the couch, she was in her room. Bella called it her being a 'pussy', which caused Rayn to growl at her; but even that was weak.

Alice turned back to Bella, who was sitting at the kitchen table, typing away at her newest laptop. She had yet to inform the shifter that the laptop wouldn't last the rest of the week. After a moment of watching her, she moved to sit next to her, watching as the words appeared on the screen slower then Bella was typing.

"Bell?" She asked, getting the wolf shifter to pause and look at her, tilting her head in question. Alice sighed, "Would you tell me why Rayn's acting like this?"

Bella shrugged, "Our animal decides how we are to act. Dragon, the silent, willing to go at a slow pace type. That is what Leah needs, the feeling that she has the choice of falling in love, and not having it thrust upon her by 'love at first sight'. It's the animal in us that feel that, not the human. Jade acts like the always bubbly, happy to simply be near you type. With all that's happened with Ben, that's what Angela needs." She explained, looking out into the living room.

Rayn was still sitting on the couch, but she was looking back at them, her eyes showing the haunted feeling she had been carrying for the past several days. She was careful to hide it from the others, but Alice and Bella could see it clearly.

"My animal is forcing me to stay away, because it knows that if I were to go to him now, nothing good would come of it." She whispered, "And I know I will see him in the future... Eventually." She added, shrugging her shoulders before going back to her magazine quietly.

Alice looked at Bella, "You didn't explain what your animal makes you act like."

Bella blushed, "In truth I don't know myself. At first, it was the mysterious type. Once you knew, the friend you needed to see your past. Now? Well, that depends on what you want." She said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Alice giggled, "How about your goofy self?" She asked playfully, resting her hand on Bella's thigh.

Bella smirked, "What about my Knightly charm?" She teased back.

"Get a room!" Rayn shouted, stopping their flirting. The two had been getting worse after their date, and everyone was sure they would end up in bed sooner rather than later.

Bella's blush returned, and she looked even more embarrassed then when Alice asked her question. Alice, on the other hand, looked a little sheepish as she moved her hand away from her shifter's thigh. Bella smiled shyly at her, and turned back to her laptop. After another half an hour, she got to her feet and slowly made her way to her bedroom. Alice followed behind her, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Bella made her way over to her book shelf and looked through her books, trying to find the one she had published last. After a moment she found it and pulled it out, flipping through the pages slowly while she felt eyes over her shoulder. She turned to see Alice looking at the book, her eyes bright.

"Would you like to read it?" Bella asked, "It's the first in the series I'm currently on." She said, holding it out to the vampire, "The next one on the self is second, and I'm currently working on number three."

Alice nodded, smiling, "I'd had a vision of you offering me one of your books. I really wanted to look for them... But I stopped myself. I wanted to wait for you to offer." She told her, taking the book.

Bella smiled, "Feel free to read any of them. The top two shelves are all mine, and they should be in order from my very first to the current." She explained gently.

While Bella moved to leave the room, Alice made her way to the shifters bed, getting comfortable on the mattress before opening the book and reading it. Bella went back to her laptop, and the house fell quiet as all three occupants did their own things.

~o0o~

Dragon walked slowly down the beach, watching as the waves lapped at the sand. Leah and Seth had been sent to the store, and though she had wanted to go with them; the Elders had asked her back to a meeting. The moment she was in the room, all the Elders- minus Sue, who was at home cooking- started yelling at her, and telling her that she was wrong about their history. She had gotten annoyed with them within minutes, and used her magic to shut them up.

"The moment you get your heads out of your asses, and actually listen to me, I will be happy to explain what I meant, and how I'm right. So, until then, good day Elders." She told them, walking out of the room before giving them their voices back.

She had immediately made her way to the beach, wanting to walk along the edge and listen to the soothing sound of the waves. She was brought out of her musing by the sound of footsteps and turned to see Embry walking towards her.

With a sigh, she paused and waited for him to catch up to her. When he was next to her, she smiled slightly in greeting, "Hello Embry."

"Hello." Embry said, carefully keeping a few feet between them, "I was hoping you could tell me more about wolves... Is there anyway to be like Leah and Seth?"

Dragon sighed, rubbing at her neck, "I told you. You have to accept the wolf. You learn to suppress it after your first shift. True wolves do not. You give in, let the animal out. Once you both accept each other, you'll be able to go through the real rite to be a true wolf."

"Is that what Leah and Seth did?" Embry asked as they turned and walked along the beach towards the other end.

Dragon shook her head, "They were already true wolves. Unlike you, they accepted that they had another person in them, and once they hunted, they sealed that bond. The 'trials' that Bella gave them were simply games before we agreed to have them in our pack." She told him, "No, you would have actual trails, given to you by Bella, or a member of her Elder Council. If you passed those test, you could try for a tribe, or a certain pack. Then, and only then, would you be considered more than a mere half mutt." She finished, seeing the Leah and Seth were sitting in their mother's car, waiting for her in the parking lot. She waved at Embry and moved towards her imprint.

The thoughts of maybe asking Leah on a date popped up in her mind for the rest of the night.

~o0o~

Jade sat on the couch in the Weber house, watching as the twins played a new game they had bought. Their mother was sitting in the recliner, reading something for work. Angela sat next to her, leaning into her shoulder as she worked on homework.

Angela had been having nightmares for nearly a week, and had finally talked about what happened with Jade that morning. Jade had listened to every word she said, and when Angela finished, the panther told her what she had felt and thought after her own incident. Afterwards Angela had felt better, and they had spent the day out of Angela's room, a rare thing in the days that had passed. It had surely shocked the rest of the family too.

The second day after it happened, Angela had told her mother, and Jade had explained in little detail to the twins what happened. The three understood that Angela needed her space, and after Jade had told Ms. Weber what she had gone through, the woman asked her to move in for a while. Jade was more than happy to do so, since her mere presence helped Angela sleep a little better at night.

When six o'clock came around, Jade pressed a light kiss to Angela's hair, and slowly got up. Angela tensed the moment Jade wasn't touching her, and looked up to see the girl smiling softly and pointing to the kitchen. Angela nodded and went back to her homework. Jade made her way to the kitchen and started working on a simple dinner of steaks and mashed potatoes.

She didn't notice someone else in the room until they cleared their throat lightly. Jade whirled around to see Ms. Weber leaning on the frame of the entryway, watching her.

"Hello Ms. Weber, how would you like your steak?" She asked, turning back around.

The older woman sighed, "I told you to call me Janice, sweetheart." She said, not answering the question because Jade already knew how she liked her meat cooked.

Jade sighed, "Alright, what can I do for you Janice?" She asked.

"Are you in love with my daughter?" Janice asked.

Jade froze; fear running through her for several moments before she calmed herself. She took a few deep breathes, before answering, "Yes, I am."

Janice nodded, "I had finally noticed today. I had seen signs since you first came over, and they have showed more and more since then." She explained softly, "Why didn't you say anything to Angela?"

"I didn't want to hurt her." Jade whispered, looking at the food in the pans, "She was in a relationship. Whether it was good or bad, all I ever saw was her happy. I didn't want to threaten that happiness." She added, looking at her imprints mother, a sad smile on her face, "Even after what all happened. I don't plan on telling her... Not any time soon anyway."

Janice nodded, "Well... If anything comes of it... You have my blessing. Just from this past week alone, I can see that you would never do anything to make Angela sad. My baby needs happiness in her life."

Jade nodded, "And I plan on keeping her happy... If she'll let me." She told her, smiling lightly, "Dinners ready if you want to call them in."

Janice nodded, and called the 'children' into the dining room for dinner. Angela sat next to Jade, and didn't eat as much as the others, but she did eat more than half, and Jade was more than happy to finish the rest for her when Angela offered it. The two teenager's cleaned up afterwards, and then went back to the brunette's room to get ready for bed. They finished their homework before playing a few rounds of games with the boys. When it was bed time for the twins, the girls went to sleep as well; Jade curled protectively around Angela as they slept.

Neither of them woke up throughout the night.

~o0o~

Bella and her pack, along with Alice, sat in the living room of the house, watching a movie on TV. They were completely startled by the knock on the door, when Bella looked at her imprint, the vampire shrugged, showing that she didn't see anything. The Alpha sighed gently and got to her feet, making her way to the door. It was barely open when she heard the person speak.

"You better not have sighed at me Isabell. We both know I can kick your butt three ways into next month." Jennifer said when she caught even the slightest glimpse of her friend.

"Jen!" Jade shouted, bolting out of her seat and into the woman's arms.

Jen laughed loudly, wrapping her arms around the shifter's neck, "Hey there fire sprite, what's up?"

"I imprinted!" Jade said happily, "A human by the name of Angela."

Jen smiled, "Lucky you." She whispered, placing a gentle kiss on the panther's forehead.

Bella smiled at the sight, and ushered the woman- and Jade, since she wouldn't let go- into the house. The three of them made their way into the living room, and Bella introduced the two new shifters, and her imprint. Jen smiled for all of them, and introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you." Alice said, smiling at the woman, "I asked Bella to call you up here."

Jen nodded, remembering the conversation, "She said you were all about timing?" She asked.

Alice nodded, "Bella got a call this morning. And a while back, I saw you in a vision. I know who your mate is."

Jen tensed, "Please tell me you're not joking around." She pleaded softly after a moment, "I've been looking all my life... I..."

Alice waved her hand gently, "Your mate is my brother Jasper... if you give it another hour or so, and then head west into the forest, you will catch him right after he finishes hunting."

Jen nodded, a hopeful smile spread across her face. After taking a moment to clear away the nerves, she looked at the two wolves who sat on the couch. The woman sat next to Dragon, and the boy sat next to her.

"Jen, I would like to introduce to you, my imprint, Leah." Dragon said, seeing the question in her friend's eyes, "That is one of the reason's they were offered a place in the pack." She added.

Jen smiled, "And you explained everything that imprinting with you entails?" She asked gently.

Dragon nodded, but Leah was the one who spoke, "I don't plan on going anywhere, anytime soon." She told her, looking at her imprint, "The link works both ways, and I'll be damned if I let her brother run me off."

Jen's smile turned into a grin, "Good." She whispered, and then looked at Rayn, "What about you, Pussy Cat?"

Rayn hissed playfully, "Watch it Birdie... I'm getting mighty hungry." She snarked, then shook her head in silence to answer the question Jen asked. It wasn't true, but only Bella and Alice knew that.

The group spent the next few hours chatting, getting to know Jen, and vice versa. When Alice pointed Jen to the door, the redhead took off, running as fast as she could west. She heard the sounds of bones breaking, and slowed down so she wouldn't meet him before he was finished.

Jasper heard the footsteps slow as he pulled himself away from the deer's neck. He tilted his head, wondering who it could be. Edward had stayed locked in his room since his return, Rose and Emmett were on a date, and Esme was working on a project while Carlisle was at work. It wouldn't be Alice, since she was with Bella and the pack.

The phone in his pocket vibrated, and he pulled it out to see a text from Alice. He opened it to see the words, 'Why don't you find out?' on the screen. He smiled slightly at his best friends words, and laid the deer on the floor gently. He then made his way slowly toward the person, feeling their anxiety, fear, and small bit of hope. It was the hope that intrigued him the most. Did they hope to meet him?

He moved a little faster at that thought; but came to a sudden halt when he came across a beautiful woman. She stood between two trees, her long straight red hair blowing lightly in the breeze. She was wearing simple blue jeans and a white tank top. While it was simple, it caused a jolt of arousal in him, and he took a deep breath as he looked into her blue eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked softly.

The woman stumbled back against one of the trees, a whimper sounding from her throat, "I'm Jennifer... And you're my soul mate."

A/N: And Jasper finally gets his girl! And it only took my twenty chapters... At the beginning, I promised I wouldn't leave Jasper out, and I kept the promise to myself... They won't be seen often after this point, but there will be conversations, and brief showing of them so that they're not completely out of the story.

Hope you Enjoyed! ^^