Summary: Five years have passed since Edward left Bella in the woods. Both Bella and the Cullens' have experienced great tragedy since they last saw each other, but what happens when they meet again, and what is the meaning of the prophecy? Bella OOC. BxJas
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. Stephanie Meyers owns all rights and no copyright infrigment is intended. I just like taking them out to play.
A/N: Thank you jdcoke for your editing skills, suggestions and encouragement!
Chapter 26 – Warnings
"Bella, tell me how it feels to you," Jasper said as he shampooed my hair. I loved the feeling of his long fingers massaging my scalp. It had been several hours since I'd healed Jasper and I was feeling better about it. The aftershocks of using my 'healing' gift were not as staggering this time as the first time with Rose.
"You know that all the time I can see what I assume is a person's aura. I just, I can see and feel their being. The thing that makes you, you. When I start to focus in to heal, I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach. I feel like I have to reach out and touch the other person, and not just physically. I start to feel like I need to touch the person's soul, as weird as that sounds. It happens a lot more than you probably realize, Jasper. That's how I was able to avoid it for so long. I can feel when my body and mind start to gravitate toward the pain, the darkness, and I go the other way. I want to help people, I really do, but it hurts. It makes me feel like my body and mind are breaking. It makes my very being feel like it's being torn apart."
Jasper stopped his ministrations and turned me to face him. "Why would you let me do that to you?" he asked. He looked as though he just couldn't figure me out.
"Wouldn't you do the same for me?" I asked.
"Yes, but…" he started, but I gently put my fingers against his lips to silence him.
"I would do anything for you, Jasper. You are my other half and I would do anything for you. I know that you would do the same for me."
There was nothing in this world that filled me with more joy than realizing that truth.
"This time, Jasper, I think I've figured it out. I think I know how to keep from taking all that pain. I know that I'll have to practice and I know it won't be easy, but I will do it for my family," I said.
"But…" he said, his words muffled with my hand still covering his mouth.
"My family is worth it and if I can figure this out, it will be worth it," I stated.
I looked deep in Jasper's eyes and I could see him searching my face for something. Finally he seemed to find what he was looking for and acquiesced.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"Well, this time, I felt like I could take the darkness and push it off both of us, but in the end it covered me. I think with some practice, it might go better," I explained.
"Okay. I will be there at your side," he said. I melted into his embrace.
"I know you will," I said. I couldn't have asked for more.
He pulled away from me again and started working some conditioner into my hair. "Bella, can you see or feel your own darkness?" he asked after several moments of silence.
I leaned my head back under the spray of the water and stayed quiet for a moment to gather my thoughts.
"I know that it doesn't quite work this way for us now because of the sharp vampire senses, but do you remember the feeling from when you were human when you think you see something out of the corner of your eye, but nothing is there?" I asked.
"Not really, but I do understand what you mean," he said slowly, nodding his head.
"Well it's kind of like that. I can feel that the darkness is there. I can almost see it, but not quite. I can't really feel it…or I guess I can since it is my own pain, my own darkness, so in that way, yes, I can feel it just like I can feel all my other emotions. It's not the same as I see and feel it from others," I tried to explain.
"Do you think that you could try to get rid of your own darkness?" he asked.
"It doesn't work like that," I said sadly. "With others, it is like the darkness is something that covers them. With myself, it is like the darkness is part of me. I can't see the distinction between my darkness and the rest of me."
"You deserve peace too, you know," Jasper said quietly as he turned off the water.
"I'll get there," I said and I had no doubt about that. "I'm already getting there, Jasper. Now tell me, how does it feel?"
His face lit up when I asked him that, and my heart soared. "It's amazing, darlin'. It's like a huge weight has been pulled off my shoulders. The world is brighter. Everything feels fresher. I can think back to my time with Maria, and I still feel bad for the things I did, but it isn't oppressive guilt like it was before. I feel like I've finally forgiven myself…like I've finally moved on. There have been a couple times that I've nearly started laughing for absolutely no reason other than the fact that I just feel so fucking good," he said.
Then he did just what he said and started laughing. I wrapped my arms around him and laughed with him. It felt so good. I would do it all again, for him if I had to. I would do it every day for the rest of my existence, if it made him feel like he does at that moment. He was worth it.
When Jasper and I were done with our long and satisfying shower, he and Emmett started in on some video games. I had been watching them play for about twenty minutes before Garret asked me to go for our first hunt together. I'd missed my friend and I hadn't much of a chance to talk to him yet. I'd never seen him often, but he was a friend to me when I really needed one. He was a friend when I was at my lowest and had no one that cared. He cared.
We didn't do much talking until after the hunt. We'd each gotten a black bear. They don't normally congregate in such large groups, but there were six of them hanging out by a stream fishing. It kind of reminded me of my dad fishing with his buddies.
"It's nice to see that you've changed your dietary habits, although your previous diet never particularly bothered me," I said as I kneeled by the stream to wash off the blood. I was still a messy eater.
"That is incredibly strange you know. Normal humans don't tell the vampire that it's okay that he kills other humans," he said, laughing.
"First of all, I was never a normal human. Second, normal humans don't live long enough to tell the vampire anything, because normal humans that know the secret are generally killed," I said.
"True. It's always astounded me how easily you accepted me," he said.
"You always hunted the scum of society, and you weren't cruel about it, even when your victims were extraordinarily cruel to their own victims. You saved me from being raped, and you got a good meal out of it. I just can't find it in me to find the harm in that," I said. He just shook his head.
"So you would have no problem drinking from humans?" Garrett asked.
"I didn't say that," I said. "I don't want to do that myself, but I can't blame others for hunting our natural prey, as long as they do it responsibly. Does that make me a bad person?" I asked.
"No, sweetheart, that doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you a realist," Garrett said as he gave me a hug.
"So how has the switch in diet worked for you?" I asked.
"It's not so bad. It's not nearly as satisfying of course, but it's important to Kate, and that's what matters to me."
"So you and Jasper finally got together," Garrett teased me.
"You saw it coming, didn't you," I said with a smile.
He looked at me with a bit of a smirk. "Of course, Bella dear. I'm glad that you both found how good you are together. You are both so compatible. You complement each other well. You support each other. You understand each other," he said, before getting serious.
"Bella, you are so good for him. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see him so happy. And the changes in you…Bella, there was a time that I was truly scared for you. I knew from the moment I met you that you were important. You have really gotten a rough lot in life and you need happiness. If anyone deserves happiness it's you. You've earned it. The light in your eyes when you look at your mate…you warm my heart. I am so happy for you two," he said, giving me a hug and a quick kiss on the forehead.
"So…you and Kate, huh?" I asked as we started running back toward the house. He laughed loudly.
"Yes, I have finally found my mate," he said, radiating pure joy.
"I'm happy for you, Garrett. You've spent too long alone. You deserve happiness too," I said.
"It is a very strange thing to have a home now. I have traveled for so long, never staying in one place for very long. I have to say that I like this lifestyle," he said, still smiling. "I wasn't sure that I would like being anchored in one place, but it is nice to have the stability."
"I'm sure Kate helps keep you occupied so you don't get bored," I teased.
"Oh, yes. She certainly does," he laughed. "We have talked about traveling the world together, but for now we belong with our family. It's strange to say that," he said thoughtfully.
"I would imagine. Actually, I don't have to imagine. I feel the same way. There are days that I look around at my family and I still can't believe where my life has taken me. In such a short amount of time, I went from being completely and utterly alone, to having a mate and a family. It seems like another life," I said, feeling thoughtful.
"I agree," he said.
"It really is nice seeing you happy, Garrett. You and Kate are a good match," I said sincerely.
"Thank you, Bella."
"Shall we see what trouble they've gotten into in our absence?" I asked as we neared the house. We could hear playful shouting coming from inside.
"What's going on in here?" Garrett asked when we got inside.
I left him in the living room and went back to my bedroom to clean up. I still wasn't nearly as neat at hunting as the rest of my family. Jasper was lying on the bed reading a book and looking positively delicious when I came in.
"Did you have a nice hunt?" he asked, looking up at me.
"Yes. It was really nice talking to Garrett. I've missed him," I said as I got undressed. One more shirt in the trash. Blood stains are a bitch to get out.
"He'll probably be around more now that he and Kate have mated," he said with a smile.
He looked me up and down and put his book down on the bed next to him.
"I know we showered a couple hours ago, but I got messy and I may need some help in there," I said with a wink as I walked into the bathroom.
ooo000ooo
The following morning, Eleazar called a family meeting. I knew that something had been bothering him. He just wasn't being himself and I could feel his anxiety. Jasper didn't say anything to me about it, but he kept giving Eleazar weird glances. He had also kept leaving the house and making phone calls. He was very careful to not let us overhear his phone conversations.
"Carlisle, I feel like I must warn you about some things that I have heard," Eleazar said. We all quieted as he spoke. His voice was heavy with the gravity of the situation.
"What is it, Eleazar?"
"There are rumors. I still have friends in Italy as you know. I have heard it from others as well."
"Spit it out, old friend," Carlisle said.
"They are just rumors, but I have heard that Aro is feeling threatened by your family. He is getting paranoid and is suspecting you of planning a takeover," Eleazar explained.
"That's ridiculous," Rose burst out.
"I agree, but Aro has grown paranoid. He is drunk with power and he perceives your family as a threat to that power," Eleazar said.
"I was aware that he feels threatened by us, but I wasn't aware he thought we were actually planning a takeover. Have you heard of him planning any action?" Carlisle asked.
"Rumor has it that he is thinking about it, yes," Eleazar said, his voice heavy with the implications. We all looked at each other realizing what that could mean for us. Aro would be coming for us.
We'd all been wondering why he hadn't yet come to check on us. When he'd left us after I'd started the change, he had told us he would check on us in a couple months. It had already been over five months and we'd yet to hear from any of the Volturi. We continued to look around the room at our loved ones, wondering what this would mean for us.
Eleazar continued, "Rumor has it that my family could be considered a threat if he takes action against your family. They know that we are close, and he fears that we would band together to overthrow them."
Our attention snapped back to him.
"So you see what this means as well. Aro is going beyond what is acceptable. He has gone too far," Eleazar said strongly. I think we all knew what we would be facing. It was daunting. This fight now was being brought to us; a fight for the right to live in peace.
"We need to prepare," Jasper said. I could see in his eyes that he was strategizing already. I tried to keep my mind on the issue at hand and not how hot he was when he was the Major.
"Jasper, I think you are right. I don't want to fight, but it seems as though the fight is coming to us. We need to be ready for it. I think Aro has outgrown his usefulness," Carlisle said gravely
Despite his abhorrence to violence, Carlisle was ready for action. I looked around the room at the people I loved and saw determination. Together we would defend our lives and those of our loved ones.
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