Continued from Chapter 33 JPOV
Something moves near my face, peaceful cotton scent hits my nose; I turn towards it, my hand darting out, taking it and holding it to my face – at last… I can breathe!
Chapter 34 Carlisle POV
"Come lad, you need to eat..." As I speak, I look down at Jasper, watching, hoping that he will react. My hopes are dashed and so I bend down, hooking my arms under his shoulders and behind his knees, and lift Jasper into my arms. I nudge the sliding window open with my elbow and jump to the ground, taking off into a run heading towards the direction I heard Jasper letting off steam in the previous evening.
As I'm running I notice in the distance a fallen tree, creating a sheltered area dry of snow. I slow to a walk approaching the dry area. I prop Jasper up against the tree - his eyes looking vacantly into the distance, as if he isn't really there at all. "Stay here, I will fetch you some sustenance," I inform him and I watch, hoping for some form of acknowledgement, to no avail. A sigh escapes me as I lope off into the distance following the scent of bears... with luck it should be enough to get Jasper moving once more. Luckily, I come across a brown bear quickly and knock it out to drag back to him. As I approach I see Jasper is sitting up, with his head resting on his knees, his scented blouse of Bella's held to his cheek like a treasured talisman. I call out, "Put that away now Jasper - you don't want to get blood on it!"
Jasper slowly raises his head, looking at me with blackened emotionless eyes. He gracefully rises to his feet, carefully folding the blouse and tucking it inside his shirt and as soon as hands are free, he dives into the bear at my feet, draining it rapidly. He rips open the neck leaving it for scavengers to take, such as happens here in the wilds. Jasper turns slowly, looking into my eyes, his eyes having gained a bit of life once more and shining their honey gold, "I'm sorry for that - I don't know what hit me..." His voice trailed away as he stood there deep in thought, "I thought at first, Peter... and then perhaps Charlotte... I didn't know who for sure - all I knew was it was worse than when I took Marcus' pain last month..." His voice hushed by the time he mentions Marcus.
His reactions concern me, I have never known him to be unable to place where an emotion has come from, and he usually can focus in on the source within seconds of feeling it. I try to distract him, "Come, it's no matter - but perhaps when you feel more yourself, call Garrett and Peter - Garrett said that Peter was echoing your reactions."
I see him visibly shake himself and draw himself up into his more formal bearing, "Ah yes - he would have. Whenever I feel very strong emotional responses, he feels it too - in the past he has been able to prepare, anticipate... but unexpected hits like that one, neither one of us could..." His voice drifts off; unable to finish putting into words the trauma he had felt.
My mobile phone rings and I answer forgetting to check to see if a name is displayed. I am surprised when I hear Edward at the other end of the line. His voice callous and uncaring as he announces, "It's done Carlisle, I've told her we have left for her own good. I will be there in three hours or so." Edward's voice is sharp with an odd, almost chilling tone to it which makes the hairs on my neck prickle.
I look Jasper in the eye and pull a frown, and indicate for him to listen in, as I ask Edward, "Is Bella okay?"
Edward replies, "I'm sure she is," His voice cold, unusually detached. "Humans move on so quickly."
JPOV
As I listen to Carlisle's conversation with Edward, I focus on his emotions as they become turmoil with his reactions to what we are hearing, and then Edward callously commenting that Humans move on so quickly… My heart clenches, Bella isn't like other humans, her emotions are positively vampiric in nature, and she loves so deeply - all her feelings are incredibly strong. "She will forget us quickly - I've made sure of it!" Edward declares.
My ears prick up at that, as Carlisle exclaims, "Edward, what have you done?" And he starts to pace back and forth as he is unable to quell his agitation.
"Nothing much...Just removed reminders of us from her room - the photo's, the birthday gifts... no memories left lying around to remind her," Edward brags, sounding so pleased with himself.
Carlisle's face crumples in distress, "Oh Edward!" he pauses, unable to continue...
Edward speaks up, his feet pounding the ground as he starts running. His steps easily heard in this peaceful place, "I will be there soon - we can catch up then!" The phone line goes dead. Carlisle pulls the phone from his ear, and looks at it, shell-shocked. I gently take the phone from him, before it is crushed in his grip, and firmly hold his shoulder supportively, returning the gift of comfort he has previously given to me.
Within me the Major and Rage rant in their anger, "What has he done, our sweet girl, all alone...?" Slowly, I slip my arm behind Carlisle's shoulders and I slowly guide him back towards the house, taking our time, as gradually he comes back to himself.
Time passes in silence as we walk together each of us dwelling on the phone call, Carlisle starts quietly muttering under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear, "What has that boy done - Marcus was right - He has no idea..." Carlisle's mood changes, moving from upset to irritation eventually landing deeply entrenched in full blown anger. He halts our progression forward, stepping out of my gentle hold on his shoulder, his body ramrod straight, determination pouring out of him.
He turns to face me, his hand extended and demands, "My phone!" His eyes darken and his face hardens, looking for once like a true coven leader. I pass his phone to him instantly, inclining my head briefly with respect. He dials a number rapidly and waits for it to connect.
"Good evening Carlisle, how can the Volturi be of assistance?" A very familiar voice answers the phone.
"Ciao Demetri, I need you to place my position and then Edward Cullen's, and ascertain that he is travelling towards me at a reasonable pace. He should be out of Forks at the very least." Carlisle requests, his temper still evident in his tone of voice.
"Very well, please hold." Demitri's respectful response clearly heard over the quiet surrounding us.
My phone announces a text.
Peter: Bella is safe.
I allow a smile to cross my face, as I turn toward Carlisle and hold out the phone message for him to read. He nods, mouthing his thanks to me.
"Carlisle," Demitri's voice draws my attention back toward the phone, "He is moving towards you, I would estimate he is one third of the way from Forks to Seattle currently moving as you suggest. Would you like me to keep an eye on his position?"
Carlisle's eyes drop shut briefly, then opens them looking directly at me, "Please, until he is with me - should be no more than three hours."
"No problem, I will call if he deviates or doubles back," Demitri reassures Carlisle.
"Thank you for your assistance, please pass my regards on to Master Marcus, and my thanks for his foresight." Carlisle says with warmth, now his worries appear to be past, for now.
I could almost hear the smile in Demitri's voice as he wishes Carlisle, "Ciao, Carlisle," and Carlisle echoes the parting sentiment. He pushed the phone into his pocket, as he starts striding towards the house. "Well, three hours until he is here…" Carlisle stops and turns round when he realises that I wasn't walking along side him.
"I will be in shortly, I'm going to return Garrets call, check that everything is settled down with Peter." I gave Carlisle a rueful shrug and wandered towards the distant trees that kept drawing my attention.
Garret's PoV
The door to Jasper's study quietly opens and Charlotte slips out, gently closing the door behind her. I rise from my seat as she walks down the stairs and crosses the room towards me. I step towards her, offering my arm as I ask, "How are they both?"
Charlotte slips her hand onto my arm and allows me to escort her to a seat, softly shaking her head as she looks at me, "Peter has settled Bella into Jasper's nest, and is curled up opposite her keeping an eye to ensure she is alright." She hums to herself and looks up towards the room, "I am in such a quandary – I have done everything I can to revive her, she is surrounded by the Major's scent, I have rubbed her Crest on her skin to release more of it, she even has my mate there with her with his veins so recently filled of the Major's venom, but I don't know what else to do Garret!"
I gently pat her hand, "You have done everything you could do for her, short of bringing him back here – and you know we can't do that. I wish he would figure it all out…" I sigh exasperatedly. The quiet of the house is shattered suddenly by the brash sound of my phone ringing. I grab at it hurriedly to shut it up before it disturbed Peter and Bella.
"Hello," I quickly answer, then glance to see who's calling. "Ah Jasper, how are you feeling now?" I glance at Charlotte and see that she has perked up on hearing his name.
"Much better thank you, finally got control over it, although I am still getting waves of it washing over me on and off. How's Peter?" He asks concern evident in his voice.
"Peter's okay, it's Bella we are concerned about…" as I go to continue, Jasper jumps in.
"Bella – what's wrong with her?" he growls out.
"She's been out cold from just before Peter got hit by your emotions." I tell him.
"What! Explain yourself!" Jasper snarls out.
"Major, Let me take the phone to Peter – I think he understands what happened," I request, hoping that Jasper is getting a grip on his rightful anxiousness.
I climb the stairs and creep into the bedroom, bringing my voice down to a whisper. "Peter, Jasper's on the phone."
Peter turns his head towards me briefly, and reaches towards me for the phone. "Brother, how are you doing?" He quietly greets Jasper.
"Peter…" It's as if a tension goes out of Peter, I can visibly see him relax as soon as he hears Jasper's voice. "Back in control now, still not sure what came over me – the pain just hit me from out of no-where…I'm sorry Brother." He pauses, "What's this Garret tells me about Bella being unconscious?"
Peter snorts, "That pain, it wasn't out of nowhere; I know exactly where it came from."
"What do you mean Peter? And what does this have to do with Bella being unconscious?" He growls back.
I watch as Peter makes himself comfortable, his other hand still stroking Bella's extended hand. Peter sighs, "We are in your room at the house, I wanted to bring her somewhere she would feel safe…Garret watched over her when Edward broke up with her and left her in the forest behind her house. She sensed Garret's presence and called him out, from what he tells me all was fine until he mentioned your name. She just collapsed, crying out in pain. He just managed to get to her side, just as he heard my cry out in reaction to it all."
A snarling growl echoes over the phone, "Dammit Peter – how are we still connected. I tried to reach out to her with my gift before all this happened, but couldn't feel her then; the Major stopped me in the end."
"Must be your beast Sire? Is there any point from when he was around her that is still blank?" Peter asks.
JPOV
I consider his question, mulling over the memories Rage returned to me from his interactions with Bella and Carlisle. The moments after Carlisle threw Rage to the floor then the snarl and intake of breath… "That's it" I exclaim, "There is a gap, just after Rage takes his first breath of Bella's scent – I have no memory of his reaction to it – the memory jumps to an awareness of Carlisle guarding Bella whilst Rage was hunting in on the location of blood – he actually homed in on Edward's position when he took a deliberate breath of scent that triggered Rage's escape in the first place."
"Hmmm," I could hear Peter tapping his nail on his tooth as he thought. "Well, the connection must have formed during that gap in memory – Any chance he will tell you?" Peter asked, but I could tell he doubted Rage would answer.
As if in answer to Peter, I become aware of an incredibly smug Rage listening in to my thoughts, and am filled with a sense of peace as I feel Rage extend himself through my gift briefly, and I gain a sensation of intense pleasure as he sinks down deeply within me lying languidly with his right hand resting across his chest, vibrating slightly under his rumbles.
I huff quietly, "No luck Peter, he's too deep to communicate with at the moment…and I have a feeling this is one of those things the Major wants me to figure out on my own."
"Sounds about right – Bella's pulse is increasing slightly, think she is definitely trying to wake up this time… Will call you later on Brother, keep thinking about those memories he gave you – perhaps they will unveil more to you?"
I smile at his comments, "Okay Peter, talk soon." I listen as I hear him shuffle on the bed before the line goes dead.
Stuffing the phone into my back pocket, I slowly walk to the house mulling over the memories Rage returned to me, wondering what he is hiding from me. Absentmindedly, I reach into my shirt and pull out Bella's blouse and hold it to my face, letting her scent waft to my nose, wrapping me in the cotton. The weight of my concerns drops from my shoulders and I drift slowly back to the house, the worries and angst from earlier wiped away as my mind is filled with the knowledge that Bella is safe on my bed, in my space, my territory with my Peter, and surrounded by my coven.
Deep inside, Rage lays back; his hand softly moving over his scarred chest, as the memory of lying in the security of His One's arms fills him and his chest silently vibrates with pleasure.
The Major's watchful eyes turn toward Rage and notes the sound of his purr being withheld and smiles softly. He turns his attention back toward Jay, and smirks as he observes Jay with his head clouded by his Mate's scent – When oh when is Jay going to realise what that scent means? He reaches out with the gift, checking the surrounding area, as far as he can reach, for dangers and threats. Satisfied all is currently safe, the Major settles down against Rage, pulls his hat low over his forehead, and rests.