This story has gotten insanely popular this last week or two, so someone out there is pimping it – so thank you! I wish I knew who you were : (

Big thank you to my beta, Rain-It-Shall, as always for this one! Enjoy…

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Interlude: Damon Recuperates.

The light from the sunrise shone through the glass windows of the hotel room, casting a golden glow on the hotel room floor. He sat on the bed closest to the window overlooking downtown Vancouver, his elbows on his knees, thinking. A beam of sunlight hit his skin, making rainbows bounce all around the room. He growled, yanking his hand back.

Things were not going according to plan.

Damon cursed himself for not taking the hybrid to the Volturi when he had the chance, which would in turn solidify his place with them. He had failed Aro's tryout – now what? Would he return to Italy and admit his defeat? Or would he cower away into the shadows for the rest of eternity, his tail tucked figuratively between his legs? A deep growl resounded in his throat as he realized he didn't have many options. The doe-eyed little monster had tricked him into thinking she was more innocent and useless that she actually was.

He touched his face as he remembered how her palms had transported some sort of horrible power into his mind. What was that? It had been nearly a week ago that she had attacked him with her strange gift and managed to escape, and he was no closer to figuring it out than he was when it had happened. His mind replayed the hideous emotions and pictures she had sent to him in strange, electric surges, each one more unsettling than the last. The young girl had clearly seen more horrible things in her past than he had given her credit for. He had been too blinded by her innocence and beauty to realize that she was more dangerous than she let on, even as a hybrid.

He sat in the hotel room, motionless for the entire day, staring at the sunny city below, thinking. The sun finally set, and he had gotten no further with his plans.

He would not spend eternity hiding in shame. No, he would get Aro what he wanted, and at any cost. He decided that he didn't care what it did to Stefan or anyone else. They would all laugh in his face in Italy if he returned empty handed! This was no way to spend eternity.

Damon blinked for the first time in hours, trying to formulate a plan. He knew he needed to get Renesmee away from her family again – but how? There were more than a dozen of them, not to mention the vile guard dogs that had flanked them all in the yard. He would be no match for them.

He needed help – but how? The determination for success rolled off of him in waves, but was brought to an abrupt halt when he realized that he had no power to do anything. He needed friends, but had none. The Volturi would be no help; they would only help him once he was a part of their ranks. The Cullens would never willingly give him Renesmee, and he knew enough about her that she wouldn't go willingly. So how would it happen?

Defeat had settled over him in a dark cloud when he heard it. Soft footsteps. Soft, yet determined. She walked with a purpose. He stood, frowning. That was no human.

His nostrils flared as he quickly stood, eying the heavy hotel room door that would be no match for a vampire. A quick breath slipped from his chest as a soft knock sounded against the hard surface.

Panic rose in him for a brief second, but curiosity for what was on the other side of that door surged up inside of him. Who could it be?

He swung the door open and was completely aghast at the figure that stood before him. His mouth fell open with an astonished gaze, and a smile played on the corner of her mouth.

She pushed past him into the room, lowering the hood on her long, expensive looking raincoat. Her crimson eyes flicked up to meet his, her painted ruby lips pursed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, watching as she removed her jacket. She wore a simple black dress, black stockings, and what appeared to be designer shoes. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a low bun, slicked back away from her round, childlike face.

"You don't want me here?" she asked, raising one perfect eyebrow. He jumped, holding out his hand.

"No! Please…by all means…" he said, putting a hand on her elbow. Her eyes moved down to the hand that was resting on her, and he instantly removed it.

"Does…Aro know?" he asked. Jane shook her head.

"No. I told him I had errands, but not what they were."

Damon was still completely shocked to see Jane there. Of course he had seen her flirtatious glances in Volterra, and he hadn't overlooked the interest she had taken in his quest. But why now?

"You're difficult to track."

Damon snorted, hanging up her coat. "I've been called worse."

Jane's eyes narrowed at him. "I said difficult, not impossible," she snapped. Damon froze, taken aback by her sharp tone.

"Why are you here?" he asked finally, closing the drapes of the large hotel suite. An amused look crossed her face, and she shook her head in a condescending way.

"I hadn't expected you to take this long. I thought you might need some help and judging by the mess you've made I would say that I'm right."

Damon frowned. "How do you know?" he shot back at her.

Jane looked around the room, the same condescending expression on her face. She was obviously unimpressed.

"The Volturi make it our business to know all, and in this situation, it's not hard to guess. You reek of vampire and shape shifter, yet here you are a week later with no hybrid vampire in your possession. Like I said," she replied, her voice hard and short. "It wasn't hard to tell that you were having trouble."

Damon growled deep in his chest, rolling his eyes. "My plans….were more difficult to carry out than I suspected. I came back here to…regroup," he finally said. He looked out a crack in the drapes at the city below them, trying to remain calm. This did not look good. A girl had come to help him because he couldn't handle it. A wave of humiliation washed over him.

"So what now?" he asked, looking back at her. Jane's lips curled back from her teeth into a sinister smile.

"I'm here to help. I want the Cullens and that insolent brat Bella gone. We have work to do," she hissed.

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"What are we doing here?" He asked several hours later. Jane looked at him pointedly, her crimson eyes almost icy and reproachful.

"We're here to work." Her voice was bored and haughty, yet clearly reminded him that she was the one in control. Damon had no idea how old Jane was. Her childlike features boasted a teenage appearance, but when she spoke with such hostility and determination it was hard to see her as anything but powerful.

He carefully placed her small piece of luggage on the expensive looking table beside him, marveling at the grand house. They were in a remote place on the outskirts of Vancouver, far away from any civilization. The house itself was large, a vacation home he guessed. It was beautifully decorated and secluded, perfect for hiding away, yet he had no idea why she had brought him here. Damon was beginning to grow impatient.

"The Cullens are in Denali. Why are we here?" he snapped.

Jane turned to look at him, her expression softening. As she daintily sauntered over to him, her heels clicked against the hardwood floors of the exquisite home. Her angelic mouth turned upwards in a tight, close mouthed smile, and her long black lashes batted against the tops of her pale cheeks. She reached her hand out, running her short nail down the side of Damon's check. A strange surge of energy coursed through him at her flirtations, his eyes boring into hers.

"We're here to do what you alone could not. We're here to finish the job. When you get what Aro wants, he will let you into the guard."

"You know this for a fact?" He asked skeptically. She pulled her hand back, debating whether or not to show her distaste for his question. Her face softened again, the tight smile returning.

"He won't be happy with what I'm about to do…" she purred. Her eyes shifted down, zoning out slightly. "No, he won't be happy at all. But with the hybrid as a prize, and you joining us as well…I'm hoping he will be lenient with me."

"So it is certain? If I bring him Renes- the hybrid, I will have a place with him? On the guard?"

Jane's eyes hardened, snapping back to meet his. Suddenly, Damon felt his entire body spasm

with a spear-like pain, shooting through his every muscle. It burned and licked at his every cell, torturing and burning him. He cried out in agony as the fire ripped through his bones, making him sick with pain. It throbbed through his body, twisting and ripping at his insides as though he was being turned all over again.

"Ah!" He grunted, feeling his heels lift off the ground. The pain seemed to suspend him there, writhing and moaning in agony.

"You will learn to trust me, Damon. You will learn that everything the Volturi gives has to be earned. And most of all…you will learn your place," she hissed to him as her mind continued to lash at him.

Damon hissed back at her as he burned, suspended in the roaring pain. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. He fell to the hard floor, gasping for breath. Looking up, he saw Jane's unemotional glare.

"You will listen to me," she reminded him sternly. Damon stood, albeit a bit further from her. He didn't know what she had just done to him, and he wasn't looking forward to having it happen again.

"I will," he agreed, eying her.

Jane's face twisted into a sickeningly sweet, closed mouth smile. She fluttered her eyelashes, sighing in content.

"Good. Now…" she began, clapping her small white hands together. "Now we go shopping."

"Shopping?"

Her hand on the door handle froze, her head whipping around to glare at him.

Damon's dead heart lurched in his chest. "Shopping it is," he said quickly. "Can I ask what for?"

Jane slowly smiled again, pulling the hood of her cloak up around her child-like features.

"Recruits."

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"Bite," she commanded, effortlessly holding down the writhing body.

Damon felt his eyes darken, and her white hand instantly came across his chiseled features in a condescending smack.

"Bite," she repeated. "Finish her and I'll make you pay for it, just like the others."

Damon winced, pulling his lips back over his teeth. Jane held the girl's wrist up to his lips, ignoring her terrified screams.

"Now," she hissed, pulling her own lips back to reveal a daunting set of teeth. Damon nodded, quickly sinking his teeth into the wrist of the girl. The teenager howled beneath him, her screams almost hurting his sensitive ears. Her blood oozed onto his tongue, coating his throat. He allowed himself one gulp of the hot liquid before running his tongue over the gash he had created, sealing it up.

He sat back on his heels, watching as the young girl thrashed and cried uselessly in Jane's iron grasp.

"Very good," she purred, giving him an approving stare. He felt another chill run down his spine as she looked at him, but soon something else drew his attention away.

One person would scream, then another. He could tell that some of them were trying to ride it out - they were the ones that were frozen, whimpering and almost comatose. Then there were others, who were still begging for death. One girl had begged him to kill her for nearly eleven hours the night before, and he had almost obliged. His crimson eyes glowed as they scanned the basement they were in. The abandoned house was serving as a home base for their project although it looked more like a horror movie. Bodies laid in rows; some of them burned while some of them lay cold and still – those were the ones who hadn't made it. Damon's control had been weak at first, spoiling a few of their efforts. Those who did make it were lined up in rows as their bodies turned to the hardened stone of a vampire. Their screams and calls for help went ignored.

Jane licked the last remnants of blood from her lip and stood, brushing off her hands. She smiled innocently, her red eyes scanning the room.

"Well done."

Damon looked away from the screaming people, remembering all too well what they were experiencing.

"How long?" he asked softly. Jane walked up beside him, weaving her arm with his.

"Not long. Three days. The first few should awaken on the dawn of the third day."

"And how will we control them?"

Jane stopped, giving him an incredulous look. "Do you doubt me?"

"No," he replied quickly, his eyes wide. She smiled, replacing the sinister expression that had graced her features only moments ago.

"Good. I know what I'm doing."

"Didn't you say this had been done before?"

"It has."

"So-"

She cut him off. "I didn't say it was done right."

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I hope you all enjoyed this little interlude! I had Jane flirt a little with Damon when he was back in Volterra for a reason. Jane wants a pet (Damon) to play with, and is so blinded by his need for power and revenge that he is willing to go with Jane's plan. I don't want to spoil The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner for those who hadn't read it, but the main surprise to me in that book was how involved the Volturi were with Riley and Victoria. I wanted to show that Jane thought it was a good plan, just poorly executed. I think she's hoping that if she's in charge, it will be done right. Cliffy, right?

For those of you who do not have me on alerts, I posted a new story! It's Alice/Jasper AH AU, and is a medieval fic entitled 'Fairytale'. The prologue and the first chapter are up, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

The next chapter is back from the beta, Rain-It-Shall (who rocks, btw) and so if I get some feedback it will go up rather soon! So review, okay? : )