The Black Swan: Jasper & Bella Pairing


CHAPTER 48THE TIME APOPHIS FLEW BY

M- Mature Rating


Act One: Pura Vida

Jasper

"Ladies and Gentlemen" welcome aboard British Airways Flight Number 48 from London to Seattle. Approximate flying time is thirteen hours and forty-five minutes," the flight attendant droned on as she went through her perfunctory script.

The "Fasten Your Seatbelt sign flashed above our heads and the over-zealous flight attendant began to admonish Bella for not wearing her seatbelt before I cast her a look that could be loosely translated as "Get lost lady."

The engine roared and the plane made its steep climb. Bella was curled up against me, still thinking and trying to resolve once and for all what we experienced. I held her tight against me while stroking her hair.

"It's going to be okay, darlin. I promise."

.oOo.

10 days earlier . . .

Jasper

It was the second day of our married life and the second day of the new year. We arrived in San Carlos de Bariloche shortly before noon after a two hour flight from Buenos Aires. We were in wild west territory - Argentina style. It was the gateway to the land of the gauchos and the Patagonian desert steppes, big big skies, dazzling views of the snow-capped Andes mountains and turquoise blue crystalline lakes. We left the grey winter of Forks behind, and welcomed the Argentinean summer with constant temperatures hovering around 75°F ( 20ºC to 28ºC). San Carlos was a little bit Aspen, Colorado and a little bit Swiss Alps. Paradise. Pura Vida.

We rented a sweet manual transmission Fiat to drive 200 kilometers south along the rugged Ruta 40, the Argentinean version of Route 66, to a rural alpine valley set in the heart of the Patagonia lake district in southern Argentina. We made mini stops along the way to check out scenic routes and pick up provisions and extra gas. I tried without success to get Bella to make love with me on the side of the road. What better way to christen our travel adventure and enjoy the stunning natural beauty of this place? The hood of the Fiat seemed pretty sturdy.

"Unh, unh no way! Are you crazy?" my oh so pretty wife said with a scowl on her face and hands on hip. She was dressed in a long-sleeved top and the sexiest pair of flaming orange gaucho pants that tied at the waist and hugged her butt just the way I liked it.

Well, yes was my answer, "About you of course, darlin," I added quickly. Just then a Chilean truck driver whizzed by on the gravely and dusty road and honked, yelling cheerfully, "¡Che Boludo!" I was wearing a red bandana around my neck and my brand new genuine article leather gaucho hat and boots with my pants tucked inside. I guess I passed as a native. He didn't call me gringo. I turned my eyes to the back seat of the car. Just a teeny bit cramped, but private, I thought. But Mrs. Whitlock wasn't having any of that. Oh well. Married life.

I found the 880 acre ranch easily, and parked the car in front of the farmhouse. It would be our home for the next week. I unloaded the car quickly and then opened the door for Bella, sweeping her into my arms and carrying her over the threshold. I gave her a quick tour of the house while still carrying her, and saved the master bedroom for last.

"I think I like the queen's room better," Bella announced, gesturing me to her put down, but I continued to hold her. The queen's room was the smaller of the bedrooms on the second floor. Compared to the master bedroom it was simply furnished and more feminine in décor.

"Well princess, you can sleep wherever you like, since you'll be doing the sleeping."

I kissed her softly. Indeed, where she slept was of no consequence as long we could make love freely – and as often as possible.

"¡Buen dia!," a woman's voice called up from downstairs in a delightful sing song Italianate accent.

"Moment," I called down, and walked back downstairs with Isabella still in my arms.

"Buen dia," I said as I introduced myself and Bella. Bella got a kick out of the greeting: "Che, Bella. ¿Que ondas?"

We proceeded with the formalities of exchanging the contract, the handing over of the keys and information about amenities. Her responses to my question were either: "Bueno," Tal cual" or "Todo bien," and to which I answered: "Dalé." It was much more fun to say that than "Okay," I thought.

Bella wandered around on her own. Eventually, I found her in the yoga studio overlooking the glacier capped mountains.

"Is everything all set?" she asked while still looking out the window, but wrapping my arms around her when I came up behind her."

"Si señora. Todo bien," I said trying to see if my speaking Spanish would turn her on. "Up for a picnic?" I asked eagerly, nibbling on her ear, hoping she would decline and propose instead to make love right here, right now.

"Yes!"

That was her answer to the idea of going on a picnic.

"Oh, and bathing suit optional," I said, winking at her as she undressed and slipped on a bathing suit. I was completely underwhelmed by her conventional two piece red swimsuit with boycut bottoms. No matter how charming it was, it was totally unnecessary.

We drove five minutes to the Los Alcerces National Park and picnicked next to the Rio Cisnes, a glacier fed river. Later, I stripped and dove into the water, urging Bella to join me. She put her toe in, and withdrew it quickly, gasping at the iciness of the water. I came out and pushed her in, diving in after her. She was splashing like mad and shrieking. We played like this for a while, and when she tired, I carried her out and lay next to her while she slept.

Sixty nine minutes and 13 seconds had passed when I felt Bella stir next to me. She looked up and gazed quietly at me. She took her left hand and traced the mosaic patterns of my scars and the glittering prisms of light reflecting off my skin. It was sheer bliss to lie on the soft grass beneath a warm sun with my wife and not worry about anything or anyone. It was going to be sheer torture having to bring Bella back home to her world in a week's time.

"Do you love me, Isabella Whitlock?"

"No," she deadpanned.

"Well, too bad. You made a vow that you would love me even when you don't feel like it, and I'm annoying as hell."

"Did I? Well, I must have been smoking something good that day."

"Yeah, that sage Leah and Vincent were burning to purify our ceremonial space."

We laughed.

"Do you love me, Isabella?" I could live the entirety of my existence asking that one question and hearing her give me the answer I wanted.

"More than yesterday but less than tomorrow," she said.

"Hmmn," I thought. A nice variation on yes or I love you so much.

"God, Bella, you're quoting those sappy song lyrics from the 1970's?" I was teasing her. For her answer, however sappy, pleased me greatly.

"What do you want? I'm an 18 year-old high school student. It's not like I have a century worth of experience building up a store of profound words. But in this case the lyrics ring true for me. Every day I love you more."

I liked that: "Every day I love you more." That was straight from Bella's heart.

We were in our own personal forest. Not another living soul but us. I was sitting now with my legs extended in front of me. I leaned over and reached inside the side pocket of our bag and brought out my harmonica. I played the opening riff of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man."

Now when I was a little boy, about the age of 5

{harmonica blues riff}

My mama said I was gonna be the greatest man alive

{harmonica blues riff}

Now I am a man

{harmonica blues riff}

Made it to 21

"Yeah, Jasper, you're almost 170 years old," Bella teased, laughing at my performance.

With my legs I threw her off-balance so she would fall on top of me and land on her knees straddling my hips.

You know baby, we could have a lot of fun

{harmonica blues riff}

I'm a man.

Bella took the harmonica out of my hand. I kissed her real good, and let her feel the good waves I was putting out. Off came her swim suit. I broke from the kiss briefly to finish the verse.

I spell M. A. N. Man.

I hummed that last "n" so that it buzzed in her ears.

"Oh, oh, oh!" That was Bella feeling those good vibrations.

I did my best Mick Jagger moves. The sound of the river competed with the sounds of our lovemaking as we rocked back and forth stoking the fire between us. I licked the sweat from her face and coiled her hair around my hands, gently tugging as she guided me inside of her. She arched her back and I cradled the back of her head between my legs and began thrusting. That moment of first contact was explosive, her emotions marveling at the wonder of our connection.

"Those yoga stretching exercises are finally paying off," I murmured.

With a serene smile she reached her hands back to grab hold of my ankles as I leaned forward and began to thrust more deeply. As we made love I could smell a couple of hikers approaching some distance away. I didn't want to interrupt our love-making.

"There's someone coming, isn't there?" She had just kissed my collarbone and lay still beneath me.

"How did you know?" I said in surprise.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Am I in danger?" she asked, knowing from my reaction the answer was no.

"No, I just didn't want you to be embarrassed if they come across us while we're making love."

"There's more than one?" she giggled in surprise. She reached for the blanket , scattering the picnic things and wrapped it around us. I arched my eyebrow in puzzlement.

"They can use their own visuals. I think they'll get the idea of what is going on from all the noise we're making."

We'll all right Mrs. Whitlock.

She started kissing me, and we were right back to where we were before I paused. I wrapped her legs around my back and crossed my legs pulling her up so that we were sitting face to face. She showered my body with a hundred kisses, whispering "I love you." I counted each and every one of them. I grabbed her elbow, gesturing her to do the same and leaned back then forward with her in a tug-of-war game. Once again I lowered her head, spreading her hair on the forest floor and telling her to keep still and concentrate on our connection. She was lost and I with her. I was wrapped up in Bella's magic.

New position: kneeling face-to-face while still joined, with one foot flat on the ground in the guardian pose, rocking forward and backward. I pressed my forehead against hers. And when I erupted inside of her she, showered me with her own waters and I held onto her hips bracing her against the tidal waves of emotion threatening to knock her over.

"How bad do I look?" Bella asked in a sultry voice, when we collapsed onto the ground with each other.

I swept her hair aside. There were noticeable scratch marks and welts from where my nails grazed her lower back and twin bluish marks where I grabbed her hips. The hickey I have her on our wedding night was almost gone. There was, however, a round pink bump on her hip.

"I plead the Fifth, honey. You were doing yoga warrior poses in the forest. That's my story and I'm sticking to it," I said in mock defiance.

Bella chuckled.

Pointing to the bump on her hip, I said: "But this right here looks like a bee sting." In fact while we were making love, I was totally aware of the gigantic yellow and black puff ball bumble bees buried deep in the Patagonian forest floor.

"What?" Bella said in surprise.

I licked the scratch marks and the bee sting so my venom could help them heal. At least my cool touch helped relieve the puffiness and itchiness.

"Oh great, my own living first aid kit."

"Now, aren't you lucky, sweetheart," I cooed.

We were lying on our side facing each other. Her hip was hitched lightly over mine. I was tracing light circles on her skin. I decided to look into her eyes, otherwise, I would start making love to her all over again. We had just had a good workout. She needed some recovery time. I kissed her softly, and let her feel the waves of devotion I was sending her way .

"Jasper, if I were a vampire would my feelings be even more intense?"

I kissed her gently.

"Your passion mirrors mine. It's just the limits of your body that constrain you. Maybe that's a good thing."

"Oh?"

"I think when you become a vampire, I'll be the frail one sporting all sorts of marks on my body," I said jokingly.

We rarely talked about how or when she would change. It was enough that she accepted this dark bargain as a condition to our being married. I didn't press her.

She sat up and starting kissing different parts of my body.

"Oh, and I'm going to scratch here" she said raking her nails softly on my back. It felt like a feather. "And I'm going bite here," I felt her nibbling my butt cheeks. And I'm going to pull here," she said tugging at the crown of my head. "And bite you there," she purred licking my shoulder.

I laughed. I could imagine her doing everything she said, and I was getting aroused all over again.

"How can you stand being with me, Jasper? I can't possibly satisfy you."

"You know it's a little like learning to become a vegetarian. I have to adapt. But with it I also get tremendous advantages that outweigh that incredible rush that comes from feeding on a human. So yes, I have to hold back when we have sex, so I don't break you. But on the plus side I am making love to you and experiencing sensations I never imagined just because I must move at your pace and learn a different way of connecting. Every time I enter you I feel like I have reached that special place the Buddhists and Hindus are always going on about. It's amazing."

I was stroking her cheek affectionately.

"And when you become like me, I'm going to have to teach you how to go slow so you can sprinkle all your love over me." I scooped up the mixture of our fluids and licked my lingers and the palm of my hand.

"Oh god, not that again." Bella was grimacing in genuine revulsion.

"Oh yes, that again. It's the sweetest thing I have ever tasted. More precious to me than your blood. Remind me to bottle some up."

"Okay, now you're just being creepy and gross," she said in exasperation.

"Welcome to my pleasure dome, Mrs. Whitlock," I said bringing her body flush against me while stroking her rosebud opening. And with all this talk about sex and gratification I finally yielded to my arousal and raised her top leg, letting her calf rest on my shoulder while I straddled her bottom leg placing all my weight on my knees so as not to crush her. Bella was breathless from the lighting fast speed with which I positioned us. I didn't have to send any kind of wave of desire towards her. Despite her nervous and giddy laughter, she was ready. I entered her slowly. The look of wonder and amazement on her face took my breath away, literally. I experienced through her: her youth, her joy, her giddy excitement and almost childlike trust. She grabbed hold of my left knee and thigh for support, while I made winding and whirling motions with my hips as I thrust into her caressing her round buttocks and saying crazy things to her like "I'm your sexy beast. You're king . . ." I had intended this session to be gentle, but I got carried away. My little darling kept screaming "Yes!" I could have said "Pizza dough," and she would have yelled "Yes!"

And when her mighty walls collapsed within, making her body shudder and convulse, and her eyes rolled back in her head, I thought for a tiny second: "My god, I've killed my angel." But no, she just wiped out on my monster wave. And when I released all the passion I had stored for her, I bent down and kissed her hot and trembling lips and moved my head to the place of her beating heart. I kissed her navel. I bathed my hair and my face in the glistening nectar between her thighs. She exploded. Poor darling couldn't help herself. And I thought with unearthly satisfaction: "There ain't nothing better than this."


Act Two: Who Knew?


Jasper

We established a schedule. I would hunt while Bella would sleep. Sometimes I was gone for just an hour and sometimes I would go until daybreak. If she was awake for it, we would watch the sunrise together and then she would go back to sleep for a few more hours while I lay beside her. But by mid-morning Bella was always up for an activity. We signed up for daily tango lessons and horseback riding trips. We explored the region by car, by motorcycle, by micro bus and collectivo and sometimes just riding on my back. Bella discovered the joy of grilled lamb, hand rolled trout raviolis and sticky sweet caramelized sugar and milk, dulce de leche. And of course there was always time for love.

We visited the edge of the world, Ushuaia, an archipelago off the southern coast of Argentina and hiked the trails inside the Tierra del Fuego National Park. I explained to Bella that the name fuego, fire in Spanish, came not because of any volcanoes or thermal springs but because the native people built so many fires to keep themselves warm since they wore no clothing. Legend had it that the European missionaries saw all the smoke from their boats, didn't see the people, and named it Land of Fire. Bella took a deep intake of air savoring its pristineness. Pura Vida.

On the day we were supposed to leave for Buenos Aires to return home, our flight was cancelled so we decided to spend the day at Victoria Lake where we had begun the first excursion of our honeymoon. We sailed along Lake Nahuel Huapi and moored the boat so we could walk the trails of the Bosque Arrayanes, a magical forest with ancient trees. We climbed the crusty and cold centuries old trees, sampling the white flowers and purple fruits. Every now and then I was able to point out the Pudú-Pudú, the tiny deer inhabiting the area. They really did look like Bambi, I had to admit. I made a joke to Bella about snacking on the Pudú-Pudú. If she had had vampire strength she would have swatted me off the tree I was perched on. As it was, she threatened to go on a sex strike if I so much as breathed on them. I guess I would not be snacking on deer when we got home.

I carried Bella deeper into the forest venturing into the part normally cut off from public access and in Tarzan-like fashion swung from sequoia tree to the oaks and cypress trees.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked in alarm in reaction to me.

My body had already broadcast what I was just now registering with my intellect. Another vampire. Maybe another vampire with a human because I could detect a faint but rapid heartbeat. Bella tightened her hold on me, protectively. I kissed her forearm. If there was going to be a confrontation she was not leaving my side. I crouched in waiting.

From a small clearing in the forest I saw a giant. He stood almost 7 feet tall and was dressed in a glorified loincloth of leather and feathers. He had the strong features of the Mapuche Indians I had met in Chile many years ago, but he was much taller, obviously, and more powerfully built - like the Quileutes.

"He's not human is he?" Bella whispered. I was wondering the same thing and I couldn't decide. He had a heartbeat, but his smell was distinctly that of a vampire. I could smell the venom pooling in his mouth as he stood across from us deciding whether to attack or retreat. I sensed his fear. Strange. As bothered as he was by me, he seemed genuinely curious about Bella. I could smell her fear. So could he.

"Bella, breathe, honey. He can smell your fear. I'm not going to let him touch you, but you have to pull yourself together. Okay?" I said this in a low whisper. I released her, setting her on the ground but she wrapped herself tightly against me.

The aboriginal was striking not only because of his height and his strength but because of the perfection of his velvety caramel smooth skin, his straight jet black hair and long feathery eyelashes. Even his long nose was finely chiseled. I found myself gazing at his barely concealed penis and marveling at its beauty. I was just a tiny bit jealous. Fortunately, my wife's attention was not drawn to him in that way. The only blemish I could detect on his otherwise perfect body were two venom marks on his left arm: defensive wounds.

I sensed he was waiting for me to make the first move. My knowledge of indigenous languages of Latin America was pretty limited. I decided to try Spanish and see how he would respond.

"No queremos matarle." Might as well get to the point, I thought. We weren't going to kill him. At least that was the plan.

"No entiendo. ¿Que hacen aquí entonces?" he said in heavily accented but otherwise fluent Spanish. He was polite, but direct. He wanted to know why we were there. Fair question.

"Caminando por el bosque para divirtirnos. Somos maridos."

Yes, we were just your garden variety newlywed couple strolling through the magical forest. Ho hum. Ho hum. Bella held out her arm and turned it slowly, showing the cold scar she received from James. Instinctively, she was trying to establish common ground with this stranger. I still couldn't figure out what he was other than he was a mix of human and vampire. A mutant. But how?

He looked at Bella appreciatively. He smiled without taking his eyes off of Bella and said: "Ella tiene buena onda."

Okay, enough with the flirting wise guy. I asked who he was.

"Me llamo Nahuel. Mi madre fue Mapuche. Mi padre fue" and he pointed to me.

His father was a vampire like me. Gringo, English-speaking like me, perhaps, he seemed to be suggesting. He explained his mother died when he was born. His father abandoned him.

What a strange tale. Did his father kill his mother? Who raised him? I had so many questions. So did Bella. I finally introduced us, telling Nahuel our names.

"¿Estas solo?" Bella asked softly.

"Si," he responded dryly, not understanding how to take Bella's compassion.

"¿Bebedor de la sangre?" I asked.

He nodded and then explained he also ate what was available in the forest.

"Is that possible?" Bella asked, clearly understanding the significance of what he was saying. "But how?"

Nahuel understood what Bella was asking and looked at her in sadness. Then he turned his attention back to me projecting hatred and disgust. I let him feel a little of the love I felt for Bella to reassure him. Bella seemed to understand the silent communication and clung to me.

"No dejala encinta. Lo matarala."

Bella nodded and then looked at me with a blank expression.

"Vengan. Mateamos," Nahuel announced. He turned his back and strode in the direction from which he came.

"He's inviting us to tea?" Bella asked incredulously.

Equally incredulous, I nodded yes and helped her onto my back and ghosted through the forest following behind our host.

Nahuel's home was in fact a cave with a low table and a wooden bowl as his only furniture. We sat down cross-legged. There was already a coal fire and Nahuel added more fuel and began to heat water in a gourd pouring the tea. When the tea was ready, he set the gourd on the table. He looked at me and signaled through his feelings that he wanted a contribution, some gesture of good will from me. I didn't understand at first. And then Bella, sweeping her gaze between me and Nahuel ,held out her finger.

"I understand. But will you do it? I know you won't hurt me."

I looked at my wife and the stranger in front of me. Common sense dictated that I should just kill him, maybe sample his blood for good measure, and then leave. But something bigger than me was at play, and I went along with this foolish kabuki dance. I sliced my wife's finger cleanly with my teeth, no venom, and let the blood drip into the gourd. He nodded when it was enough and I quickly closed the wound with my tongue careful not to let my venom seep in. He took a big sip then passed the gourd to me which I drank and then I passed it to Bella who drank without gagging.

We did a second round and then he finished up the last dregs, seemingly refreshed and satisfied.

"Nos veremos, hermana," Nahuel said gently to Bella stroking her cheek. I didn't like his hands on my wife and let him feel it. He gave me a Yoda smile.

"Hay que protegerla."

I nodded. I most certainly intended to protect her. Anyway, he didn't look much older than me or Bella for that matter. But he spoke as if he were ancient. I asked him how old he was.

"Tres cientos años," he answered.

Well, now I had seen and heard everything. I had so many more questions, but it was time to go. I'd had enough. I wanted to be alone with my wife in a safe place. I stood up and pulled Bella with me. Nahuel stood up too. I held out my hand to shake in parting, but he put both his hands on my arm and bowed his head so that it touched mine. He was strong, but not strong enough to overtake me if I thought he was going to do me harm. His body temperature was cooler than the normal human body temperature, but nowhere as cold as mine. And his skin was not the granite hardness of mine.

For the first time in my vampire existence, I was jealous of someone else. I wanted what he had. The ability to exist in both human and vampire worlds. He understood what I was feeling and looked back between Bella and me. And he said something truly curious.

"Love is your magic." Except he didn't say it in Spanish. He said it in his native language and by feeling his emotions, I was able to decipher the meaning of his words.

Bella kissed both his cheeks and then hopped on my back. That one gesture altered something profound in him. He had never known tenderness from a woman, a beautiful one at that. I took off without anymore formalities. He didn't follow us.

Bella and I arrived back at the farmhouse as the sun was setting. It had now become our ritual to watch the sunset and now would be no exception. We sat on the patio. Bella was on my lap, and we silently watched the night emerge. Normally, we would make love and Bella would nap a little before preparing for dinner. But neither one of us wanted to go out.

We rustled up a dinner for Bella of scrambled eggs, tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden and left-over bread from the bakery. We skinny dipped in the pool afterwards and rested on the lawn. I bent over and kissed her, but she pulled back from me. She was afraid. She was due to ovulate. She had been taking her pills, faithfully, and I could tell the hormones in her blood had not yet fluctuated. Her body basal temperature had not spiked. I was that in tune with her cycle. But she now doubted the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill. All of her bravado when she thought pregnancy was just a theory was gone. If our flight hadn't been cancelled, this would not have been an issue for we would have been prevented from being together this way. Chance. Making love was now a roll of the dice. Now we had proof it was possible for us to create life and possible for Bella's life to end in the process.

I sat there and just held her stiff body for a long while. I wanted to be inside of her to make her feel better so I could feel better. She was shy with me, and it was killing me. I stood up, and bringing her up with me I began to sing and dance our wedding song dance. On the soft grass we danced our bolero, my thigh between hers, our hips twisting in angles, our hands locked.

Siempre fuiste la razón de mi existir
Adorarte para mí fue religión
Y en tus besos yo encontraba
El calor que me brindaba
El amor y la pasión

Historia de un Amor. To not feel my wife's embrace was to effectively bury me in the river in a concrete box. There was no me without Bella. With every kiss she ignited the flames of love and passion. And so we made love right there standing up. There was none of that slow travel lovemaking we were getting used to. Two bodies and then one.

I carried Bella to the master bedroom. We lay naked like that all night until Bella fell asleep. I recited prayers. I kissed my wife and whispered how much I loved her and adored her. And then I lay still next to her and dreamed Isabella's dreams. Or at least I think I did. And when we awoke in the morning, we found Nahuel's gourd with maté wrapped in giant leaves on the doorstep.

.oOo.

Volterra, Italy

Sometimes revolutions begin not with the drawing of a sword or the pulling of a trigger or the firing of the first round of shots. Sometimes the signs of change are really quite subtle. Something that was always there, but you never noticed or you never allowed yourself to speak of it or listen until that moment. And so it was that Caius listened to the accounts of Afton, Chelsea and Marcus. Their accounts were consistent with each other in details, but not all details were given equal weight.

Aro laughed at the spectacle of the wedding seen through the eyes of Afton, Chelsea and Marcus. He dismissed the finer details of the icons and symbols, the shared repast, the spider dance between Marcus and Bella. It was all fluff like the music selections and the bridal costumes. Who cares? It was all fanciful nonsense. Perhaps. But the joining of the warlord and his bride signaled a shift.

Aro learned of the confrontation with Irina by reading Marcus's thoughts. But Marcus was a master at veiling his true thoughts. And so Aro focused on Irina's indignation, but failed to recognize her prescience. The vampires and werewolves were in cahoots. They protected each other against the established order. A member of the Volturi obeyed the edict of Quileute shape-shifters and vegetarian vampires about the no feeding zone. What was next?

"So the warlord changed the human on her wedding night?" Aro said reading Marcus's thoughts when he spied on the couple, and saw Jasper holding a sleeping Bella.

"But he was going to take her away right?" Aro asked. "This is all so unnecessary. Why didn't he just change in the first place? None of this makes any sense," Aro complained.

Indeed, Caius thought. It didn't make sense if you looked at it from Aro's perspective. For someone who could read thoughts, he was unbelievably bad at drawing the right conclusions. A threat loomed large. Garrett was now aligned with the Denali coven along with Eleazar. What else was coming?


Act Three: Re-Set


Jasper

The return trip home was uneventful. Bella eventually found distraction in a book. I didn't mind the admiring glances my wife received from the documentary filmmaker who kept trying to get her attention. Bella's attention was now caught up in a nice thriller.

Mercifully, we had the house to ourselves when I carried Bella over the threshold. The house was restored to its pristine order and the only evidence of the wedding festivities was the wedding balloons in the conservatory and the bedroom which was strewn with rose petals. Bella's hung over our bed.

There was a vial of pills next to the bed and a pitcher of water with a note from Carlisle: "Just in case. Call me."

I showed Bella the note and she nodded. When we reached Buenos Aires we had gone to a drugstore and picked up an ovulation kit and a pregnancy test. So far both were negative. Alice must have seen this in her vision and warned Carlisle. We had agreed we wouldn't have intercourse until Bella's next period. Neither one of was happy about this decision, but agreed it was the best thing to do until we learned more about the logistics of getting pregnant and came up with a game plan.

I texted Carlisle that we had arrived safely and would come over later to talk. I joined Bella in the shower and helped her wash her hair. Once dressed, I left her alone to catch up on email and settle into her new home. I was fixing a simple meal of eggs when I heard Carlisle's car pull up.

"This is an unexpected surprise," I said, feigning politeness.

"Yes, well, I was able to leave the hospital, and I thought it would be easier to speak freely without the whole family. How is she?"

"I'm fine," Bella said coming into the kitchen to join us. Amazingly, she caught Carlisle's question despite his sotto voce.

"Bella," Carlisle said, greeting her with an affectionate kiss on the cheek, "married life suits you very well, my dear." Though Carlisle spoke the truth his words masked his concern.

"I'm fine, Carlisle. Really. I'm not pregnant.

"Yes, well, it's not something you would feel immediately, anyway. Some women don't realize they're pregnant until several months into their pregnancies."

"I know. But I know my body. I know I have changed, but I know I haven't ovulated yet even without the kits. I won't be needing those pills."

Carlisle and I exchanged a knowing look.

"Well, we're not going to force you to do something you don't feel comfortable doing."

He was now doing a terrible job masking his concern.

"Carlisle, when Jasper and I met Nahuel in the forest I was freaked out. I understood then I could die if I ever got pregnant. That's what he said happened to his mother. And then during the flight home I thought a lot about it and then I realized, this is a gift. I mean, I'm not ready to have a baby. I just got married and I want to enjoy my alone time with Jasper. I also know that at some point I'm going to have to change sooner rather than later. If there's a chance that I could create life with my husband before I change, why wouldn't I take that chance? Nahuel's mother apparently was left all alone when she was pregnant. Hell, it was 300 years ago and lots of women died in childbirth just having human babies. I have resources these women didn't have."

"Bella, what are you saying?" I asked with dread in my heart.

Secretly, I had been making plans to change her. Now that we knew the risks, I thought she would understand the safest and surest course of action would be for me to change her as soon as possible. I didn't seriously think . . .

"I don't want to take those pills – any pill," Bella said

"Bella, hold on. You're already taking the contraceptives. If you don't want to take the anti-conception pill, fine. It's moot anyway, since you haven't ovulated. But Bella you, I mean we, have so much going on in our life. This isn't the time to have a baby or try to have a baby."

"I'm not saying that I want to jump start the family planning now. I just don't want to slam the door shut. For us there is no perfect time for anything."

"Can we compromise? You're still in high school and you have college to look forward to."

"You know, as much as I look forward to going to college, it's something I can always do at anytime whether I'm a vampire or not. It won't define my experience as a human being."

The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach was worsening.

"But don't you want to finish up school?"

"Jasper, remember when you jokingly said I should just take the high school equivalency test and be done with it? I think I'm going to do just that. Get it over with. If by some miracle I get pregnant in the coming months, I'm sure I will have finished with school by then one way or the other."

Yes, I had mentioned the high school equivalency test – but to get her used to the idea of leaving Forks and transforming. Not this . . .

"But I just got you, Bella. You'd risk your life, us…?"

"Jasper," Bella was now touching my cheek and hugging me. "I don't have a death wish, and I want to spend time with you. We can figure something out, can't we?"

"Bella, Jasper, I don't want to interfere in your decisions on this matter, but could I suggest a compromise?"

We looked at him, wishing he would go away right then.

"Bella, you're tolerating the pill very well so far. I'm going to leave you an extra supply as a back up so you don't have to worry about refilling your prescription. I'll leave the anti-conception pills too. Continue to chart your cycles and use the ovulation kits so you can have some control over how you plan a family - - or don't, he said for my benefit. Either way, you're right. You do have resources. I think I'm going to plan a trip of my own to Patagonia and interview this Nahuel. But I also think Bella is in a much different place from his mother. I have a good feeling about this. And if or when you're finally ready to bring life into this world, you have your family, us, to help you. You won't be alone."

And for the first time it was really dawning on me that I could be a father. I could pass on my genetic legacy onto a whole other being that would be part of me and Bella. Everything before now was just what if's and hypotheticals . This was for real. I was scared. I froze and remained still for a long moment.

"Jasper, are you okay?" Bella asked rubbing my arm and running her fingers through my hair.

I placed my hand intimately over Bella's womb, ignoring Carlisle.

"Bella, nothing and I mean nothing means more to me than you. And as much as I would relish creating life with you, it cannot nor will I allow it to cost you your life. Do you understand?"

How ironic? Were these not similar words I had spoken to Alice when I thought Bella was the threat in the beginning of her relationship with Edward? Would I regret these words as well?

Bella smiled. "Believe in us and our magic. We'll be okay."

.oOo.

New Brunswick, Canada

In a hilly shire town site in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada, Riley , Victoria and Jaime stood where a thriving pulp and paper mill once stood. They were passing Bella's pashmina back and forth between them.

"We need a shock and awe campaign," Riley announced suddenly.

"What?" Victoria and Jaime asked.

"Shock and awe. You know like in the Iraq War."

"What are you talking about?" Victoria quipped with irritation.

Riley smiled.

"It's amazing how much you don't know."

Victoria kissed her teeth and snarled at Riley.

"We need to shake them up a bit. They're getting complacent," Riley said.

"Well, if you would do a better job training the newborns…" Victoria snapped.

"Well, you said you would be able to get some support and back up from your patron."

"Pfff. Patron. I wouldn't go that far," Victoria said, casting a sidelong glance at Jaime.

Riley paced while Victoria modeled some clothes taken from her latest feed.

"Okay, let's give them what they want," Riley said.

"Which is?" Jaime asked.

"Let's just invade the Quileute lands. We've been skirting around the boundaries for months."

"What? Where's your head at, hombre?" Jaime said.

"Yeah, they'll descend upon us and pick us off," Riley said.

"Brilliant." Victoria said snidely.

"Thank you. While they're rounding up the newborns, we'll sneak in and…
"What?" Victoria said.

"Hmmn, you said the clairvoyant gets visions based on decisions… Jaime and I can take care of everything. Don't worry, Victoria."

.oOo.

Volterra, Italy

Marcus sat and watched the asteroid Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of chaos, pass the Earth at a distance of 15 million kilometers (9.3 million miles) on the virtual telescope on the free webcast sponsored by the European Space Agency. The giant rock was what astronomers called the doomsday asteroid. Well, according to the experts, it would not impact the Earth this time around, or in 2029, but the verdict was still out for 2036. How interesting. . .

Humans fret over all sorts of distant doomsday scenarios, Marcus thought. If the Earth were impacted by a massive asteroid, how would the vampires survive without humans or tolerate a severe diminution in the supply of human blood?

The only way to survive living alongside Aro was to make it habit of not thinking – or at least not deeply. If Marcus wanted to have deep thoughts, he developed a kind thought shorthand, a symbolic code, an elaborate metonymy. And then of course there were feelings, which Aro could never touch, didn't want to touch and didn't know how to touch even if he were inclined to try. Now that Marcus had "presented" his report on his findings during his recent trip to America, he could afford to process and refine his thinking.

"The Age of Apophis," Marcus murmured as he continued to study the pictures of the asteroid's transit. With all their quaint scientific accoutrements, the brightest among the humans could not really predict with 100% accuracy whether the giant rock, the asteroid, would really hit the Earth. There was even talk about going out and turning it around in some fashion. "Silly humans," he thought. The vampire world that he had known for millennia was about to be hit by another kind of doomsday scenario in the form of Bella née Swan Whitlock. Or maybe he was the doomsday asteroid.

Marcus thought about what he had said to Irina at the wedding. She did not protect her mate, and her attempt to avenge his death was futile. He had ridiculed her, but he was no better. He left Didyme alone. Yes, she was with her brother Aro, but why did he allow himself to be distracted by Caius? He had spent millennia mourning the loss of Didyme. But he never permitted himself to express the rage he felt at the person responsible for her death. He allowed himself to go blind and hide behind the numbness he had constructed. He didn't want to solve the mystery. But what was it a mystery after all? It was Chelsea's reactions that finally put things in place.

Fire and dance. Didyme loved dancing and celebrating. Chelsea felt very uncomfortable at the wedding because it was filled with celebration. The dancing, she couldn't bear it. It was different from the myriad of festivals so common in Italy and elsewhere throughout Europe. The wedding of Jasper and Bella was a spectacle, but it was full of joy – something that did not really exist at Volterra among the Volturi. But joy and euphoria were the essence of Didyme.

And so it was clear. Aro and Caius set Didyme up with Chelsea's help, and he, Marcus, like Irina, had been powerless to help her, because he was not there to protect her or die valiantly alongside her. Like Irina he was blind to the dangers lurking around Didyme. He was a fool, then. But now no longer.