AN: I'm amazed at how dedicated y'all are towards this story. I want to thank you for your reviews, reading them gives me the energy I need to keep posting.
As always, I do not own Twilight.
It seemed like every time she got used to how weird her life was, something else came out of nowhere to throw her for a loop again.
"You know it's very unusual for a human to present powers before they are changed." A vampire Bella didn't recognize spoke up as she was eating some chips.
"You don't say." She drawled around her mouthful of chips. The vampire continued as if he didn't hear her.
"I believe the last time anything like this was recorded it was the Witch Twins was it not?"
"I'm still creeped out by those kids," Garrett said from his spot leaning against the wall. "If it wasn't for Aro's leash on them I'm sure they would wreak terror wherever they went."
Aro.
Volturi.
Alright, at least now she had a general idea of what they were talking about. She glanced at Jasper over her shoulder, seeing that he was still engrossed in conversation with Peter and Charlotte.
Apparently while she was taking her twenty-four hour nap, Peter and Charlotte had been methodically putting the not so newborns back together one by one just to restrain and interrogate them for information.
So far all of their assumptions had been correct. Nearly all of them claimed that they had been made by Carlisle Cullen, with only a few outliers saying they were found almost directly after their change. Most likely changed by Cullen, just unknowingly.
All of them only remember interacting with Carlisle, yet they don't know where they were being kept before they broke free and ran to Seattle.
All in all, it sounded like a bunch of information they already knew.
Bella found herself somewhat disappointed by that. She also was dreadfully curious to know what would happen to the newborns; she couldn't help but feel like they had been manipulated and uninformed and that's what led them to their poor choices.
But, they had also come dangerously close to breaking what she now knew was vampire law and there were consequences that couldn't be avoided.
"Jasper?"
He was at her side in a second, looking down at her with newly bright red eyes. Originally, he was reluctant to leave her side to feed, but it was clear to everyone present that he needed to. Eventually Garrett of all people had solved the problem, showing up at the door with a passed out man which he practically shoved Jasper's direction.
She tried not to think about what happened after that.
"What are we going to do about the newborns?"
He smirked a little at her use of 'we', but seemed almost proud that she used it.
"That's what we're discussing now, kitt'n." Jasper frowned a little, and Bella instinctively reached out to place her hand on his cheek. "Char is advocating for a case to case basis, doesn't feel right takin' all them out just 'cause they were stupid."
Bella nodded, both in agreement and for Jasper to continue.
"I'm considerin' listenin' to her, but such a large group, well, can't just ignore it."
"I think…" She paused, realizing suddenly that everyone was actively listening in to their conversation. "I think they aren't truly at fault for the situation. They were created in a large group, only knew that life, and banded together when they escaped. Probably both for comfort and for safety."
She took a deep breath, still getting used to having her opinion listened to and actually matter.
"I say we inform them of the laws, make it clear about how close they were to breaking them. Any who push back, or seem as though they will be careless, we take care of. That way it is their own choices that lead them to their demise, no one else's."
Jasper smiled at her, and she felt the strange sensation that he was trying to send a wave of pride her way. She remained unaffected by the emotion, instead only feeling the slightest hint of it touch her. Before she could comment it on it however, Peter spoke up.
"Seems like a fair compromise, Major." He winked at her when she turned to look at him. "And I ain't just saying that because it didn't come from your ugly mug."
A crash as the cup that Bella knew was hers smashed into the side of Peter's face, water soaking his hair and the collar of his shirt. As he sputtered Bella looked back at Jasper who seemed utterly unrepentant.
"It's a solid plan kitt'n, even if it brings us the complication of keeping them all together at once." He scanned the room, as if assessing everyone present. "Should be doable, now that we got the upper hand."
"Even with all the powers? Seems risky, I'm not sure we could handle all of-"
Bella watched as every single vampire in the room slouched in unison, the expressions on their faces a mixture of sleepy and content. She looked at Jasper just to see him looking right back at her, a sharp quizzical look in his eyes. He turned away to look back at the nearly doped up vampires before him, raising a single eyebrow.
"You were sayin'?" He drawled, slow and easy, as one by one the vampires seemed to snap back to themselves.
The vampire who had spoken, the same man who seemed so fascinated by Bella being a shield, looked sheepish.
"My apologies, Major."
"Shit man, I don't know if I've been that high since the seventies!" Emmett's voice boomed across the room with a silly grin across his face. "Remember Rosie, hot-boxing with those girls in the orange van?"
Rosalie shook her head a soft smile in place. "Of course I remember."
"I'm not surprised, the first time I got high I thought the Major was playing a prank on me. It was so similar." Bella shook her head at Peter's words before she turned back to look at Jasper.
He was staring straight at her.
"We'll handle the newborns tomorrow." He didn't look away from her face as he spoke to the room. "For now, everybody out."
She didn't even have to look up to know they listened to him, the sudden silence was enough.
She felt flushed with his full attention on her like that, and she was suddenly reminded about how long it had been since they kissed.
Deliberately, he slowed down his motions as he caged her in against the couch. Her throat suddenly felt dry as she watched the smooth play of the muscles in his arms. She swallowed weakly and watched him watch the motion, eyes darkening.
"Bella." Her name on his lips was a sin in and of itself, and when spoken with a dark purr she almost felt overwhelmed.
"Jasper." She parrotted back, mostly so she could see that grin she loved so much spread across his face.
"Such sass on you girl, you're lucky that I like it so much from ya."
She could feel the blush spreading across her cheeks, but she was adamant to ignore it. Jasper made that harder to do when he leaned in, trailing his lips across her cheek before he nosed in by her ear. She felt him take a deep breath and clenched her hands against the scratchy upholstery fabric of the couch.
"I saw that little trick ya did, kitt'n. How I can't seem to touch ya with my emotional cocktails anymore." She went to respond but was cut off when Jasper gave a gentle nip to her ear lobe. She took in a shocked breath. "Ah ah kitt'n, now I ain't done talkin' yet, so let me finish."
They could probably power a small country with the heat coming off of Bella in that moment, she thought.
She felt so flushed, and she pressed her thighs tightly together in hopes that it would help. She felt and heard the soft chuckle Jasper gave her in response.
"Now, don't be doin' that now. I can still feel ya, kitt'n," He took in another deep breath. "And ya feel an' smell delicious."
A moan escaped her at that and Bella almost felt embarrassed.
But no, this was Jasper, Her Jasper; there was no need to feel any sort of embarrassed around him. Not now.
"Jasper…" God, was that her voice? It sounded more like a shaky whine than anything she was used to.
His lips on her skin, trailing down her neck, and oh, oh she felt like she was burning. Unable to help herself her hands flew up to clutch at his shoulders, her hips tilted upwards.
"Easy kitt'n, easy." He was pulling away from her, oh god, why was he pulling away.
When she caught sight of his face she saw that his eyes were pitch black, and he had a teasing little smirk on his face.
"I got cha, kitt'n. Let's just move this where you'll be a bit more comfortable."
A blink and she was in his arms, another blink and she was laid out on the bed with Jasper trailing kisses down her neck.
Oh how she loved vampire speed.
"I wanna try something," He whispered against her flushed skin. "Something we haven't done before."
His palm skimmed the front of her chest as he spoke, and Bella arched up into the feeling.
"Bella-" He went to put some distance between them but she clutched tightly at his shoulder, trying futility to pull him back in.
"Anything Jasper," She cut him off, voice wrecked. "I'll try anything with you."
A noise she could only describe as a growl, and he was upon her, his lips devouring her lips.
His tongue dipped in, turning the kiss messy and decadent. She felt like she was drowning, and just as she worried she would run out of air, Jasper pulled back.
"Take it back," He whispered, lips brushing hers as she took in deep gasps of air. "If you aren't certain, if ya have any doubt at all, kitt'n, take it back."
She brought her hands to his face, cradling it in her grasp. Gently she tilted his head up so he would meet her eyes.
"Jasper, I almost lost you." She shushed him with a finger when it looked like he would interrupt. He nipped it which made her smile, but he kept quiet. "I know I didn't, not in the end, but that moment...right before? That devastated me."
She leaned in for a kiss, a soft one, just a brush of lips truly.
"I want everything with you," She whispered, "No hesitation."
AN: I know, I know, y'all hate me for ending it there. But we all have been waiting for a hot moment for this next part, and I feel that Jasper and Bella deserve to have a whole chapter dedicated to their moment. I promise, Chapter Thirty-Six will be worth it.
Until next time, enjoy.
