Jasper snapped, Edward left, Bella moved on, not without difficulty. Wanting to put as much space between her and Washington, she moves to Philadelphia and builds herself a life there. Nine years after that fateful birthday party, Bella runs into the one who started it all. Jasper/Bella AU.

AN: It's weird watching Twilight from a seventeen-year-old perspective and then watching from a twenty-seven-year-old perspective, and I'd like to maybe explore where Bella is at ten years down the road, if she had healed from the breakup, if she had ventured out on her own and lived a messy and wonderful life, before being thrown back in the vampire world. I'd also like to explore how shitty Renee is as a parent and how wonderful Charlie is.

Also, my idea for mating isn't the fanon predetermined mate designed for you, it's more "I choose to be with you because I love you more than air and I want to spend the rest of my existence with you." I think the whole choosing aspect is more romantic, but that's just me. Don't worry, Jasper and Bella will be Mates in this, but I like the idea that you can choose your partner for life.

In my head, I picture Lily James as a more mature Bella, even though I love Kristen. For Jasper, picture Joel Kinnaman in Altered Carbon but with that Rick Flag accent oof, he literally is the perfect Jasper. Alexander Skarsgard is my Peter, Margot Robbie is my Charlotte. But picture anyone you want, idgaf ;)

If you want a song to listen to while reading this, listen to Smells Blood from DEVILMAN crybaby. It'll get ya in the mood.

Enjoy.

I do not own Twilight.

Song of the Chapter – Smells Blood by Kensuke Ushio

Chapter 1

September 13, 2014
Philadelphia, PA

Sweaty bodies grind against each other, the music pumping almost painfully from the speakers in each corner. Men and women, women and women, men and men, any and all between dance together, you can barely fit a piece of paper between bodies. Lips meet, hands roam, tongues intertwine. Bartenders run up and down the bar, grabbing hands reaching for their drinks, two of the dancers, clad in fishnets and lace dance on the poles, dollar bills being tossed toward them as hungry eyes drink in their forms.

Not hungry for what he wants though; he has to swallow another mouthful of venom which does little to ease the burn in his throat. It wouldn't do to massacre every human in this place. While he had fed just last night, the lust pumping from the dance floor is a suffocating blanket, mixed with ecstasy (from drugs), excitement (from the near naked women and men), anger and annoyance (bartenders). He closes his eyes to steady himself, focusing.

Over the years, through reverting back to his original diet, it allowed him to get his thirst under control. However, even the most controlled of them would be tempted in this scenario. The beats of the sweet blood pumping in their veins mixes with the pumping of the bass, creating a delicious symphony. It's practically orgasmic. He's here on business, not pleasure, he must remember that as he looms in a dark corner, red eyes scanning the patrons. From the other side, up on the balcony, Peter is doing the same; though his eyes also flick back to Charlotte, who was doing up close recon. She looks like any other patron having a good time, dressed in a short black dress as she dances her way through the crowd. She tosses her blonde curls back and swings her hips to the beat, teasing Peter, who licks his lips with a feral grin.

Roux Nightclub is the most popular club in Philadelphia and, unknown to the human patrons, is owned by a Vampire. Juliette had called him here, seeking his services and he wouldn't deny her, not that he had a choice.

No one denied Juliette.

The Volturi had gotten a little more proactive in the last decade. The Three Kings had gotten complacent, and ever since she joined them, they had come to the conclusion that just keeping watch from far away could not work. Vampires were messy, they were careless, they were cocky. Being told of problems on the horizon, they had been immediately convinced to flex their power. They wouldn't bet against their newest cherished member and her coveted gift.

The Continental United States had been divided into territories; a leader being appointed to rule over each one – Juliette governs the Mid-Atlantic Region, the most densely populated region in the United States. With all that responsibility came all the power. Juliette and her Mate, Geralt, were very old and very powerful, and (most importantly), in Aro's good graces. That fact alone made them dangerous. When they called, you listened.

So, when they called, Jasper listened.

Someone was doing something very stupid and very dangerous; they were attempting to assemble an Army. Some more rogue Vampires grew very agitated with the new laws and government instated by the Volturi. They did not like that now they had to be more careful, instead of relying on the Volturi to clean up any messes. Any rebellions were seen before they could even start and handled quickly, no muss, no fuss. There hadn't been talk of any insurrection in the past eight or so years.

Jasper, having experience with Vampire Armies, along with his brother-in-all-but-blood, had been tasked to handle this case. He's sure Aro had seen it all in her mind, all of the stories he told her, all of the horrors he had seen and participated in, all of it. Being Maria's puppet, bending to her will, treating her like God. Of course, Jasper would be the perfect one to handle a growing Army, stomping it out at the source. He had helped create many a successful Army in the past, winning territory for Maria. Mi amor, she would purr to him, petting him like a prized dog.

The Vampire trying to assemble the Army already has about five, maybe six newborns ravaging the streets of Philadelphia at night, taking humans from this Nightclub as they leave. That wouldn't do. Too many missing person's reports draws attention, attention draws police, police ask questions, questions lead to deaths, deaths lead to cover up. It was all an unnecessary headache for the Volturi, it needed to be dealt with. Promptly.

Alice had been able to give Juliette, who was able to give them, a full description of the Vampire, named Nathan. Curly brown hair, stocky, and would be here at Roux Nightclub at exactly 12:57AM. Glancing to his watch, he sees that it's three minutes till showtime.

What the hell?

Jasper whips his head to the right, searching. The air conditioning turned on, blowing a scent to him. Very familiar, yet not. It smells as if it matured and evolved, but still had that same tinge. Still fruity and floral, but something else...

No, it's not possible. It's been nine years, no way she would be at this club in Philadelphia, all the way across the country from where they had left her last. Through the years, he had fleeting thoughts about her, what had become of her, was she still alive, did she hate him...

Last time they had seen each other, he had been trying to feed on her, eyes black and venom dripping down his chin. Just as that drop of blood hit the floor, every single vampire in that room's hunger punched him in the face. It was Edward that had sent him over the edge – la tua cantante, the words mock him. He lost control and tried to attack her, the memory of her being pushed makes him wince as even more of her blood filled the air, even more hunger, he could feel all of it.

Venom floods his mouth at the memory of her blood. Delectable and sweet, not unlike the girl herself. Always shy and lacking any and all self-preservation. He had told her that she was worth it, mainly to comfort her, but after she had faced James by herself, to save her mother no less, she had been. He didn't know what had become of her in the past years, Edward having forbid everyone from keeping contact with her.

After that, the Coven had fallen apart, almost like the girl was the glue keeping an already fragile bond together. He and Alice had separated, which had been a long time coming as their mating had been more out of companionship. Rosalie and Emmett had taken a fifth honeymoon, deciding to just be on their own. Edward went off on his own. It had all taken one night to break a Coven that had taken a hundred years to build. What a waste.

Shaking his head, he clears his thoughts and focuses back on the task at hand when he sees that it's showtime. Ah, there he is. Nathan. Just as described - short and stocky, brown curls on his head, hungry eyes scanning the club.

Jasper discreetly motions to Peter, who catches Charlotte's attention. Peter starts moving to cross the Club, Charlotte doing the same but having a little more difficulty since she was in the throes of the grinding crowd. The DJ changes the song, playing a popular hit which causes the crowd to scream in delight and start jumping around. Jasper is already moving to Nathan, who has seemingly selected his victim for the night, approaching her. His emotional signature is plastered all over his face, he is hungry and he is horny.

His chosen victim is standing by a secluded corner table, her back toward an also approaching Jasper, but he can see a mixed drink in her hand and her cellphone in the other. She's of average height with wavy brown hair, dressed a little more casual for this type of club - black tank top that allows the tattooed sleeve on her right arm to be displayed. Her, admittedly nicely shaped, legs were adorned in tight distressed jeans with black boots on her feet. She's busy typing away on her cellphone and doesn't even look up as Nathan approaches.

"I'm not interested."

Her voice stops him in his tracks. Even over the loud pumping bass, he can hear it as clear as a bell. It's not exactly the same, it has a deeper, more mature, cadence to it. It's been nine years, he reminds himself. His brain goes into overdrive. The voice, the scent from earlier. It can't be anyone but...

"Bella," Nathan reads from her text messages, grinning a sly grin at her. His eyes are black with hunger, move faster, "Beautiful. It's a fitting name."

"I'm. Not. Interested," she repeats, lifting her head to finally look at Nathan who smirks in anticipation of her reaction to him.

"Aw, don't be like that, Bella, I could show you a good time."

"Unless you want me to scream Vampire," the girl hisses, low enough that only Nathan - and unbeknownst to her Jasper - could hear. "Then I suggest you back off. I'm not your meal tonight, go find someone else."

The Vampire isn't deterred by this. Instead, he grins, brushing his fingers down to her delicate throat. It's a tease, like holding razor to tissue paper. Urgent now, Jasper moves faster, shoving a drunk to the side and ignoring his yell of protest. "I could snap your neck before you could even get enough breath to scream."

Jasper finally reaches them as he finishes his statement, standing directly behind Bella. Up close, her familiar scent is so potent, it brings back memories. Some good, some not. It doesn't matter, Jasper vowed that he will protect her from this Vampire - he would have done so for any innocent human, but especially for her. She had meant a lot to Alice in the past, and that was enough for him. Didn't he owe her? He had given her the worst birthday gift imaginable, almost being drained and killed.

Nathan's eyes flicker up to Jasper, doing a double take and then, oh there it is, recognition. Not of Jasper, they had never met before, but recognition of a dangerous vampire. The scars that littered Jasper's body were essentially tattoos themselves to other Vampires reading DANGEROUS VAMPIRE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Bella turns around to see what caught the Vampire's attention and Jasper feels her shock before it even hits her face, though he notes to his pleasure that there is no fear as she studies him. Jasper allows himself to take in her appearance and notes that time has done her very well, trimming some of that baby pudge from her face to allow full view of her gorgeous bone structure. Her skin, ever so pale, is clear of any blemish and flushed from the heat of the club. Straight eyebrows were raised slightly in surprise, which drew his attention to her eyes. Still those wide brown doe eyes, though she has lined them with black eyeliner smudged to give a smoky look. Her lips, adorned with a pink gloss are still the same, the top one just a hair fuller than the bottom.

His eyes trail lower to her body, the tattoos on her arms catching his immediate attention. She has completely covered up James' bitemark, her entire right arm covered in – what he can now see – a snake slithering out of Magnolias, coiling all the way up to her shoulder. He'll have to ask about that later.

Bella gets her face under control, meeting his gaze with and radiating confidence. That's new, Jasper inwardly chuckles, is this truly the same clumsy stuttering love-sick human?

"Jasper."

He inclines his head, "Bella."

It has been nine years. Bella has grown from a cute and clumsy young girl to a gorgeous and composed woman. Her emotions still don't show any fear, she's not scared of him, she's not even scared of Nathan. Jasper admires this, very much so, but there is a task at hand.

A heavy hand comes down on Nathan's shoulder, who had tried to slip away during the reunion.

"You know, a little birdy told me, that you've been a bad, bad boy," Peter teases, shit eating smirk on his face as he tightens the grip on Nathan's shoulder, not letting him move an inch. "Have you been a bad boy, Nathan?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Nathan spits, "I was just looking for a meal."

"Oh, I'm not talking about that," Peter waves off, "Though I would be rather angry if you had laid your hands on the Little Miss here."

"'Little'?" Bella mutters, causing Jasper to smile just as Charlotte finally approaches them, taking in the scene. She looks over to Bella and gives her a beaming Charlotte smile. Bella returns it with a small one of her own.

"No, no, I'm talking about that little group of newborns you're pulling together-" Nathan's eyes widen at Peter's words, panic pinning him to his spot. "Oh, you thought you were so careful, didn't you?"

Jasper feels the desperation grow in him, his red eyes dark around, looking for an out. His eyes land on Bella, he feels a flicker of determination, hoping to wiggle loose and use her as a distraction, maybe slicing her open, nice and quick, leaving her vulnerable to the Vampires to be fed on while he slinks away. However, Nathan doesn't know Jasper can feel the thoughts coming from him, pulling his eyes from Bella.

"I'll remove your head before you could even get the breath to scream," Jasper growls, using his own words against him. He stalks up to the shorter man, towering over him. He feels the fear from Nathan, the compliance, the surrender. Jasper smiles, "Good dog."

Glancing up, he sees Juliette standing with Geralt, who nods in appreciation to him.

"Come on, let's go have a chat," Peter slings a heavy arm across Nathan's shoulders and leads him away, Charlotte following. Bella's still staring at him, frown on her face, emotions flickering back and forth between curiosity and uncertainty. Hell, he's curious about her life himself.

Jasper decides to break the silence first, "Do you live around here?"

Bella's emotions still flicker, and he briefly wonders if the uncertainty won out. If it did, he would leave her alone, for good. He feels the interest growing, though, and it wins out when she finally nods. "I have an apartment on Jefferson. Unit 3A. I'm sure you can...track me," the last words were whispered as she glances around, unneeded. The DJ had just switched the song to another popular hit, the crowd getting rowdier.

"I'll be there in two hours."

Jasper knows that Juliette and Geralt have started questioning Nathan and if he wasn't spilling his guts, he would be very soon when Henry got a hold of him – Juliette and Geralt's personal guard. Even Jasper himself was hesitant to cross that twisted Vampire. Henry was turned in the Middle Ages, having been a noted torturer for the noble Knights. He had perfected ways to torture Vampires that would put even Jane to shame.

Jasper then sees Charlotte, standing discreetly a little ways away. "They've already sent a team out to round up the newborns. I'll trail her just in case." Jasper sends his thanks to Charlotte, before Bella's flicker of annoyance brings his attention back to her.

"Knock on the door," Bella narrows her eyes at him, her arms crossing. He sees the outline of muscle in her shoulders, highlighted by the tattoos on her arms. He's finding it harder and harder to believe that this is Bella Swan. "If you sneak in through my window, I'll have a lighter and a can of hairspray waiting for you."

Jasper laughs, remembering how his brother would sneak in through her window to watch her sleep. He had raised some concerns to Carlisle and Esme, though they had written it off as Edward trying to acclimate himself to her scent. That had been a subject of many a hunting trips with Emmett, talking about how weird it was.

Jasper nods, placing a hand over his heart. "Front door, got it."

"Thank you," Bella whispers, gratitude to him filling her emotions. Thank you, for saving me. Jasper could laugh at the irony. Just nine years ago, he had tried to kill her. Now, he had saved her, from someone who was trying to do the very same thing. Ain't life funny, sometimes?

Not one for theatrics, Jasper nods. "You're welcome."

Bella then grabs the drink she had put down and downs it, before grabbing her leather jacket and passing him to the exit. Jasper turns to watch her go, "Bella?"

She turns to look at him, eyebrow raised in question. He just grins, "Happy Birthday."

She rolls her eyes at him, though he feels the mirth rising in her. She turns to leave, giving a polite little farewell over her shoulder, "Fuck off."

AN: Expect the next chapter up Monday. Thanks for reading.