Freedom of Choice 4
The emotions at the Cullen's house were stressed. Everyone was sitting around, staring. The fallout of Esme's declaration was palpable.
When Alice finally came back from the woods, she tried to apologize to Esme.
"OH, OK, you have a point. I'm sorry that you feel that I'm being childish. I'll try to act better for you Esme."
It was her attitude, her carefree aura of it all.
It was all Esme could do to not grab her by her hair and slap the ever loving shit out of her. "If you think that your little apology is going to make up for the years of emotional blackmail, you have a lot of disappointment coming. Jasper, she's your wife, but I'm cutting her off from the Cullen funds." Esme was radiating with confidence, and anger.
Carlisle was flabbergasted. How could I have missed what Alice was doing? Looking over at his family. He realized that he only trusted what Edward and Alice said, almost like he valued their opinion over the others. Something in his soul knew that things would be changing, they were necessary, his family became stagnant. Her whining is what brought him out of his internal musings. He was finally truly looking over at her,
With a deep resonating voice, "Enough! I do not know what you are playing at Alice, but it's enough. We are not under your control, we are going to sit down and have a real family meeting. All opinions are going to be considered."
Edward was uncomfortable, between he and Alice, they have been able to carefully maneuver the family as they saw fit. While he wasn't privy to her reasons, they both seemed to have the same goal. Control. His greatest show of it was keeping his singer under his control and power. With this new attitude from Esme and Carlisle, things could get out of control. As long as what was happening with Alice didn't affect his control on his life. He honestly wouldn't help her. Losing control, well; that was something that he couldn't stand, not being in control. Staring at Alice, she was the reason for this. All she had to do was keep the Major happy, not be an utter bitch, and he would have remained clueless. It was embarrassing honestly, that because her mate died before they met, she couldn't be alone. Absolutely pathetic. At least that wasn't his story, keeping his singer alive, and near him, proved that he was superior to all the vampires that he's ever met. Bella is a good tool for his control.
The family sat around the couch, looking around at each other. The shift was being felt.
Jasper was the one who felt ridgid. His view on his wife has drastically changed. He knew somewhere he still cared deeply, but seeing her real colors made him feel like he was missing something important.
Perhaps this is what Peter was talking about all those years ago. That while Alice was a good thing at the time, she wasn't always going to be a good thing. Of course he didn't understand what he meant, but now it was starting to make sense. As he focused on the family, he could sense each one of their emotions, Alice; her feelings were disbelief, fear, and deception. Edward; self-centered, loathing, control. Esme; determination, love. Carlisle; acceptance, love. Rosalie; suspicion, love. Emmett, concern, love. Peter; understanding, anger, love. Charlotte; anger, relief, love. That was the underlying emotion for the others, LOVE. Neither Edward nor Alice were feeling any sort of love.
Rosalie was surprised never in her life would have imagined that this conversation was actually happening. She took the opportunity to speak first. "I'm done with playing Alice's and Edward's games. Alice is always telling us where to go, how to dress. Has anyone actually looked around this small town, our jeans cost more than some of these people's cars. I love high fashion, but we do not blend in."
Edward took his eyes off the forest. "Don't bring me into this Rose, I'm not responsible for what Alice does!" he snarked.
Everyone looked over at him. "Oh that's right Eddie boy, you don't do anything. Except for us to leave behind the one person that loved us unconditionally." Emmett fumed.
Carlisle stood up quickly, he needed to keep the focus on one problem at a time. "Emmett I hear you, OK, I do. But right now we need to focus on this problem first."
Emmett nodded. Openly glaring at Edward. There was no doubt in Emmett's mind that he would eventually turn this towards Edward.
Esme nodded in agreement. One problem at the time. "Carlisle is right, we will deal with that issue at another time. However, Amelia did say to me earlier when we dropped off the old clothes, she literally said that I was dropping off $50,000 of clothes that don't fit in with our current location. It is what started me thinking, and honestly when Alice came home and saw how she was acting, I could no longer stand it."
Carlisle reached over to Esme and gently squeezed her shoulder. "I think that we are all having the same feeling. That we were led to believe we should be doing one thing, but for an ulterior purpose."
Alice was feeling the pressure, everything was starting to unravel. It wasn't like she did anything too bad, she just didn't want to be alone, and Jasper didn't have a mate, she was sure, she's never had a vision about it. But moving, the clothes, well they were trying to blend in with humans, and human's love fashion. Looking around even at her husband, she could tell that they were not going to be swayed any longer. She had to get her and Jasper away before the truth came out.
"I can not believe you all. I have done nothing but keep our futures safe. Of course we blend in Rose, humans love fashion, you have no idea what you're talking about. I have seen that we would be happy here, but if you people don't want my help in your looks or how to look human, then we are leaving." she stated. Looking at Jasper. "We're leaving Jazzy, we don't need this family any more. I"ll make sure you don't slip up."
Turning on her heels, she expected Jasper to fall in line. To her surprise and horror he didn't move.
"No." It was all he said. He stood firm, he knew deep in his soul that there was more going on here. His desire to know the truth was all consuming.
Alice didn't expect this, she didn't even see the outcome, over the last week, it was like her vision of Jasper had started to become like static.
With a whine in her voice, "Jazzy, you're my husband and mate, you have to come with me?!" she cried.
He felt her deceit. It enraged him. What was she lying about? The beast in the back of his mind roared for the truth. Never in his undead life did he feel the need to turn his gift on Alice, but he couldn't stop himself. Sending her fear, he glared at the small vampire crumpled on the floor.
"It's time for the TRUTH MARY ALICE, tell me what are you hiding!?" he growled out. Keeping her filled with heavy doses of fear and compliance.
Trying to shake off his gift, Alice found it nearly impossible. She clamped her mouth shut, she wouldn't dare answer.
Carlisle couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Jasper, son, you can't do this to your mate, you need to stop." He made a move towards Jasper, but it was Charlotte that stopped him.
"I wouldn't do that doc, he's on the verge of releasing the major, he could hurt ya sug." Charlotte eased the doctor back towards his mate.
Charlotte knew what was coming, it was what she and Peter have dreamed of for decades, their brother, leader, sire was about to learn the lies that Pixie bitch had been feeding him.
Jasper nodded at Charlotte, she knew that Jasper was not playing around anymore, it was time that his dear wife learned who Major Jasper Whitlock was.
He turned his eyes towards his Captain, he saw that Peter was watching with rapt attention. The pieces clicked together, all those times that Peter and Char told him that Alice wasn't right for him, they tried to warn him, but he was so blinded by her emotions that's all he could feel. It wasn't her love of him that he was feeling, it was the love of herself. With the last piece of the puzzle in place, his mind snapped. Surging forward from his cage, the MAJOR took over, it was high time that his little wife knew all of him.
Char and Peter knew instantly when the change happened, they looked over at the other's, they made a motion to them to take a step back.
It feels so good. We need to work together more often Jasper. If we did this wouldn't have happened to us. We'll discuss this later, for now, let's get answers.
The Major focused his attention back on the petrified vampire in front of him. "Oh, little Alice, you've played with the wrong man." he drawed. Taking an inventory of her fear, he sent her a dose of despair, "Tell me da truth lil girl, am I your Mate?" He knew the answer, he felt it in his bones, he wanted to hear to speak the truth.
The emotions that he could feel rolling off of Alice were defeat, acceptance, and fear. So much fear. His inner beast was enjoying this, it has been so long since they were on the same page, it was about time. Hearing her whimper made his body tingle with pleasure. He sent her another wave of pain. "ANSWER ME," he said demandingly.
Cringing in fear, she felt the waves of fear that he was sending her. She knew that he wouldn't let up. All her planning, for nothing. "NO! NO! Please, stop, please."
Everyone in the room held their breath, each one wanting to rip her apart, but by the look that Peter and Charlotte stopped the rest of the Cullens.
In a deadly calm voice, "You lied to me for decades, Mary Alice. Answer me this and I may let you live. Have you kept me from my real mate?" Making sure that he sent her another wave of compliance and despair.
As her body trembled in fear, Alice tried to look to the future around her pain and fear. All she got was empty static. Nothing was coming in. It intensified her feeling of loneliness. With no other options, "I never saw your mate… anytime I looked into the future for her, but it never came through. I swear." she whispered. If her body was able to shed tears she would have.
He felt the truth in her statement, but it was time that the Cullens learned how he worked. Sharing a look at his Captain and Lieutenant they moved simultaneously and grabbed Alice by her arms.
Jasper slowly made his way towards her, she was his prey. "It's time that you learned Alice, you will learn what happens when you lie to me." He could smell her fear, it was seeping out of her like beads of sweat. Gently touching her cheek, "Oh little Alice, I'm not going to kill you. Yet." He paused for dramatic effect. When he felt a small tingle of relief, that's when he grabbed her by the head and pulled her eyes out.
The screaming coming from Alice made all the Cullens wince in pain. Even Emmett turned his head away from the scene in front of them.
Edward would have pissed himself if it was possible.
Alice was wailing, "Please, STOP, STOP! I'll do anything to make it STOP!"
A dark chuckle filled the room, "I know darlin' I know. This is your punishment, you will never see the world outside of your visions, you will forever be denied the fashion you loved so much. You will only speak if you have valuable information to share, if you ever lie again, Alice, look into the future, I'll kill you, slowly and painfully." Raising his eyes to the Captain, "Put her in her room, remove anything other than the basics, all her clothes are to be tossed out, she can have t-shirts, jeans, only 5 pairs, and 2 pairs of sneakers." Looking towards the other Cullens, "You will not interfere with this, I am the offended party here, I am allowed to dole out her punishment." He looked down at the fallen vampire in front of him, smiling, it felt great to be free. Still holding her eyes, he chucked them into fire.
The Cullen's were frozen, in their entire existence they have never experienced such brutality. Their only true experience with anything like this was the nomad James when he attacked Bella, a result that ended his undead life.
The inner beast inside Jasper was at peace. As he looked around at the Cullens, he could feel their uneasiness, normally it would have made him feel bad, but after what happened with Alice, he couldn't risk being so taken advantage of again. Feeling both parts of him he knew he needed to merge the personalities. Wanting to keep both his sensitive and his military training together. That was exactly what kept Alice in control of him, she kept his true nature buried under. She would use her own love for herself to keep subdued.
He needed to go hunt, a part of him wanted to run to Seattle and feed off a person, however, he wanted to make sure that if he did go back to a natural diet, it would be because he was choosing it himself not as a reaction to feeling oppressed. As he took off towards the woods, he could hear in the distance a truck was coming up the drive. Smiling at the thought of seeing Amelia with fresh eyes, not blinded eyes. Licking his lips, the anticipation was intoxicating.