"Jazzy-beeeeear," his wife called as she skipped down the hall towards their room.
"Hello, my love," Jasper smiled as finished folding the jeans he had removed moments ago.
"Now, when she gets in here stand in the corner by the dresser, that way you get a .02 second advantage to-"
He slammed the chest of drawers shut, silencing the voice just as his wife danced into the room.
"Aw Jazzy," her painted mouth pursed as she whined. "You cracked my vintage dresser!"
Jasper looked down, dismayed to find the deep pink wood had come away in his hands. How had he failed to notice? "I'm sorry my sweet I'll buy ya a new one."
Alice touched her doll like hand to his cheek, understanding colouring her topaz eyes. "You're going to be great today you know, I've seen it. Bella's going to have a great birthday. She's going to pretend to hate her presents but she'll actually love them. Although.." Her girlish voice trailed off as her eyes unfocused, a new decision altering events. "Something is going to have to be done about her clothes."
"Jasper swallowed. I just… I want to show everyone that I'm not weak."
"And you will sweetie. Look how far you've come since…"
Her words wavered. They didn't talk about that time. The time before her, the time caked in blood and sex and war. He loved her for that. Alice didn't judge him. She was willing to forget the horrible things he'd done. Who knows what he'd done to deserve such light in his life. No their relationship wasn't perfect but what relationship was? All those little fractures seemed a fair exchange for all the love she gave him.
"What do you think?" He broke away from her and did a mock twirl so she could appraise his outfit for the evening's event. Alice bit her lip walking around his slim but toned body, nodding slowly.
"Yes, I think I made a good choice. The green really highlights the gold in your eyes and brings a lot of warmth to your skin, very humany." She'd picked something with long sleeves, keeping his scars out of sight. He appreciated that. Much better than the old jeans and worn band shirt he would have picked out, regardless of how comfortable they were.
Alice paused, expectant.
"You look beautiful, as always." She twirled giddily in her puffy little skirt and matching pumps.
"You're so sweet she cooed, reaching up on tippy toes and to kiss him, a chaste soft touch on the lips."
Venom pooled in his mouth and he pulled her tighter, kissed her more deeply. His thoughts drifting back to the previous night when they had made love. In missionary, with his shirt on while he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Not that she had ever asked him to keep his shirt on while they made love per say, but he saw the nervous shadow in her eye if she saw them and he didn't like to upset her. That had been the way it had always been between them and it had never bothered him. If anything Jasper rejoiced at the opportunity to be free from the depraved acts of his previous life, to be with someone who had no interest in leather or collars or whips or-
"Some God of War, They've neutered you, little puppy. Now grasp her twiggy little wrist so she can't pull away and-"
The crunch of tires on gravel outside announced Bella's arrival onto the Cullen property.
"She's hereeeeee!" Alice danced away from him towards the hallway, completely unaware it seemed, of the strain on his face.
"Weak."
It had never bothered him. So why now, what had changed lately that he felt his brain helplessly drawn to thoughts of his wife tied, chained and begging? Why had he lost the ability to find release unless in was in a shower after she had gone shopping to mental images of a faceless women who wasn't Alice suppliant at his feet. And that voice? That snide little whisper that poured disgustingly violent ideas into his head, a leftover from his days as Maria's lap dog, seemed to have gotten louder of late.
"Patience and endurance," that's what his adoptive father had said. "You can't expect to recover from what you went through overnight, son." Although his features had been an even mixture of fatherly concern and confidence, Carlisle could not hide the soft curl of pity that laced his emotions from Jasper.
"Smug little cunt, wouldn't be so fuckin' cocksure if I had thrown him against the wall and-"
He forced the thought down; he'd be good. For her. He refused to let his past exhume itself and destroy everything he'd worked so hard to build. This evening was his opportunity to prove to everyone that he had a right to a place among them. And he was going to fucking do it.
"Hey watch it fucker!" She flipped off the asshole who had tried to cut her off and drove on.
"Bella what the hell?"
"Sorry," she sighed. "I'm a little on edge."
After yet another night of unsatisfying make out sessions which teetered promisingly into dry humping before dramatically crashing down with a "no Bella, we've discussed this" and ending with them taking it in turns to read their assigned English text to each other, a little on edge was an understatement. Usually Edward insisted that he drive but as the trip to the Cullen family mansion was a relatively short one, he acquiesced on this occasion and oh so graciously allowed his adult girlfriend to drive her own car. "Wow, what a champ," she thought sarcastically.
"What's gotten into you, Love?"
What had gotten into her?
Bella had always been frustrated by her boyfriend's apparent lack of sexual appetite but after what had happened in the ballet studio; that glimpse of flames, that voice…
She shook her head. Everything was so blurry, so laced in pain that she couldn't remember exactly has what happened. What she had heard or not heard. All she knew for certain was that ever since then she had wanted more. Not just sex. She wanted to be dominated, to punch, to scream, to rip and tear. It exhilarated her as much as it disturbed her. This newfound lust for violence did not restrain itself to their bedroom activities but manifested in school too. Lauren Mallory had made the mistake only the day after her return to school following the incident of attempting to trip her in the hallway. To the surprise of all present, Bella included, she had grabbed Lauren by the hair and forced her head into a nearby locker. The satisfying patter of Lauren's pretty little teeth hitting her pretty little shoes still sent shivers of pleasure down Bella's spine.
Being the daughter of the Chief of police had its perks and Charlie had managed to smooth over the incident with words like "trauma" and "spotless record". Edward had been just as easy. His sweet little Bella, her fragile human brain was only reacting to the fear that Lauren would hurt her like James had. "Poor Bella. I'll protect you. No need to be afraid." And as much as she loathed to be thought of in that way, it made things easy. After a few days the faculty seemed to have forgotten. Lauren however hadn't and Bella enjoyed the scared expressions and averted eyes she saw as she entered the school. She didn't know what had gotten into her but she liked it.
"Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you."
She spared him a quizzical look before realising he had, predictably, completely misunderstood the reason for her frazzled emotions.
Jasper.
And there it was, that strange burn in her pussy that accompanied every thought of him.
Her boyfriend's brother and her best friend's husband for God's sake. No way in hell did she have any reason to think of him as any more. And yet for some reason she'd felt drawn to him. She wanted to know more about him. And then there were the dreams. The moaning in her sleep she'd managed to pass off to her clueless boyfriend as nightmares following the incident, but in her head she saw him, Jasper pushing her into a wall, hands around her throat. Jasper holding her down, biting her, dominating her, tormenting her. A bizarre little crush that she couldn't fathom the reason for since he'd always seemed to be little more than Alice's little pussy whipped bitch. Maybe it was how he had fought James, ruthlessly tearing him apart, walking away without a scratch. Far cry from the kitten tame Cullen nature. She'd wanted to ask him where he'd learnt to fight like that. But she was Edward's girlfriend. And she loved him. Regardless of how much of as ass he could be.
"Are you sure you don't want to change?" Edward asked as he opened her door. Bella fought back the eye roll that was guaranteed to ruin her day. Usually she didn't mind his Edwardian era chivalry but recently that too had changed. No they would have that conversation later. She didn't want to have to deal with Alice's whining if her party was ruined. "Esme won't mind if you're late and I'm sure Alice has some things she'd let you …"
"What's wrong with how I look?"
He paused, startled. It was a rare occasion that the vampire didn't know what to say but this appeared to be one of them.
"Well it's just that you look …different."
She looked down at the old band t-shirt, combat boots and ripped old jeans she had thrown on. Recently she'd started to outline her eyes with kohl. Bella had never really been a makeup girl but this didn't feel like makeup. It felt like war paint, like she was ready for battle.
"Well I feel comfortable. What is the problem exactly?"
Jasper steeled himself as he walked down the stairs to stand behind his wife. He had over-hunted to prepare for the day but his throat still burned as it always did.
Every time she'd been in this house he'd had to fight to control himself. And not just in terms of his thirst.
"Bend that tight little ass over the banister and-"
"Get a hold of yourself man! Your brother's girl. Your wife's best friend. Your wife Goddammit!" He'd never ever in their entire marriage had thoughts about another women. A human no less. And Bella was nice and all but she was a bit dull, following his smug brother around like a puppy. Although lately…
"First of all, I can wear whatever I want regardless of how ladylike you deem it to be, Edward." He supressed a chuckle as the little vixen's voice rang out from the doorstep.
Lately she'd turned into a little spitfire out of God knows where and it did Jasper's cold dead heart good to see prissy boy put in his place the odd time.
Jasper took a deep, unnecessary breath, the last drop of air unpolluted by Bella's wonderful scent he would have for a while. "Edward's control was superb to be able to curb his bloodlust around her," he thought. "I shouldn't let jealously for my brother's abilities cloud my focus but strive to be like him." These hideous thoughts about Bella, were no doubt a by-product of his recent "trauma resurgence," as Carlisle had dubbed it. After the incident in the ballet studio. It made sense that the hunt and that delectable scent, would bring him back to dark days. Thank God Edward had gotten to her by then, or who knows what he would have done. Jasper shook himself and descended the stairs. Attempting to school his traitorous thoughts before Edward heard them.
"Happy birthday Bella sweetheart," Esme beamed, throwing open the door and enveloping Bella in a warm motherly hug. "The big 18, you're a woman!"
"Happy birthday Bella! I've laid on the clothes you should wear on the chair in my dressing room, Alice chirped."
"Thanks Esme, Alice, no."
"But-"
Alice's oncoming tantrum was cut off by a boom of "Birthday Bellaaaaa", from Emmet as he barrelled through her to give Bella a hug.
"Come on Bells, we're gona get you wasted!"
Esme looked horrified. "Absolutely not Emmet! Carlisle?"
But Emmet only guffawed, pulling a bemused Bella into the house. "Shots, shots, shots!"
"I'm going to steal Eddie for just a teensy moment Mom," her delicate little fingers curled around the sleeve of his jacket as she danced off around the house and into the forest, calling over her shoulder, "very important birthday present things to discuss in private!"
"You can drop in now she's out of earshot. He spat when they had passed the large fallen elm."
Alice pushed him off and straightened her outfit. "How long is this going to go on Edward she said coolly."
"What? See it as an opportunity to test how strong the Suppression is."
Alice rolled her eyes. "If the Suppression's lasted this long its hardly going to break now. The Major is long gone and we have actual problems to deal with. Like how your bullshit is going to screw us over with the Masters."
His answering laugh was incredulous. "My bullshit?"
"Don't pretend this little relationship is anything more than some sick little powerplay, the chance to feel some semblance of power after-"
"And don't you pretend you're enjoying this any less than I am," he snarled, face inches from hers, "a chance to play human and have all the attention on you."
Alice did not back away. "Just fuck her or turn her already."
"So callous sister and I thought you were besties."
"Fun as playing with her may be, her being here is upsetting Jasper. Ever since the ballet studio he's been …different, unsettled. You must have heard it in his thoughts."
Edward paused. "There have been some … blips in his thoughts recently."
"Blips? What sort of blips?"
"Just moments, very rarely, where his thoughts are …quiet."
"And this was something you didn't think to mention?"
"Hey its all well and good for you but if I'm no use to them anymore they'll find another way for me to serve my penance and I quite like this little assignment, it has is perks. Besides, its been decades since he's had an episode."
"All I'm saying is we are on tender hooks as it is, Carlisle has well worn out their generosity after what he did and we really can't give them another excuse to-"
"Alright fine, fine! I'll find an exit plan. I've grown tired of her anyway. Despite my influence she's become course and vulgar, corrupted just like other girls in the modern age." He shook his head sadly. "But tonight why don't we just enjoy your little party."
"That's what you said about the last love of your life. And the one before that, and the one before-" Edward placed a finger over her lips and a brotherly arm around her shoulders, only slightly too tight.
"Ssshhhht, Mom is coming to look for us. And you know how attached she's gotten to this happy family charade."