Amanda POV
"Easy there sweetheart." I hear Charlotte say as she makes her way towards me, hands raised in a nonthreatening manner. "It's alright. I ain't gonna hurt ya."
My voice is thick with emotion as I reply "I know" and plop myself back down on the ground.
Charlotte takes one look at me and motions to my arm, "Where's the rest of ya?"
"No idea." I reply back shrugging weakly.
"Alright then," she says grabbing me and lifting me to my feet, "we'll help ya. Come on."
"Thanks Char." She just gives me a small smile before wrapping herself around me so I can lean on her as we move.
Char helps me back to where I see Peter and Sam helping Bella put her leg back on. I give a small nod of acknowledgement in her direction, and she gives me a sad smile in return. Just before Char sets me down though, I manage to make my way over to Bella and drop Victoria's head right in her lap. Bella looks up at me quizzically and I say simply "Her life was not mine to take." and I walk back to Char who seems to be looking for the pieces of my missing arm.
"Sit, sit, sit." She says pointing to a tree root that seems fairly flat. I sit without hesitation and lean back against the tree, closing my eyes for the moment just to relax. Not for the first time do I wish that I could sleep. Unconsciousness would be exactly what the doctor ordered right about now, just so I can give myself the time to process the past two days.
With Peter assisting Bella, Sam wanders over to me and plops down right beside me with a wolfy huff. "How did things go in the clearin'?" I ask. "Is your pack ok?"
He can't answer me like this, but wags his tail once to let me know everything's fine. I'm sure there were some injuries on our side, but if Sam seems more concerned about what is going on here than in the clearing, I know everyone's doing better than we currently are.
I close my eyes again and just allow myself to rest, but before I get too comfortable, I hear "Found it Amanda!" from a very cheerful Char. I open my eyes and see that she is proudly cradling my forearm and upper arm and happily waving my own hand back at me from about twenty yards out.
"Do ya need help puttin' 'em back on?" she asks walking back up to me.
"Please?" I nearly beg. "I can't reach the shoulder joint and I've never been able to lick my elbow." I quip trying to lighten the mood. Char just rolls her eyes and licks the joint of my shoulder and the joint at my arm before placing both back together and holding it as they fuse.
This is always the worst part of being dismembered for me. It isn't the actual removal of the limb, but the replacement of it. The burn lasts longer because the likelihood that your own venom is being used to fuse the pieces is slim to none and the addition of another's venom is usually what leaves severe scarring. Plus, the pain is that much worse if the bones and muscles aren't lined up properly.
Char and I manage to get my limbs reattached, but they aren't quite done fusing before I hear footsteps in the woods. It sounds like someone running, maybe to find out where we all went. I can't really blame them, I too would be worried if five members of my team went missing. Someone was bound to notice eventually.
"Amanda?!" I hear shouted in my general direction.
"Bella?!" accompanies it milliseconds after.
"Over here Major!" Peter returns back and not ten seconds go by before I see Jasper and Edward enter the warzone. I see the shock on both of their faces as they take in the scene before them. Bella is being crowded by Peter, making sure that her leg stays on as it heals; Sam and Charlotte are with me as I rest and repair my arm. Both of us look like we've been through hell and have dirt and venom everywhere. And in the middle of it all lies Victoria's head, right on Bella's lap.
"They need to feed" I hear from Jasper as he takes in the situation. I'm not sure if saying it out loud was more for his own benefit, Edward's, or the rest of us. He looks at Edward expecting him to start running back into the forest, but Edward doesn't move. "Edward" Jasper demands, gently gaining his brother's attention as he steps in front of the younger vampire, "that's the only thing that will help 'em heal now."
Jasper solemnly looks at me before running to go find fresh blood for me. The love and worry that he sends my way are still present after he leaves and I know he's going to give me an earful when he gets back. I'm surprisingly looking forward to it.
Edward on the other hand, can't seem to take his eyes off of an incredibly weak Bella. "Edward!" Peter demands as Edward looks over to him kind of dazed. "Go get your mate something to drink!"
This time Edward doesn't hesitate before leaving the area and going after something for Bella. He isn't gone long before bringing back a deer for her to drink from. As he places it in front of her, she latches onto its neck and begins to drink. Peter goes up to him and, being sure to keep a safe distance, informs him that one won't be enough. So, off Edward goes to get something else for Bella too.
I begin to worry a little when Jasper is gone for so long, but Peter and Char both assure me that he will be back. Char tells me that she isn't worried about him, but instead is worried about the state she'll find the forest in once her and Peter leave to clean up whatever mess Jasper has made in his anger. Not at me, but at the fact he wasn't here to save me the pain of dismemberment. I have to give him credit, the sentiment is sweet, though unnecessary.
It isn't too much longer before I hear footsteps in the woods again and Peter rouses Sam and asks him to go be with his pack for the time being. Peter and Char take the opportunity to leave the area that we've made camp in, but not before telling me that they'll be back when the Major has had a little bit to calm down.
Initially, I'm confused by this behavior, but upon laying eyes on Jasper, who not only has the look of a man that is clearly not to be messed with right now, but also has a fully grown black bear and a mountain lion in his grip, I can't really blame them.
Jasper brings the bear to me first and lays it gently across my lap. He then moves the mountain lion to the side, out of the way, but easily accessible. He doesn't say anything, but he grabs the bear's head and presents the neck of the bear to me. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing, but I get the feeling it would be extremely rude of me to refuse this gift from my Mate. So, I bit the bullet, as it were, and bit the bear.
Initially, a mouthful of fur is all that I'm able to get, but after looking at Jasper with an unhappy glare, he gently rips the fur off the bear and returns the neck to my mouth. This time, when I bite down, I can taste something hot and gamey. It tastes nothing like a human, and is frankly revolting, but I continue to drink anyway. I know that if I stop drinking, two things will happen; one, my mate would be incredibly hurt that I didn't drink what he was able to provide me, and two, my arm wouldn't heal properly. As I continued to drink though, I realized that the taste of the bear wasn't quite as revolting as it had been originally. The blood was hot and quenched my thirst the same way a human would, but this just had a gamey aftertaste that wasn't really all that pleasant.
The bear drained, I looked at Jasper and he had the most curious look on his face, but before I could ask the question, he shoved the mountain lion at me. I knew what I was looking for this time, so I grabbed the neck of the large cat and bit down into it without preamble. No mouth full of fur this time, but the taste was a bit different from the bear and quite a bit different from a human. I assumed that this was going to be something that I would have to get used to. I hated the loss of human blood, but if that loss was what it took for me to live my new life the way I wanted, then I'd take it.
"Thank you." I told Jasper after I had drained the lion. "I feel much better now."
"It's disgustin'. I know." Jasper responds with a small smile.
"I wasn't gonna mention it." I reply.
He laughs a bit, "It's true that human blood would heal ya faster, and I know that we haven't really discussed the diet yet, but-"
I gently place my good hand over his mouth and calm his fears. "The blood was fine once I got past the taste and I appreciate you taking care of me. We can work on the diet a bit later. Ok?"
He nods his head in assent and changes the subject entirely. "Here, let me see." He demands as he places his hand palm up for me to rest my arm in. I place my wrist in his hand and he gently moves my wrist, then my elbow, then my shoulder from side to side and front to back to make sure that the fusing had done its job. "You did a good job puttin' this back on." He says a bit astonished.
"You honestly think this is my first time bein' dismembered?" I ask concerned. "I woke to this life in a newborn Vampire Army. It isn't the first time. Plus Char was a huge help getting everything started for me."
"Alright, that's fair." Jasper says seemingly convinced. He looks over to where Bella is in this little site and sees Edward attending to her. "Edward, finishing Victoria for good is your responsibility."
"No." We hear from a mending Bella. "It's mine, but don't worry. I'll handle it."
Jasper nods at her in acknowledgement and picks me up bridal style in his arms and just starts running. I don't know where we're going, but the only thing on his mind currently seems to be getting me away and honestly, I'm alright wherever we end up.
"How did things go for you in the clearin'?" I ask him hopefully.
"Well, things went alright, I suppose. There was one vamp that got ahold of Carlisle's arm and tore it off, a couple of the wolves had minor injuries, but nothin' that can't be fixed given a few hours."
"Well, I'm glad everyone's alright."
"Funny thing though," Jasper states as we start to slow down and I see we've made it back to the Cullen house, "there was this one vamp that refused to fight. Said she didn't want anythin' to do with the Army or Victoria. Even had Carlisle's arm and told him how to fuse it back."
"Bree?" As far as I could remember, there was only one within Vicky's Army that refused to fight. I seriously hoped Bree was alright.
"How'd you know that?" Jasper asked as he entered the house and headed up the stairs. It was the first time I had really gotten the chance to take a look at the house itself. The last time I was here I was rather busy and the only real room I had the chance to see was Rosalie and Emmett's. It seemed now though that we were headed to a different room entirely.
"She was the only one that others in Victoria's Army refused to fight. She just looked too young."
"Well, that makes sense then." Jasper states as he walks into what looks like an office. This is very obviously his office if what is on the walls gives any clue. There's an authentic Civil War Confederate Major's uniform just hanging off the wall and beside it sits a ceremonial Sword to match.
I can't help staring at the history in front of me. With my eldest son being so fascinated with the Civil War before I was turned, I learned quite a bit about this particular war. Both the good and the bad. Jasper actually having this in his office in all its glory must have meant that he was captured or changed long before the war ended. By that point the Confederates barely had the materials for shoes, let alone an actual uniform.
"Why do you keep it?" I can't help but wonder.
"To remind me." Is all he says on the matter before leading me from the room and into a large bathroom. It looks like he's been rather busy in here while I was staring at the history on his walls.
"To remind you of what?" I can't help but wonder.
"My life." He says simply. "What I've been through."
"Oh."
"There's no reason for ya to feel dejected." He says standing in front of me and raising my face to meet his. "One day I'll tell ya everythin'. I swear. Today just isn't that day. Right now, it's time to take care of you."
He kisses me gently and leaves the room for a moment. It's just long enough for me to get a good look at this massive bathroom he's brought me to. There is a huge bathtub in here that looks about ready to get into, fluffy towels to wrap ourselves in, a standing shower, an incredibly large mirror on one wall, and as I'm making my full circuit, he comes back with new clothes for me that I'm sure he stole from Rosalie. I send him my gratitude and he just looks at me and smiles. Then, he proceeds to walk around me and starts pulling bits of twigs and leaves out of my hair. "Not that I don't love the natural you, but I'm sure Esme would prefer that you didn't track so much nature into the house."
"Ah!" I scoff surprised at his snark. "Last time I checked, I didn't bring me into Esme's house, therefore it's you who needs to quit trackin' nature into her clean house."
Jasper just laughs at me and begins to strip me of my ruined clothes. I know that he's trying to be nice, but I also know that with the simplest touch, our passion for one another can be reignited.
As he removes my torn top, my hands find themselves in his glorious hair and I pull his head towards mine for a kiss. He doesn't stop me, but instead his gentle and loving touches turn harder and more demanding. Instead of gently removing my jeans, I just hear a ripping sound and feel a cool breeze on my legs. After that all thought goes out the window for me. I desperately try to get his clothes off in turn and may have ripped a few things myself in my haste, but he doesn't seem to mind.
Once we're both free of any clothing, he grabs my ass and hoists me up so I can wrap my legs around him. How he manages to actually make it to the tub without falling or dropping me I'll never know. I was too focused on how good his skin tasted right under his jaw to really care about anything else at that moment.
I do feel it as soon as the warm water makes contact with my skin and I let out a sinful moan. He kisses me fiercely, just that sound turning him on more than he already was. Once he is seated in the tub, I don't hesitate before straddling him and plunging myself right onto him. We both let out dual moans of pleasure before I captured his mouth with mine again.
"Shit woman." Is all I hear from him before I have him thoroughly distracted by the roll and movement of my hips. His hands are everywhere just trying to get more. More feeling, more urgency, just...more. If I were still human I'd have hand-shaped bruises on my hips from how hard he's gripping them, but I can't find it in me to care. I love it.
He breaks the kiss and quickly finds one of my nipples and gently begins to nip and suck at it. My eyes roll back in the sheer pleasure that is being given to me and I let Jasper feel it. I do my best to project exactly what he's doing to me right back at him and, apparently it works because he growls lowly and begins to thrust up into me with more force.
My hips meet his thrust for thrust and the pleasure is so all-consuming that I can't think of anything outside this moment. I can feel the pressure building in my stomach, the tingling of my toes, and I know I'm close. The only thing that could make this any better, and has me completely careening off the edge, is the feel of Jasper's teeth piercing the skin at my neck. Instinct and need drive me to do the same and as my teeth puncture his skin and I get the taste of his venom in my mouth, I hear him say "Amanda!" and both he and I explode in bliss.
Coming back to ourselves, I realize what a disaster we've made of this bathroom. "I hope Esme's not too upset when she realizes what we've done."
"We're consentin' adults." Jasper responds obliviously. "Why would she be upset? It's not like either one of us are blushin' virgins, here."
"No." I say placing my hand on my head in exasperation. "Look at what we've done to the bathroom." I grab his face and show him that the evidence of our lovemaking hasn't apparently been limited to the bathtub.
"Oh" was all Jasper could say as he looked around the now sopping wet room. "The hell happened?"
"No idea." I manage out between giggles.
"This was not what I had intended when I brought ya up here, but damn if I'm not glad about it." Jasper says grinning devilishly.
"Well, mister" I say sassily, "what was your intent bringin' me up here, then?"
"Just to help ya relax, honestly." He says with a bit of a guilty look.
"Well, we may want to clean ourselves and then the room so Esme doesn't have a conniption fit if she comes in here." I say feeling a bit guilty myself.
Jasper reluctantly agrees. "We may also wanna do what we actually came in here to do. Ya know, while we're here."
"Snarky." I reply grabbing the loofah.
Washing each other got a bit dicey there at the beginning. I couldn't help but want to touch every part of Jasper I could reach. It didn't matter that we had already enjoyed some rather intense and satisfying sex, I wanted more and I know he did, too. Ever the gentleman, Jasper tried to diffuse the situation by turning our bath into a relatively nice bubble bath. I had thought this sweet, but soon realized that he just wanted to torment me with bubbles.
"Blowin' those into my face is not goin' to endear you to me, ya know?" I state as he takes yet another handful of bubbles and proceeds to do just that.
"Liar." He laughs. "I can feel exactly how endearin' I am to ya right now."
Like a grown ass adult, my only response is to splash him in the face.
He laughs that deep sexy laugh that sends shivers all over my body as the water hits him and winks saucily at me.
I just stick my tongue out at him and try to ignore him as I continue to clean myself.
He's having none of being ignored and apparently decides to take this as a personal challenge. He promptly moves behind me and begins kissing on the mark he made on my neck. My reaction is instantaneous. My head drops to the opposite shoulder to give him better access and I moan.
We get distracted for about an hour, but when we finally come back to ourselves - with renewed mating marks firmly in place - we know we need to get out of the tub. If we don't do it now, we could be in here for weeks and nobody wants to experience us in that state, I'm sure.
It doesn't take us long to clean up everything, although I do admit that it was more difficult to clean with Jasper in the room than when he was out getting clean towels. As satisfied as this man made me, I just couldn't help but get distracted by the look of him shirtless, in jeans that were hugging his hips just the right way. I mean, can you honestly blame a girl?
Once dressed and the room clean, we made our way back out to the rest of the Cullen family who were still waiting at the Baseball clearing. Why they were still out there, I had no idea, but I was soon going to find out.
"There you two are!" I hear from an exasperated Esme. "We've been worried sick about you two!"
"I went to care for my Mate, Esme." I hear Jasper say with a bit of an annoyed tone.
"She's just worried." I whisper to him.
"And she should know that my priority would have been takin' care of you." He whispers back, quickly adding "She has a Mate, she should know that."
From a little ways across the clearing, we hear an exasperated "I told y'all that y'all had nothin' to worry 'bout!" that obviously came from Peter.
Jasper rolls his eyes and demands, "Status report."
Peter, being the ever dutiful second-in-command says, "The entirety of Vicky's Army has been destroyed, save one." He gestures to Bree and continues, "I think Esme wants to take Bree here under her wing and see if she can live like the rest of ya."
"Victoria?" Jasper demands.
"Ash in the wind." Bella says from a position near Carlisle.
"I think you mean Dust in the Wind." Rosalie quips and I can't help but giggle at her music joke. She just looks over at me and grins proudly, but stays on the other side of Bella, content to sit in Emmett's lap.
"And the Wolves?" I asked curious about why they weren't here.
"They're fine for the most part. One tried to get the drop on Jake, but I took that fucker out." Peter says with pride.
"This is all great news and everythin', and I'm glad that everyone survived, but don't we need to call Aro and let him know this threat is gone?" I'm concerned that the ruling vampires in our world might have a thing or two to say if they don't stay up-to-date on these things.
"I never really thought about it, but it might be a good idea." I hear from Carlisle, who I notice is still cradling the now-fused arm he had lost. "They'd certainly be happy to know we have prevailed and that their orders were followed in regards to Bella's change."
"Do you really think that's a good idea, Carlisle?" Edward asks from beside Bella.
"You were told to change me, and this proves that I am changed." Bella responds. "You don't really want the Volturi to come here and see for themselves, do you Edward?"
"No," he says resigned, "I guess not." It's fairly easy to tell which one is gonna end up wearing the pants in that relationship.
I see Jasper pull out his phone, prepare for a facetime call, and hit the button, "Ah, Major!" I hear from the speaker. "This is unexpected. Two calls in two days. One might think you had started to miss me."
While I try not to laugh at Aro's attempt at sassing Jasper, he actively ignores it and gets down to business. "Aro, Victoria's Army has been defeated; Victoria and her second, Riley are ash; and Bella has been changed."
"Oh really?" I hear Aro ask. "Forgive me if I don't believe you, Major. Is there any way to see this with my own eyes?"
"Why do ya think I video called ya?" Jasper asks as he turns the phone around to show the pile of burning Vampires. "This is what remains of the Army." Jasper says as he turns the phone back around. "As for Bella, I'll pass the phone over so you can see for yourself."
He flits over to where Bella and Edward are sitting and hands the phone over to Edward. "Bella can't hold the phone at the moment, she'd break it." I hear from Jasper and I can't help the giggle that escapes me. I don't know why I find that funny.
As Jasper, Edward, and Bella begin to talk to Aro, Peter and Char head in my direction.
"Did I look that lonely?" I ask them with a hint of humor in my voice.
"Nah." Peter responds, "I'm just curious as to what y'all would be doin' now that this whole thing is over?"
"Peter" I say in a very mockingly-shocked tone, "does this mean that you want to live with us? Are y'all lonely?"
"Dammit woman" Peter responds running his hands through his hair as Char and I laugh, "I'm just tryin' to make conversation."
"I know" I say between giggles, "I just thought I'd take the opportunity while I had it. But to be honest, I don't know what our plans are now that this is done. Jasper and I haven't really discussed it. I do know that once I get my bloodlust under control, I want to go back home and see my kids again. Maybe, if I'm lucky, get to be their mom again."
"That sounds like a lovely plan, Amanda" Char says placing one hand on my forearm in a comforting gesture.
"Why do you ask, Peter?"
"Well, the Major always seemed to stay with the Cullen's because the Pix wanted to stay with the Cullen's. Now I'm not sure what he'll wanna do." I think I'm smart enough to be able to read between the lines in this scenario.
As happy as Peter and Char are, they are indeed lonely living by themselves. I can tell Peter wants his brother back and I honestly wouldn't mind staying with these two for an extended period of time. I've grown to respect both of them quite a lot and don't want to dash their hopes of being reunited.
"Neither am I, Peter. However, I do know one thing" I state confidently as I make eye contact with Jasper as he takes the phone from Edward and hands it to Carlisle, "wherever that man goes; I'll go. And yes." I state before he can start up again, "I'll let you know what we decide."
And I would.