Bella pulled at her arm, trying to wrestle it away from him, to no avail. Edward stood expressionless as she attempted and Bella's eyes flashed wildly between him and the door, realizing that even if she could escape his grasp there was no way she could outrun him. He yanked on her arm and Bella stumbled forward – it was obvious that if she wasn't going to walk on her own then he would drag her.

She chose instead to walk by her own will, desperate for some semblance of control over the situation. After she stopped struggling, Edward seemed content to let her set the pace, holding her hand all the while as he casually walked her back into hell. Silently she allowed herself to be led back into the parlor, her pulse pounding in her ears.

When they entered the room again, he dropped Bella's hand, which fell limply back down to her side. Without sparing her another look, Edward turned his attention back to the sobbing girl on the ground. Bella looked at her, too. She was pretty – her hair was dyed blue-black, light brown roots just starting to show, and she had big brown eyes, lined with black, her nose straight and proportional.

"Jessica, perhaps there are things we should discuss?" Edward proposed, sounding almost earnest, though Bella had the feeling that the dark girl did not have any real choice.

The look of absolute terror that flashed across Jessica's face would haunt Bella for a long time. But for now the girl stood shakily and scrambled over to the man covered in blood. She threw herself at him, and Bella watched the entire interaction with a sort of horrified interest. "Please," she sobbed, waterfalls rushing down her face. "Please, I'm so so sorry," Jessica pleaded. "Don't let him take me, you can't let him take me," she said, her eyes flashing to where Edward stood, a few feet away from Bella. Edward laughed before he started towards her, shaking his head in amusement. Jessica screamed. "PLEASE, please you can't let him. You can't, you can't –"

Bella looked at Edward's apparent friend closely for the first time. He was covered in blood – Bella was pretty sure most of it was not his blood – and so it was difficult to see some of his features, but like Edward, Bella could tell that he was extraordinarily attractive. His hair looked to be blonde or red – she couldn't tell, with all the crimson gore – and he had light brown eyes, or maybe hazel. He was a little shorter than Edward but they were else wise very similar in build. He also appeared to be the nice one, if Jessica's reaction was anything to go by. That was good to know.

Bella watched as he grabbed the girl's arms, holding her still a moment as he looked closely at her terrified face. Bella thought she might have seen a flash of regret and maybe compassion before the man set his mouth in a grim line. He held her close for a long moment before he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Sorry, Jess," he whispered before he handed her to Edward. Jessica screamed as Edward picked her up roughly, throwing her over his shoulder like she weighed less than a sack of potatoes. She was pleading with him as he carried her down a hallway and Bella heard a door slam. The screaming was still there but muffled and Bella could no longer decipher Jessica's words.

It took Bella a moment after Edward and Jessica had exited the room to realize that she was now alone with a dead body and a potential serial killer. Bella looked at him and found that he was already staring at her, expression interested. Bella's heart kicked up in her chest and she let out a shuddering breath.

"Edward asked me to watch you, while he chats with Jessica," the blood covered man said as he stepped towards her.

Bella clenched her purse to her chest, as if it could shield her somehow. "What does that mean, exactly?" she found herself asking.

The man smiled, his eyebrows raising playfully. "What do you think it means, sweet one?" he asked, his tone friendly even as his nostrils flared. There was a flash of something in his eyes that made Bella's stomach drop. She was ninety-nine percent sure that she did not want to know what Edward had intended it to mean.

He's the nice one, Bella reminded herself. Her eyes scan across the room and saw that in the far corner there was a sparsely stocked wet bar. It was worth a try, and she was much too sober for her current state. "I - I think it means that you should make me a drink," Bella said, trying to keep her voice even and motioning to the bar.

The bloody man looked at her, scratching his chin as he considered before he nodding. "Fuck it," he shrugged nonchalantly, "I could use a drink myself."

He led Bella over to the bar, and Bella sat on the stool gratefully, her whole body shaking. The man wet a towel before looking back to her. "I'm Jasper, by the way," he introduced himself as he began to wipe the blood and gore from his face. "And you are?" he asked when she said nothing.

"Bella," she whispered, looking away from his interested face.

"Short for Isabella?" Jasper asked charmingly, and for the first time Bella detected a hint of a southern accent in his voice.

"Yes," she nodded, unsure what to say. As Bella watched him wipe the blood away with surprising efficiency, she came to understand that none of the gore that covered his body was his own. Bella glanced back to the body for a split second. Most of it must be from him, she thought in a detached way. Who knew that people had so much blood? The pool beneath seemed to be growing every minute, a red blossom flowering on a very ornate looking rug. Bella cringed, the color of the blood bringing her back a bit. She looked back to Jasper who was throwing the bloodied towel on the bar. For the first time she noticed a wound, on the back of his hand. It was a deep wound; the flesh looked black and crispy. Bella looked away from it - between blood and burns, she was starting to feel a bit queasy.

Now that his face and hands were clean, Bella could confirm that not only was he just as attractive as Edward. But it was also a face that one could imagine twisting from compassion - a face that one could trust. If it weren't for the fact that she had just seen him covered in blood and harassing a terrified girl next to a dead body, Bella would have a hard time believing that he was a cold-blooded killer.

Dangerous.

Jasper flashed her a wide grin, scanning the back shelf for options. "How about a gin and tonic?" he asked over his shoulder.

Before she could answer he was setting it down in front of her, plopping a straw into the cup. Bella blinked – what had just happened? Did she dissociate there for a moment? Whatever it was, Bella was not in the head space to analyze it right now. Instead she grabbed the drink and downed half of it in two gulps, making a bitter face as she choked it down. She wasn't a drinker but at this point, she would take what she could get.

Speaking of which, Bella reached for her bag and shakily pulled out her prescription bottle. Only six left. She didn't feel as comfortable about that anymore. Still, now was not the time to worry. She took three, saving half just in case, and began to chew. When she was done, she knocked back the rest of her drink, motioning for a refill.

"What are those for?" Jasper asked her, motioning to the pills. Bella stared at him. It was a rude question and it was none of his business, but Bella was pretty honest by nature and really, what did it matter?

"Anxiety. It's Xanax," she said shortly, as he plopped another drink in front of her. Again she hadn't been paying attention to him making it, but inwardly shrugged. Whatever.

"Huh. Anxiety issues," Jasper said thoughtfully. "Tonight must be a real treat for you," he chuckled lightly as he leaned back against the far end of the bar.

"Oh yeah, I'm definitely not pissing my pants right now," Bella blurted, somehow starting to feel relaxed, despite the circumstances. Perhaps the Xanax were starting to kick in.

"What makes you so anxious?" Jasper asked with a grin, crossing his arms against his broad chest.

Other people. Walking down the street. Fluoride in the water. Monsters like you and your friend, Bella thought mutinously as she gulped at her second drink, but this time she remained silent.

Jasper didn't seem to mind and went on cheerfully, "I knew you must have been on something - unless you're some kind of sociopath, you're way too calm to be sober. Most people with a dead body in the room would have thrown up by now," he explained, and Bella took his word for it. She had no doubt he had more experience with dead bodies than she did. "Or at least be losing their shit pretty bad, like Jessica was," he went on.

"I took six before I came here," Bella found herself admitting ruefully. She smiled to herself before she laughed out loud. "Probably the best decision I've ever made. Otherwise, I promise you, I would be losing my ever-loving shit right now," she cackled at the mental image and took another gulp of her drink. She then reached into her purse and grabbed the almost full pack of Marlboro Reds from within and disposable lighter. She smoked on occasion, mostly when she was really high, really drunk, or really stressed. Bella was going three for three. She lit her cigarette with shaking hands, inhaling deeply.

"Well, aren't you the picture of health?" Jasper snickered, and before she even saw him move he was placing an ashtray on the counter in front of her. Something must be wrong with my eyes, Bella decided as she exhaled. "Don't worry, sweet one," Jasper went on. "I'm not judging. Vices are great. I love vices – have a few of them myself, actually," his eyes glanced at the body on the floor lazily before landing back on her. "I suppose I've earned a drink myself now," he announced, reaching under the bar and procuring a clear mug. He approached the corpse and lazily held the glass under a thick gash under the corpse's arm that was still bleeding out quite profusely. Bella wondered how long he had been dead before they had arrived. Minutes? Seconds? The glass filled and Jasper allowed the arm to flop back down lazily onto the very ornate rug on the ground.

He returned to the bar, carrying the full glass very carefully before plopping down on the bar stool next to her. He took a large drink, sighing in satisfaction as he swallowed. Then he placed it down on the counter, looking at her once more. "Forgive me if this makes you uncomfortable. It's better than the alternative, trust me," he said contritely, but Bella had a feeling that he was watching her face closely, trying to gauge a reaction.

Bella took a long drag on her cigarette, unsure what the fuck she was supposed to say. What kind of hell had she willingly walked into? "What are you supposed to be some kind of vampire, or something?" she asked, incredulous, expelling a large cloud of smoke. Blood drinking serial killers. The odds were obviously not in Bella's favor today.

"Something like that," he said casually, before leaning in closer to her, so close that Bella could smell the copper scent of blood on his clothes. There was a wicked grin on his face, "Do you believe me?" he asked in a stage-whisper.

Bella blew out the smoke she had been holding, "Nope. I don't believe in the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus either. I do believe that that is seriously unsanitary," Bella shrugged before looking and leaning away from him, desperately trying to hide how revolting it was to have a conversation with someone drinking actual human blood. She nervously gulped down the rest of her drink, not even tasting it.

The conversation lapsed for several moments and Bella put out her cigarette in the ashtray, her hands trembling. What was going on with Jessica? The screaming had stopped and Bella didn't hear anything. Had he already killed her? Was it her turn now?

"May I?" Jasper asked, reaching for her pack before she could say anything and pulling one out. "It's been a while," he explained cheerfully, lighting up. Bella watched from her peripheral as he practiced blowing smoke rings.

Her mind raced as she tried to imagine ways for her escape. She had yet to see any windows or other doors other than the front, and she needed keys to get out of here. She looked at Jasper and found him staring at her, a weird look on his face. "What?" Bella asked, nervously fidgeting on the bar stool.

"Nothing…" he said after a moment, but his face still looked odd. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, "Normally I'm pretty good at telling how people are holding up but you're pretty hard to get a feel on," Jasper asked, his brow furrowed.

What a nice guy, for a vampire-wannabe serial killer, Bella thought scathingly. But she realized that this Jasper guy might be her only chance at escape. "Never better," she quipped, as confidently as you please thanks to her Xanax/gin power combo. "You wouldn't happen to have the keys, would you?"

Jasper laughed, taking a long drink before he spoke. "There is an excellent chance I have the keys," he told her "Why? Are you thinking it's time to split?" he asked, amused. "You don't even want to say goodbye to Edward? You'll break his heart," Jasper teased.

"I have to get home," Bella said, trying to sound as confident as she could. "I need to...finish up some things for work," she supplied lamely. Man, how pitiful was her life that the only fake emergency she could come up with was work? "We have a beta release that launches tomorrow…" she trailed off.

"A beta release? Fascinating. Wouldn't want you to miss that, would we?" his tone took on a similar key as it had when he ridiculed Jessica. Bella shivered and Jasper laughed. "You're not getting out of here. I think you know that, sweet one," Jasper said, not unkindly.

Just then, ear-piercing screams tore through the whole house. They were screams of pure agony and Bella felt all the hair on her body stand on end. She was prey in a den of bloodthirsty wolves. "What is going on in there?" Bella found herself asking, though she was sure that she would rather not know.

She saw him wince before he slid into a grin. "He and Jessica are having a chat," he explained. "Doesn't sound like Jess is enjoying the experience, I'll give you that."

Oh, god, Bella thought to herself. I'm next. I'm going to die. She reached across the bar, grabbing the gin and taking a swig right from the bottle, bitterly swallowing it down. Bella lit another cigarette.

"Are you supposed to mix Xanax and alcohol?" Jasper asked, watching as she gulped from the bottle. "Your speech is getting slurred," he pointed out.

Bella rolled her eyes, looking at him like he was an absolute moron, "Of course you're not supposed to mix them," Bella told him before shrugging. "Not that I care. I'm just hoping I pass out soon," she admitted to him, taking a quick drag for her cigarette. "If you and your friend's plan is to rape me or kill me or eat me, let me tell you – I want to miss the whole show," she waved her arm for emphasis.

Jasper grinned, obviously amused, "Yes, I am aware of what your plan is," he told her. "Edward's probably going to be pissed that I'm letting you but how can I say no to that face?" he said, his tone sweet as syrup. Bella grimaced, wondering if he was mocking her. Then she decided that she couldn't care less. "How did Edward get you down here, anyway? That's not his normal motive," Jasper asked, looking at her curiously.

Bella shrugged, taking another drag of her smoke before she took another swig of the bottle. "He posted an ad for sale online for records. He was going to 'show me his collection'," she told him the air-quotes obvious despite her lack of movement. She grimaced as she remembered her and Edward's interactions at the coffee shop. Maybe all those Xanax had not been the best idea, after all.

"Interesting. You know, he really does. Have a record collection," he told her. "It's funny, Edward never really brings people down here unless he's going to kill them. But he was really pissed when he saw me here with Jessica and our friend down there," he motioned to the body vaguely. "I have a feeling he was really going to show you his collection. Probably wasn't even planning on killing you," Jasper told her.

"Oh boy, that makes everything so much better," Bella sneered, grimacing. Jasper grinned at her sarcasm, taking another gulp from his glass of sticky red fluid. Bella fought back the urge to gag, looking away. Her Xanax shield started to crack, anxiety leaking through as she realized she hadn't heard screaming for quite some time. Is it going to happen now? Bella wondered, her eyes starting to burn. Did she hear water running now? "So, did you kill him?" she asked, motioning to the body on the floor, not trying to look at it. She didn't want to know the specifics of the fate that awaited her.

"Well, technically, yes," Jasper actually sounded a bit guilty about it. "But I try really hard not kill people as a general rule," he explained. "I'm not a killer," he said vehemently, and from the way he said it Bella found herself wondering how often he had said those four words to himself. He obviously wasn't trying to convince her of the fact, after all – why convince a girl that was pretty much dead already?

"I don't think there's a grey area, Jasper," Bella found herself saying. She took another drink. "If you kill people, you're a killer. It's pretty simple," she slurred.

"Is it?" Jasper whispered, almost to himself.

Bella lit another cigarette, ignoring the fact that the entire room was filled with the noxious smoke. Edward seemed like the type that didn't allow people to smoke inside, but that was a whole lot of not her problem. Jasper grabbed another cigarette anyway, so at least she wasn't alone in the offense. Bella wondered if Edward would make her scream more for stinking up his stupid urban-mansion. She trembled, taking a last inhale of the cigarette before she put it out.

The water had stopped. Perhaps it was going to end soon. The thought made her chest constrict. She didn't want to die. She hadn't even learned any good insults in Russian yet. Her twenty-third birthday was still four months away. She wasn't ready.

"It's not fair," Bella groaned, letting her head drop onto the smooth surface of the bar. It was nice and cool on her feverish skin. "There is supposed to be 'Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'entrate' on the entrance. It's supposed to warn you," she rambled, her Italian slurring awfully in her drunken state.

"What does that mean?" Jasper asked, laughing at her misery. "Is that Latin or something?"

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," came a voice from the hallway, and Bella wearily lifted her head and saw that Edward had entered the parlor. He was freshly showered and had different clothes on. His face was twisted, nose scrunched in disgust. "It's from Dante's Inferno. It's written above the gates of Hell," he told Jasper, who cackled at the implication. Edward looked at Bella, "Is she drunk? You let her drink?" he demanded.

"Let me?" Bella laughed. "He made me the drinks. Makes a mean gin and tonic, Jasper does," Bella complimented, holding the bottle of gin close to her chest, not wanting Edward to steal it. She took a quick, large swig. "Is there a better time to get murdered than when you're trashed?" Bella asked, mostly to herself. "I think not," she giggled.

"How much did you give her?" Edward asked. "I can't believe you let her smoke, it smells like a fucking ashtray in here now. Oh, I also really want to thank you for killing the guy on the four thousand dollar rug, by the way. Awesome."

"Sorry, man," Jasper grinned, shrugging. Bella didn't think that he looked sorry, not one bit. "I don't think she's had too much, honestly," he held up his fingers to emphasize, "But she has she's taken nine Xanax, if you count the six she had before she got here," he told a surprised Edward.

Speaking of which, Bella thought, grabbing her purse and then her prescription bottle within. The two men watched as she quickly unscrewed the top, lifting the bottle to her lips and gobbling the three remaining pills inside. She doubted they would be of any use to her after tonight, anyway. After Bella chewed she washed it down with another swig of gin. She shuddered – god, she hated gin.

"You're going to give yourself alcohol poisoning, sweet one," Jasper told her kindly. "You don't normally drink, do you?"

"Sure don't," Bella admitted freely. "Sounds like a better way to go than whatever you guys have planned. Got anymore four thousand dollar rugs? I'll direct my vomit in its direction," she giggled again.

"How'd it go with Jessica?" Jasper asked, and Bella placed her head back onto the bar. Passing out was proving to be a very challenging endeavor.

"Well, she definitely tells a different story than you do," Edward laughed. "How did they get a knife in here? That really pisses me off. We're going to have to toss her room later."

"I think that you're overreacting," Jasper said, "It was just a knife. Maybe our friend brought it in. It wasn't necessarily Jessica's."

"Where did you find him, anyhow?" Edward asked scornfully. "Oh, wait, I want to guess! Your creepy manservant found him online," When Jasper said nothing, Edward laughed maliciously. "Yeah? Do I win something if I'm right?"

Jasper finished off his drink, leaving nothing but a bloody smudge at the bottom of the glass. "You can say whatever you want about him, but he has filled your requirements many times," Jasper said as he stood. Bella watched him step carefully around the body, standing in front of Edward.

"The guys is a freak. He always brings me freaks," Edward sneered, his teeth gnashing. "I'm sick of freaks."

"I bet you use him to find your next supply," Jasper said with an air of superiority, a small grin forming on his mouth.

"Another Jessica? No fucking thank you," Edward scoffed, "I think I can handle it myself. Honestly, I'm thankful she gave me an excuse to kill her. She was driving me fucking crazy."

Jasper's ever-present grin sagged a little, "Cut her a break, man. She's dead," he said quietly, looking down at the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Edward spat. "Was that insensitive of me? I didn't realize how broken up you were about it. Do you need me to get you a box of tissue?" he asked with dark humor. "What kind of person signs up for this shit? You have to be sick in the head," he tapped his skull with one of his long fingers. "Just look what she did to your arm."

Bella could only assume he was talking about the burn mark on the back of Jasper's hand. Bella glanced at it again and wondered if she was truly losing it. It looked remarkably healed – as if weeks of healing had happened in the span they had spent talking. Something is definitely wrong with my eyes, she decided.

Bella didn't know why she was still awake. She brought the gin to her mouth once again, but as it reached her lips she could not bring herself to drink it. As she held it there, the pungent odor reached her nose and she felt yesterday's dinner and, with horror, twelve Xanax begin to rise. Swallowing reflexively, Bella placed the bottle back on the bar and once again rested her head against the surface of it. She willed herself not to vomit.

"Why don't you move to the couch, sweet one?" Jasper was suddenly at her side, helping her off of the bar stool. She felt his firm hands around her stomach as he held her up and steady. When they reached the couch Bella fell down heavy upon it. Once there, Jasper returned to Edward, some twelve feet or so away. Laying horizontal made Bella feel incredibly sleepy, but some of the conversation they had filtered through to her ears.

"So it was just wrong place at the wrong time?" Jasper asked, looking back over at the unconscious woman on the couch. "Shit, Edward – I had no idea you were bringing someone, or I would have just gone upstairs," he continued, and Bella thought she could hear guilt, even her state.

"I'd been texting you for the last two fucking hours," Edward snapped, before taking a deep breath. "Whatever," he decided, "shit happens."

There was a lag in the conversation and Bella felt the blackness of sleep – or was it death? Would this be the final sleep? – edge ever so temptingly close. Just as she was about to give into it, she heard Jasper start to speak again.

"You know how you said you didn't want to use James to find your next supply?" Jasper asked. "There is another option, you know…"

The last thing Bella was aware of was a pillow being jammed under her head and a blanket pulled over her limp form before she embraced the darkness.


A/N:

The four thousand dollar rug line and a few lines from Edward and Jasper's dialogue are taken directly from Elena Hearty's book and the inspiration for this fic, Donor. Thanks for reading!