Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. Chapter title is from Casablanca by Emarosa.

--

Downstairs came an ear splitting crash; the front door had been knocked down.

"Oh, Jasper," a high-pitched, musical voice taunted. "Come out, come out where ever you are, mi esclavo."

Neither Jasper nor Alice moved as they heard two pairs of nimble foot steps search throughout every room in the floor below them.

"We have to go," she whispered in horror, her eyes glued to the door. "We can't just stay here."

"No," he responded forcefully. "She will stop at nothing to get to me. Let her come."

As those words slipped out of his mouth, the door to their room shattered and wood pieces flew everywhere.

Alice hissed in a breath and glared at the two intruders in the doorway. She recognized the face of Maria's, yet the man accompanying her was someone Alice had never seen. As all her defense mechanisms were triggered, she deciphered all the ways she would be able to kill them. Ruthlessly.

It was even harder for her to control herself as the dainty Mexican immediately ran into Jasper's unopened arms, her hand running up and down his chest.

"Oh, Jasper," Maria cooed. "I've been looking for you for too long." She reached up and kissed his cheek. "I've missed you so, so much."

Alice's fingers twitched, and in an instant the unknown man twisted her arms behind her back and held her prisoner.

"I wouldn't try anything, silly little girl," he chuckled darkly. "Because I won't hesitate to kill you." His grip tightened on her wrists and she flinched at the pressure.

She gasped as her search for the future drew up blanks. She couldn't see anything, only the darkness of nothing.

All this time, Jasper remained motionless as he ignored Maria's attempt to seduce him. He turned his face away from her disgust and pushed her small frame off his body.

"Get off me," he growled. "Leave us alone." His brow furrowed in annoyance as he could not control the atmosphere around them, the hostility remaining with no hint of camaraderie in the air.

Maria looked slightly hurt as she turned away from him and glared at Alice, who did nothing but return the death look as she remained captive in the arms of the male.

She crept up the Alice, grazing her finger tips across her cheek. Alice did nothing but glower, biting the inside of the cheek so she wouldn't accidentally take a snap out of Maria's hand.

"Strange," the Hispanic girl muttered, speaking to herself. "I sense something different about you. Something special."

Maria whipped around and faced Jasper once more, smirking. "What's her name?" She demanded.

He shook his head, smiling wickedly as if he were challenging her.

Before anyone knew it, his head was smashed against the wall as she clutched his neck tightly. For such a small and frail looking body, Maria was able to sustain him within her grasp.

"Alice," Jasper muttered, staring coldly into the red irises.

Maria smirked and let him down. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She drawled, a hint of her Spanish accent evident. "Now tell Alice," she spat the name with venom, "to leave so Derek and I can talk to you privately."

Until then, Alice stayed silent in the arms of Maria's body guard. But when the vile girl wanted her to leave, she thrashed against Derek's arm and growled. Venom pooled in her mouth. Her pent up frustration of her inability to draw any visions overflowed as she bared her teeth at the attackers. She couldn't escape though, for the man's strength was far too powerful against her own.

"No!" Alice snarled, shaking her head. "Jasper, you can't stay alone. They could kill you!" She said desperately, her eyes pleading.

His jaw was taut and she didn't need her visions to know his answer. "It's the only way for any chance of survival," he said harshly, his eyes flashing at hers.

She stopped moving in Derek's arms, her eyes widening in fear and desperation. "But I can't see anything," she whispered. Dread filled both their bodies. "Absolutely nothing."

Jasper pushed Maria out of his way and walked to Alice's side, cupping her face with both of his hands. "I will figure this out. Your life won't end because of me," he promised before letting go.

And then Alice was dragged out of his room and down the stairs by Derek, where he shoved her into her own room. He slammed the door shut and chuckled evilly.

"Don't try to escape, little one," he said through the door. "Or I won't hesitate to kill you."

--

Maria gave a hard, cold look at the place where Alice and the body guard had just been standing moments ago.

"She really is special, isn't she?" Her eyes remained glued to the exact spot. "Both in her powers and in your eyes."

Jasper snarled. "You nor your body guard will harm her." He could taste the emotions Maria felt: the hate, vengeance, and the pain. But he did nothing to calm her down, for he knew manipulating her emotions triggered a high form of defense mechanism when alone with him.

Maria laughed a long, hard laugh. "That is what I will turn to if you do not agree to my terms," she responded. Whipping around to face him, she ran her long fingers against his jaw, her face centimeters away from his. "You will agree, muchacho tonto."

He hissed in disgust. "And what are your terms?" He asked in a dead voice.

"Simple. Come and join me. Get back our land in the South. Oh, and forget about Alice, of course." She said the name with the same amount of disgust as she had earlier.

A fierce smile appeared on his face as Jasper felt jealousy emitting for Maria's body. "You're jealous of her, aren't you?" He taunted, pleased at obtaining this new information. "Because she is everything you want to be?"

In less than half a second, he was thrown into corner with an earsplitting crash. This time Maria's emotions were amplified, her rage stronger than what it previously was.

"You worshiped me," her voice whipped. "You did anything you could to please and pleasure me!"

Jasper's nostrils flared as memories of their past flooded into his mind. The rewards he received from her were something he wasn't proud of and never would be. The disgust was apparent on his face as he shook his head in an attempt to rid of the images in his head.

"I will never be attached to you again," he growled, standing up. "I will never go back to that life." He began to advance towards her, ready to attack if necessary.

Maria crouched as well, preparing for the fight. "You have always been attached to me, whether you like it or not! I created you, Jasper. You are bound to me forever."

And then she was pinned on to the ground, Jasper hovering on top, his teeth bared. "We may have had a past together, but not a past I'm proud of. If you need me to knock some sense into your head, I will gladly accept." He threatened menacingly. A sharp pain erupted down in his groin and before he knew it, he was thrown several feet off Maria. Regaining his composure in mid air, he landed with a soft 'thud' on the carpet. "Just remember I'm as skilled as a fighter as you are," he hissed. "And stronger. I can crush your skill."

The brunette glared through her thick lashes, preparing to strike. The hate Jasper felt coming from Maria's body amused him. Once again, he did nothing to control the emotional climate.

"No, I'm better than you," she sneered, her eyes flashing. "I taught you everything. You will never be better than me." She thought for a moment, and excitement momentarily flooded her eyes. "Derek, viene aqui. Solamente."

--

It was next to nothing for Alice listen to the conversation, no, argument upstairs. Panic was her only companion; she couldn't see anything, she didn't know what could happen. Her ears cringed as she heard teeth snarl and voices drip with venom.

As much as she wanted to escape, she knew that her tiny frame would stand no chance against Maria's personal body guard. He towered over her and was most likely a skilled fighter. How he was even able to block her power, she didn't know. And that scared her. She feared for both her and Jasper's life, and the chances that they would survive through this were thin. Nearly impossible.

"Derek," the clear, shrill voice ordered, "Viene aqui. Solamente."

Alice hissed in frustration at her inability to translate what Maria just said.

The brute stuck his head in and gave her a antagonizing stare.

"Stay here. We will know if you try to escape," he loomed. "And I will not hesitate to kill you."

--

Maria sneered as Derek entered, running immediately to his side. "Oh, mi amante. I think we need to teach Jasper here a lesson," she purred, running her fingers up and down his arm. "To make sure he agrees with us."

"Go bring his little amiga up here. I want her to pay the price for his stubbornness." She ordered.

Before Derek could carry out Maria's demand, Jasper slammed him onto the ground.

"You. Will. Not. Touch. Her." He grunted, slamming a fist onto his face. "You will not lay a hand on her!"

Jasper felt someone rip him off Derek's body. "Leave her out of this!" He yelled as he staggered back, preparing for combat once more.

"We can't do that." Maria's fists clenched as she gritted through her teeth. "For this attachment you have for her means everything to you. You won't give her up." She stalked towards him, staring hard and long into his eyes. "What does she have that I don't, Whitlock?" She demanded, stomping her foot on the ground.

"Innocence," Jasper spat, shooting his attackers death looks. "Purity. Compassion."

"Who needs her when you can have all of me?"

He laughed in spite. "I don't want you."

Maria beckoned Derek with her fingers and he came forth. "Why don't we show him what he's missing?" Her body guard nodded eagerly, obviously eager for what was about to happen next.

Lust pounded the air as clothes were ripped off and two bodies smashed onto the bed, the legs giving away and collapsing.

Jasper refused to look, turning his face and nostrils flaring.

He could do nothing but endure their throws of passion to save Alice and himself.

--

Alice's ears picked up on the words 'show him what he's missing' and immediately, her body tensed. There was no mistake at the sexual innuendo hidden in the meaning of the words.

A loud crash erupted and she didn't need any verification to know that the bed collapsed, the hinges squeaking and whining in protest.

"Damn it," she muttered, shaking her head. Did Jasper really agree to satisfying Maria's physical needs? No, he couldn't have. When he described that monstrous woman, he seemed to put as much hate and detest in his words. But why then was Alice hearing moans and gasps coming from upstairs?

Her muscles tensed and her body seethed anger.

How dare Maria come and just take Jasper away from her?

Then the cold, hard truth hit Alice. Jasper was never hers. She had no right to feel possessive over him. Maybe the reason he had stopped them all those times was because he still wanted Maria, still wanted to feel that disgusting girl's touch.

Alice hissed. Rejection, anger, bitterness all entered her body like a giant wave. Every part of her body screamed for her to go upstairs and rip Maria of Jasper... But she couldn't. That would be wrong, and because of that he would be torn away from her life, forever.

A stronger impact of rage exploded in her body. Why should it matter if Jasper joined Maria's ranks again? Every story, every word that came out of his mouth would now be a lie. He used Alice for convenience, to make Maria jealous. He pretended to be interested in their future, faked all his own emotions. Infuriated, Alice growled and smashed her hand into the bookshelf, the small object shattering to pieces. Her eyes flashed with indignation; she was fucking enraged.

She would murder everyone upstairs. For ruining her life.

Her fist clenched around the door knob, leaving several finger-sized dents on the handle. However, Alice didn't notice as she raced up the stairs.

She could hear the bodies slapping together...

"Oh, Jasper. Jasper, Jasper!" Maria's moans got louder and louder. So did his grunts, faster and faster, until both sounds stopped all together.

Alice stayed glued, three feet in front of Jasper's door. If she had a heart, it would be tearing to pieces. Her eyes widened in shock, her own self rejected and hurt.

Then the door opened.

Without thinking, she launched herself at Maria's body guard, sinking her teeth into his exposed neck. Derek was left withering on the ground.

"Alice!" Jasper's voice yelled, but she paid no attention to him. Her eyes were fixed on Maria, who was clad in one of Jasper's white-sleeved shirts. One that Alice bought for him.

With a cry that strangled from her lips, she pounced directly at the atrocious girl, ready to beat all her hate and frustration into the person who had to shatter it all for her.

--

AN: Well, that was hard to write! Haha seriously, I stared at the computer screen for like twenty minutes, not knowing how to put the plot into words. But I'm happy with it, and I hope you are too!

I'll update soon! I promise. This is too fun for me, lol.

Please review. I will love you forever and ever, because reviews make my heart sing!