Dark Temptation

Sorry for the slight delay, I was originally going to say I tried to post earlier and FF fail fucked it up, but truth be told, I just didn't finish it in time. Fortunately for you, I went through a bottle of my favourite Riesling last night, and the second half of this chapter is a direct result of that.

You should all give massive thanks to Leelan Oleander for fixing all my fuckups in this. Hey, did you know that when writing dialogue, you are supposed to put a comma before a person's name? I didn't… she just taught me this. "Hey, Leelan, how'd you get so smart?"

This story is rated M for language, adult themes, and some smexin' in later chapters.

Disclaimer: I wanted to say something witty about how I don't own twilight… but then I realised, who reads this shit anyway?

Dark Temptation

Chapter 4

BPOV

I slumped further down in the seat as we raced away from Jasper's house, relief and frustration battling for the dominant position in the twisted clusterfuck that was my current state of mind. After a brief skirmish played out via a sometimes disturbing internal dialogue, relief emerged the victor with the concession that frustration could have its time in the spotlight soon.

"I know I won't always feel this way, so you might want to pay attention here." I took a deep breath as Peter looked over at me from the driver's seat, one eyebrow raised in expectation.

"Ok, so I usually hate your Yoda shit, and I guess I should be nicer about it, because today I really, really appreciate it. Thank you for showing up when you did, because I really needed you."

Peter opened his mouth to respond, but I quickly cut him off by placing my hand over his mouth.

"But!" I interjected, "this doesn't mean that you don't annoy the everloving shit out of me with your 'gift' most of the time. It just means thank you."

I could feel Peter's smile against my hand so I slowly withdrew it, leaned over and gave him a brief but awkward hug across the centre console. As I reclined back into my seat, I could see the emotions flickering across this face as he seemingly thought about what to say, which, truth be told, would be a first.

"Honestly, MJ, my 'gift', as you call it, pisses me off most of the time too, but the annoying part? That's all me." He grinned widely and winked at me as I laughed, nodding my head in his direction to acknowledge the truth in his statement.

My mind wandered back to the first discussion we'd had about the classification of his gift, ability, whatever you want to call it. It was also when he coined the nickname MJ, short for Myth Junkie as a tip of the hat to my involvement in the world of mythological creatures. It was apt, considering the scars, both physical and mental, that have resulted from that involvement.

~o~o~

We were sitting in a bar in Memphis and Peter had been mockingly berating me for my underage drinking when without even looking, he moved my beer just in time for me to watch a little blue pill land on the table precisely where my bottle had previously been sitting. I looked up to see the retreating form of Brett, a frat boy with a hell of a bad reputation with women. Peter leaned over, apologised for shaking up my beer and told me that he figured that I'd prefer my beer roofie-free, before getting up and walking across the bar towards Brett and his friends.

When he returned to our table after putting 'the fear of God' into the group of Kappa Alpha douchebags who had been egging Brett on, I asked him how he knew.

"I just knew," he shrugged at me as if it was no big deal.

At this point in time, I barely knew him and I was still understandably unsure of our burgeoning relationship. I wasn't confident that I could trust my new human-drinking friends, despite the efforts that he and Char had gone to for me. I was fairly certain that he had no plans to snack on me, since he'd had plenty of opportunity to do so with no witnesses, but I still couldn't wrap my head around why he had decided to take me under his wing.

"So what, you can read minds? See the future? Are you one of those 'gifted' vampires?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "No, I don't consider myself to be gifted… well, perhaps in other areas…" He waved his hand in the general direction of his crotch and I had had to stifle my laughter in an attempt to be serious.

His serious expression returned and he continued his explanation, "It's just intuition. I know shit." Peter shrugged and smiled at me like there was nothing to it.

I took a sip of my beer and considered what he was saying. "You really don't consider yourself to have a gift or an ability…so what, the gods speak to you like the Voodoo priests and priestesses in New Orleans?"

"Voodoo? Really?" He raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged, fiddling with the label on my bottle as I avoided his gaze.

"When I was younger, my mother went through one of her spiritual phases, and she took us to see a voodooienne in the French Quarter. This woman looked like she was possessed, and she told me many truths, including that I would meet demons disguised as angels. She told me to guard my heart and my mind, but keep my eyes open." I took another sip of my beer and watched his face to see what his reaction would be.

"You know, I never put much stock in it, but after I fled Forks I began to accept that maybe she was right. I went back, seeking a new fortune I suppose. I couldn't find the same woman, so I visited a few others and found that few proclaiming to practice the art were genuine, but I still have faith in the magicks. She- the old woman- she told me that the gods spoke to her, they did not tell her the past, or the future, they simply told her what she needed to know."

"Wow, vampires, shape shifters and Voodoo priestesses? You really are a Myth Junkie aren't you?" He smiled at me, and so was born the nickname MJ.

We never did resolve whether Peter's gift was related to the magicks that the Voodoo priestess had practiced. I'm not sure if he even knows, but he claims to have no control over it, unlike traditional vampire abilities. Char told me once that he is not sure whether it was something that had been present in his human life, but it would be surprising if he would even remember, as those memories become so vague after the change.

~o~o~

I was brought back to the present by Peter's hand on my shoulder. We had arrived home and he was waiting beside the open passenger door for me to snap back into reality.

"What are you thinking about so hard, pumpkin?"

I tried to shrug while untangling myself from the seatbelt. "Oh you know, the usual. Life, the universe and everything."

Peter smiled down at me as we walked up the pathway to the front door.

"Oh!" I squeaked, "We should go pick up my truck, I left it in the Safeway parking lot earlier." I suddenly realised that all my frozen goods would be slowly spoiling in the summer heat. Good bye Ben, good bye Jerry, good bye funky yet delicious monkey...

"No worries. It has been overcast all afternoon so I picked it up for you earlier." Char's smiling face appeared in the hallway as Peter ushered me through the door, and I rushed forward to envelope her in a not-very-warm, but heartfelt hug.

"Thank you, Char, you're the best sister a girl could ever ask for." I buried my face in her cool embrace as I allowed the days events to catch up with me.

I'm not as emotional and weak as I used to be back when I lived in Forks, but being thrust unceremoniously back into one of the most heart-wrenching periods of your past will do a number on even the most callous bitch. I sniffed quietly, trying to hold back the tears as I extricated myself from Char's arms.

"Sweet Pea, how are you holding up?" I felt Peter's hand on the small of my back as he ushered me into the living room. Before I even realised she had moved, Char appeared in front of me with what looked like a fresh G&T.

"Oh, sweet nectar of the gods! I will feel so much better once at least two of these are in me." I reclined into the couch, hugging my knees close to my chest and sipping reverently at my drink, savouring the subtle hint of fresh lime underlying the awesomeness that was the joyous intermingling of gin and tonic.

I smiled despite the tense situation, remembering the fun Char and I had when I tried to teach her how to make drinks. She had grown up in a different and much drier culture than I; her parents having been good God-fearing Baptists in the Deep South. From what she remembers, her parents didn't drink, and with the exception of a bottle of whisky being shared between men on poker night, neither did the rest of her community.

~o~o~

Charlotte had been understandably reserved when I entered her and Peter's lives and home. For some strange reason, after overcoming my initial shock, I had automatically trusted Peter upon first encountering him, but I hadn't opened up to either of them yet. Charlotte was wary of accepting the unknown and putting herself and her mate in danger through association with a human who knew of their kind.

Despite Peter's assurance that everything would work out for the best, we remained cautious of each other, and I knew that it weighed heavy on the usually jovial man that the 'two best ladies in his life' were unable to trust or bond with each other.

I had come home from classes one day to find every inch of counter in our kitchen covered in a wide variety of alcohol, mixes, glasses of all shapes and sizes, and even an honest-to-god Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville blender. I immediately assumed that Peter was up to something, but I was shocked when I walked further into the kitchen to see Char standing by the counter with anticipation written clearly across her face.

"What the –"

My exclamation was cut off by the frantic and excited ramblings of what I could only assume was Charlotte channelling her inner Alice.

"I know, I know. I went a bit overboard… but I got excited and ….." The rest of her words were completely unintelligible to me as she continued her explanation at vampire speed. I held a hand up and pleaded mentally for her to take a breath so I could get a word in.

"Ok, Charlotte… Would you care to explain to me, at human speed, why our kitchen looks like an alcoholic's wet dream?"

She gave me a funny look for my choice of words, but started speaking more slowly, and gave me her explanation for the cornucopia of alcohol and accessories.

"Look, I know that we don't really…get along, and I think we can both tell that it really bothers Peter. I thought maybe if we tried to do something together, we could bond and get to know each other better, and maybe things will get easier." She looked at me with such desperation in her eyes and I could tell that she wasn't just doing this for Peter. She genuinely wanted us to connect the same way that we both connected with Peter, and I couldn't help but agree with her wishes.

"I tried to think about things that you might like doing, but most of your time is spent either reading or studying… and those aren't really group activities. So then I thought, well you're a college student, and college students stereotypically like to drink a lot, but I've never really seen you have more than a beer. I decided maybe we could learn how to make drinks and figure out what you like to drink. I never drank alcohol in my human life; nobody in my family did, so I thought that maybe this could be something that we learn about together." She was wringing her hands together nervously, as if genuinely concerned about my possible rejection. I looked over the array of alcohol and couldn't help but be touched by her gesture.

"I think I'd like that, Charlotte, but where the fuck do we start?"

Char pulled out a book on mixology she had picked up, and we started bonding, giggling over silly drink names, and then eventually giggling just for the sake of it. We discovered that while they all tasted terrible to her, some drinks smelt really appealing to Char, so we would make G&Ts or martinis, and she would sniff them while I drank them. As the night wore on we became progressively sillier, and the drinks we made became progressively stranger, and stronger.

It wasn't until far later that evening that we truly bonded as sisters though. Peter had walked in the door to find empty and half-empty bottles everywhere, spilled drinks on every conceivable surface, including the ceiling, and Char and I in hysterics on the kitchen floor.

"Hey, Big Poppa P," we sang out in unison, causing another round of giggles to burst forth.

"What are you two doing?" He asked with an indulgent smile, obviously happy to see the two of us laughing together.

Char picked up a glass of Sex On The Beach and waved it around in the air as she started explaining to Peter, "I was just telling little sis here about the time you were convinced that Elvis was alive and playing at the Rio Grande as an impersonator."

She grinned up at him as he groaned, obviously not looking forward to the story. "You see he had heard about this really great show… and Garret told him that he could have sworn that he smelt the real Elvis at the show. So Peter goes backstage before the performance, bouncing around like a pig in mud, he's so exited to meet this guy-" Her story was interrupted by another fit of giggles before she continued.

"Just picture it, he walks up and sticks his hand out and says 'It's a real honour to meet you sir', in this high pitched little fangirl squeal, and around turns the ugliest-ass woman I have ever seen, and she says, 'It's always nice to meet a fan, little girl'"

Char gets up to start acting out her story amid uproarious laughter and then we all stare, shocked, as she falls flat on her ass with a little 'oomph'. She is so surprised her mouth forms a little 'O' and she turns to me with wide eyes and moans.

"Why is the world all spinny?"

And that was when we discovered that I can get vampires drunk.

~o~o~

I was brought out of my memories by a cold hand prying my now empty glass out of my hands and replacing it with a full one. I smiled up at Char and hummed my appreciation as I took a sip of my fresh drink, once again savouring the tang of the lemon and the refreshing bite of the gin.

"Thanks, babe, I think I'm ready to talk now."

Peter came over and picked me up before settling me back into his lap, and Char curled up next to us on the couch, surrounding me in the love and support of my new family.

"Ok, MJ, do you want to start by filling us in on what happened? All I knew is that you would need a ride from some house in the 'burbs. I was really shocked to see you there with Jasper… and especially smelling the way you did."

My cheeks burned with an uncharacteristic blush, one of the many traits of my youth that I had grown out of, mostly. The annoying part of living with vampires was their supersensitive sense of smell. Last year when I had a stomach flu, they had the entire house full of scented candles… it was, awkward to say the least.

"I'm sorry, guys. Nothing happened, not really. Well, something almost happened, but then it didn't…" I broke off with a sigh, and then told them the whole story.

"I was at the Safeway, and I guess I was feeling a bit shitty. As much as I love you guys, sometimes our situation gets me down. I still feel like I'm missing some important part of my life, and I can't figure it out. So, I was just minding my own business when I started feeling really aroused, like, uh…" I broke off again, needing a sip of my drink to calm my nerves so I could continue my story.

"Anyway, I guess Jasper must have picked up on my mood and he…uhh, ." I rushed out and then paused while my husband and his mate started laughing uproariously.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, guys. It was fucking embarrassing as hell; satisfying yes, but oh gods, I started fondling the fruit, and moaning…and then you called, Peter, and it helped me clear my head a bit. By that point I had realised that it must have been Jasper, because I really don't find fresh fruit that appealing, and then…" I buried my face in my hands again as my body continued to shake from the vibrations of Peter's laughter.

"Did I even hang up on you before I had my incredibly loud and public orgasm?" I peeked out from between my fingers to try to tell if Peter was lying to me.

"Yeah, you did, but damn did I wish you hadn't!"

SMACK

"Thanks, sis, he deserved that." I smiled smugly as Peter rubbed the back of his head and glared half-heartedly at her.

"No problem, babe, so d'ya wanna tell us the rest?"

"That depends, sugar, d'ya wanna refill my drink?" I cooed sweetly at her, batting my eyelashes for good measure. She rolled her eyes, but disappeared and returned with a fresh drink for me in a flash.

"Mmm.. Thanks. So, I approached him, and called him out on what he did, and I maybe egged him on a little." I looked down at my lap while I admitted this. I know our situation is unconventional and likely temporary, but I still feel like today's events were a betrayal to these two amazing creatures. Peter rubbed my back and Char took my free hand, encouraging me to continue.

"We ended up back at his place, and things were going well. We talked for a bit. I never really knew Jasper before, you know? He was the 'weak link' in the family, and was always kept away from me." I noticed Char and Peter exchange a look at it, but decided to worry about that later and continued on with my story.

"It was really great, I mean, he's actually a really cool guy, and I think everyone underestimates him. For him to have gone through what you guys told me about, and come out the man he is today, that takes a lot more strength than anyone gives him credit for. We ended up making out a bit, and then he went and fucked it all up. That stupid ass started treating me the same way HE did." The transition from pleasant memories of his tongue in my mouth, to absolute rage nearly gave me whiplash. Peter squeezed me lightly as I finished my third drink of the evening.

Char returned with another drink for me and I continued my ranting and raving. "Do you know, he actually had the audacity to TELL me that I was still in love with that douchebag? That I'm innocent, and fragile. I swear to god, it must be a Cullen thing. 'Poor little Bella Swan, wouldn't want her feet to get dirty in the real world, lets put her up on this pedestal'" I mocked angrily. "Because that worked out so well in the past!"

I jumped off of Peter's lap and started pacing frantically back and forth in front of the coffee table. "I mean, I get it. Me human, you vampire. Big strong man protect little girl," I caught a glimpse of Char smirking at me as my tirade continued, and I knew I was being a little ridiculous, but at this point I really didn't care. I just needed to vent, and I knew they would enjoy the show.

"I'm not a freaking little girl. I mean god, they just made all these assumptions about me. She's Edward's mate, she must be so sweet and innocent and fragile. She must be protected and revered, and lets buy her fancy things. I mean I get that Edward wasn't used to having to get to know people the 'normal' way, since he could just read their minds, but the rest of the family? They just assumed they knew who I was, sorry, they knew who Edward's mate was. And then, when the weak fragile little human does exactly what weak fragile humans do, bleed, they all freak out and run away!" I was shouting by this point, and I could hear the ice cubes clinking in my once again empty glass as I practically shook with my rage.

"And now Jasper waltzes back into my life like nothing is the matter, and treats me exactly like they did? Out of all of them, I would have expected better of Jasper." I paused, an idea suddenly popped into my head that I simply couldn't shake, and I stared over at Peter hoping he could calm my nerves.

"Peter, why is Jasper here? Did they send him? I'm so tired of this. I just want them out of my life. Is that so much to ask? 'A clean break' he promised me, but first the hospital, then college, and now this." I started to get dizzy, and the world was spinning slowly around me. I realised that Char must have been making me some rather strong drinks to get me to open up to them, but I had been guzzling them down like water and I was apparently well into tipsy, but not quite at drunk yet.

Char got up and walked over, surrounding me with her cold embrace and whispering into my hair.

"It's ok, babe, I've got you, we've got you. You don't have to face him if you don't want to. He's a fucking pussy and he wouldn't stand a chance against either of us."

I snorted at that, Edward thought he was so above everyone because of his mind reading. He honestly believed no one could best him in a fight, but he didn't understand that seasoned fighters acted on instinct alone; their bodies moving of their own accord, disconnected from higher thought. In a fight with a soldier, with a real warrior like either Peter or Char, he was a pre-pubescent boy trying to play at being a real man.

"Thanks, sweets, I needed that laugh. Seriously though, I know Jasper is your friend, but I'm not ready to trust him." Char nodded at my words, and I turned to face Peter, levelling him with my 'bitchface' as he called it.

"I know you have this grand plan, Peter, and I know he is part of it, but I also know that you are not telling me everything. Not right now, but soon, you will tell me what you are hiding from me, and I will probably have Charlotte kick you in the balls for me. However, for the time being, I'm tired, and a little tipsy, and apparently I smell… so I'm going to go have a shower." I turned around and headed up the stairs, calling over my shoulder to Char. "Make sure the little fucker behaves himself while I'm gone… oh and order me a pizza, please?"

Now was a good time to reflect on what led to my mini-meltdown. As I turned on the shower to heat up the water and stripped out of my clothes, I decided it was a combination of pig-headed chauvinistic men who pushed my buttons and high quality gin. Not an unusual combination for me, really.

I sighed and stepped under the stream of hot water, and felt my muscle slowly relaxing and releasing the tension from the day. I really wasn't ready to deal with the Cullens, but at the same time I was sick of letting my past rule my life. First love is supposed to be just that, first, perhaps the first of many.

I was truly devastated when Edward left me in the woods that night so many years ago. I was devastated because I couldn't believe the man that I loved and the family who had treated me as one of their own could turn their backs on me so callously and coldly. It didn't take me long to figure out that in Edward's twisted, immature reasoning, he had left me for my own good and while it pissed me right the fuck off, I understood. Edward was a martyr by nature, he was a protector and he couldn't handle the fact that he couldn't protect me from his own family so he tried to be selfless by denying his own happiness and leaving me to live a safe and normal life. Of course, he went about it in the cruellest and most self-centred way possible, but that's just Edward for you, dismissive of anyone else's concerns.

I've tried to move on with my life, but the problem is that he didn't just lie when he said he didn't love me anymore, or that I wasn't good enough for him. He lied to me when he promised me a clean break, and I don't want someone in my life that could treat me that way, and he really doesn't know how to take a hint.

I was interrupted from my musings on all the ways Edward had broken his promises by the sound of my cell phone ringing from somewhere on the floor. As was I digging through my pile of dirty clothes, I saw Peter sweep into the room and land on the bed with a bounce, sporting my cell phone in his hands.

"Hello, Dandie, Dandie, fine as candy" He grinned at me as he answered the call from Danielle, one of the girls who worked at the bar.

"Sure, I'll see if I can find her for you." He handed me the phone and whispered over to me. "I think they need you to work tonight, are you feeling up to it?" He shot me a worried glance as I nodded quickly and brought the phone up to my ear.

"Hey, Dani, what's up?"

"Hi, MJ, I hate to do this to you, but Stef called in sick and it's just me and Lee here, and it's going to be a busy night, could you possibly come in to work?" I sighed, for some reason, Peter had declared that at the bar I should be known as MJ and as usual I went along with his weird ideas; he hadn't steered me wrong yet.

"Yeah, Dani, that's fine. I need to eat first and get ready; can you and Lee manage for another hour?" I liked Danielle, she was a sweet girl who truly enjoyed her job. She also doubled as our publicist due a combination of her sharp wit and her skills with a camera. She always joked that when her tips or tits started to drop, she'd become a professional photographer, and I often wished that she would. She had such talent, and it was wasted at our little bar.

"I think we can manage, MJ, but the sooner the better." I knew that meant they were really hurting, and so I quickly confirmed to her that I would be there as soon as I could and hung up the phone.

"Hey, Char! I'm in a bit of a hurry, would you mind coming up and helping me with my hair?" I called down the stairs for reinforcements; sometimes living with two vampires has its perks. Dropping my robe, I walked into the closet and grabbed some underwear, a bra, and one of my little black cocktail dresses.

I ignored Peter's whistles and rude comments as I slipped on my underwear and held the dress up in front of the mirror. Bronze detailing accented the neck and the hem of the dress, with asymmetrical stitching breaking up the monotony and adding a little bit of modernity and spice to the otherwise classic and boring garment.

"I think this will do for today," I nodded at myself in the mirror, and hopped onto the bathroom counter as Char buzzed around me drying my hair and applying make up for me. She handed me a slice of pizza to munch on as she started the tedious process of pinning up my hair. Finishing my second slice of pizza, I leaned over to wash my hands in the sink and received a flick to the ear for 'disrupting her process'.

"I think you're good to go, babe; I'll zip up the dress for you if you'll pick out some shoes."

Smiling, I quickly hugged Char, grabbing a coat, my purse and a large box containing the rest of my work 'uniform' and rushed out the door.

"Thanks guys, I'll see you later. Will you be stopping by later tonight?"

Peter got a strange gleam in his eye that filled me with dread. "No, darling wife of mine, I think me and the mistress are going to go defile your kitchen again."

"Damn it, Peter! I told you to keep your fuckery out of the kitchen! Oh, and don't forget to show her that new thing with your tongue…"

With a giggle and a wave, I hopped into my truck and headed off to work.

Thanks for reading ladies! Thanks for all the alerts and favourites and reviews I get throughout the week. They make me smile when the rest of my life is conspiring to make me bash my brains in. And thanks to dandiegoose, mzbionic and leelan oleander for letting me use them as characters, even if dandie was the only one who knew about this ahead of time.

Another round of what did I wiki here: colleges (for next chapter), fraternities, secret societies, roofies, and voodoo. Did you know there are apparently differences between Dominican/Haitian voodoo and Louisiana voodoo? I didn't.

If you are looking for a really cool book on voodoo, well actually it's about zombies in the Dominican Republic, check out The Rainbow and the Serpent by Wade Davis. It's not fanfiction, it's a real, non-fiction book about zombies. It's awesome.

I should give you some pimp here, so first off have you been reading Around the Bend by Leelan Oleander? It's the sequel to her story Encore, and its an AH story with the usual gang facing the challenges of growing up and overcoming the struggles that life gives them. There is also a moose named Chocolate, jsyk. And if you are in the mood for the stupidest piece of crackfic I've ever seen, check out Danza Mania by mzbionic. I may or may not have contributed a POV to her second chapter, and inspired the horror that was the first chapter. I've heard rumours of a third chapter, but I've also heard rumours of the apocalypse…

And for some seasonal fun, Breath-of-twilight is posting the Countdown-to-Halloween with 31 oneshots from 31 authors, and a massive collab piece full of halloween-y goodness.

In other news, my first post as the affiliate pimp with the Twimuses blog should be going up this weekend (www . twimuses . com). I cornered cullen818 and got the dirt on Jasper's Naughty Girls blog.