Disclaimer: You all know what part of this story is mine and what's not, right? Thanks for respecting that. :)
A/N: Thanks to Decemberchick for her recent rec of my stories on lion_lamb at Livejournal. No one is allowed to stone her without going through me first. ;) Thanks as always to Juliet for the undercover beta'ing.
Chapter 4 - Jasper's POV
I didn't know what to make of Bella's apology. I held no claim to her anymore, why would she be apologizing to me for her thoughts about Francesco? I am sure they both knew that I was certain to react to the situation in a very similar manner to Edward, but still, I was surprised she took that into consideration. I was even more surprised that Edward didn't respond to her concern for me. I felt that he was upset, as he has been since we all arrived here, but there was no sudden spike in hostility or insecurity. Just the same stress, sadness, and reluctance that we've both been feeling.
Aro's announcement as we reentered the war room did nothing to calm our nerves. We made our way to the table and sat down for the debriefing. Everyone else was already there, mild panic was floating throughout the room. I took a moment to look across the room at Heidi, who had barely spared two words for me since Bella got off the plane. How I wished I could read her emotions, so I could try and figure out what was going on in her head. Bella caught me looking at Heidi and took my hand, squeezing it in support. I turned and smiled at her gratefully and she smiled back, letting me feel her love and guilt and sympathy. Of course, Heidi would take that exact moment to twist back and look at me, only to turn away just as quickly. Bella saw her and immediately felt remorseful. She tried to take her hand away, but I held tighter. It was too late, what was the point? Bella nodded and maintained her almost routine position in this room, one hand holding mine, one hand holding Edward's.
Aro cleared his throat to get our attention. "We have had an undercover operative, a spy if you will, in the Romanian organization for some time now. We had discovered that they were running a research facility of sorts in Siberia, where so-called scientists were doing genetic studies and testing on kidnapped humans, attempting to increase their blood volume and speed of reproduction. We were able to get one of our supporters into the building and he has been one of our main sources of information for the past six months. This morning, his head was delivered in a box. From what he told us, he was forced to watch the rest of his body go up in flames, but was not given the mercy of death since he refused to turn on us. Not getting the names and information they desired, they shipped his head to us with a warning that our days were numbered."
"Wait a minute! You mean, his head is still alive, talking to you like some god awful animated bust?" Kelly asked, disgusted.
"Not any longer. Setting that poor man's head aflame was difficult, but it was the merciful thing to do," Carlisle replied. "I prayed for him to find peace in the next life and set him free from his suffering."
"Yes. Well, today has brought a few things into sharp resolution. First, that they know we are aware of their activities, but more importantly, that they are taking the first steps towards coming out of the shadows. They had no fear, as they should have had in sending us this message."
"So what now? Are you going to send some guards in there to kick some ass? Isn't that the standard protocol around these parts?" Emmett asked. "Do they want some help? I'll pitch in! I'd love to rip a few of those sick bastards to pieces."
"I'm not sure that's the best course of action," Carlisle said, his voice and expressions giving off an air of calmness that I knew for a fact was a front. "I think right now it is more important that we step up efforts to get Bella's talents under control. How did today go?" He implored.
"Well," Marcus answered for us. "She succeeded in using her powers to make a young man in the square fall in love with her. Below Carlisle, but above myself."
Carlisle spent a few moments questioning Bella for any sign of how she was able to do it, made some notes, and Francesco was officially on the Bella Fan Club chart. Fuck, I hate that chart.
"I've been thinking, and I think Felix may have the right idea when he suggested going out," Alice piped in. "Bella, I don't have to be an empath to know you're seriously stressed. It's written all over your face. It would make sense that your power worked today because it's the first time you've probably relaxed even a little bit since we've been here. Am I right?" Bella reluctantly nodded. "We'll all go," Alice enthused. "It'll be fun!"
"Bella," Felix spoke up. "The man who died for us today was a friend of mine. I know how hard the very idea of this is for you. We all care for you, that blasted chart tells you how much, and all the girls here care about you, too. We loath putting you through this, if for no other reason than that we want to keep you to ourselves." Everyone chuckled at that. "But you are our only hope. You need to do this so that no one else has to die needlessly," Felix said with heartbreaking sincerity.
Adrian, who had been pacing the back of the room restlessly, decided to stand behind Bella, bending down to kiss her forehead and rub her forearms for a moment before bending down and hugging her. "You can do it, Hells Bells, I know you can."
I felt it the moment she gave in. "Alright. You're right. I'll try harder." Bella sighed in defeat. "Let's go dancing." Alice jumped up and clapped.
Alice and the girls all immediately left to go shopping for new dresses for the evening. The rest of us continued the meeting, going over strategies on how this was going to work if Bella succeeded, and attempted to come up with some sort of back-up plan if she didn't.
As soon as nightfall hit, we all headed out, save Aro, Carlisle and Esme, who couldn't blend in at a nightclub as well as the rest of us. The girls all looked beautiful, every one of them done to the nines. Bella was dressed with a red silk blouse and black ruffled skirt, so sexy but not overdone or trampy. Alice had a deep purple dress with a v-neck and spaghetti straps on that looked gorgeous with her black hair. Heidi chose to dress down a little from the others so as to not draw attention to herself, as did Gianna, who was much like Heidi. If she wasn't fishing, she shied away from that kind of attention. Not that it would work, they were both far too beautiful not to notice. Rosalie, of course, had no such hang-ups, dressing in a gold lame dress that was stunning on her.
The game plan was that we would all hang out and relax, but that the girls would spend a decent amount of time out on the dance floor without us, giving some unsuspecting men a chance to approach Bella.
We were having a great time, and I could feel the tension slowly release into the mist. The first slow song came on, and I walked up behind Heidi and asked her to dance. I was pleasantly shocked when she turned around and smiled up at me before saying yes. I took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor, where Bella was already dancing with Edward. I could tell Edward was having a hard time not dancing with her in a way that laid his claim for all to see. I didn't blame him. Bella and Edward looked over at Heidi and I and both smiled their approval.
"I miss you," I whispered in her ear as I pulled her into my arms, nuzzling my head into her neck and breathing her in as we rocked to the music.
"I miss you, too," she whispered back, laying her cheek against my chest.
"Heidi, do---" I started to ask her if she saw a way she'd be willing to give us another chance, but she interrupted me.
"It doesn't matter, though," she said, holding me a little tighter in her arms. "It'll never work. It'll never be enough for me."
We swayed back and forth, just holding onto each other, and when the song was over, Heidi kissed my cheek and walked away without another word.
Edward clamped his hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Jazz. Let's get a drink." I ordered a Southern Comfort straight up and really wished I could drink it as we kept up appearances. Emmett's tried before, though, to disastrous results. He swore it burnt his nose hairs when he started vomiting and it spewed amber liquid out of his nose.
Bella, Alice, and Rosalie were all dancing together in a group for a little while, and the rest of us had spread out, wandering. Edward, Adrian and Emmett had gone outside to get some fresh air. Felix was completely lost in Kelly, making out at our VIP table. Demetri was dancing with Gianna. Marcus had disappeared with Heidi. I could only assume she'd had enough and he was taking her home. We'd been there for hours with no sign of Bella's power kicking in; he'd already written the night off as good for the nerves, but nothing more.
I scanned the crowd and saw Alice and Rose dancing by themselves. Bella was no longer with them. Curious, I started looking around searching for her. That's when I felt it. I was hit with a wave of incredibly strong obsessive lust, topped with the euphoria associated with feeling powerful. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the fear, crippling, paralyzing fear.
My eyes zeroed in on Bella. A man, human, had Bella pushed into a dark corner of the club, her back against the wall. Bella was pleading with him.
"Brandon, you don't want to do this. I don't want this! Please, you don't know what you're doing," Bella cried. His only response was an unintelligible grunt as he tugged her shirt hem out from under her skirt and shoved his hand up under it while he attacked her neck with his mouth. "Please, no. Stop!"
I ran to her as quickly as I could without drawing attention, knowing exactly what I had to do. Bella's eyes were wide as she tried to gently push against him. I slunk up behind him, gripping his hipbones tightly in my hands, feeling the flesh give way. He gasped but before he could lift his head or otherwise react, I bent my head and bit him. He instinctively gripped Bella's waist for support and his forehead dropped to her shoulder. To anyone paying casual attention to the scene in front of them, they would think it was three lovers in an embrace, and for one brief moment, it almost felt like it was. His blood was intoxicating, the alcohol and adrenalin flavoring it, making me feel almost euphoric. I relished every drop as I killed him, not feeling one second of guilt for ridding the world of someone foolish enough to try and hurt Bella. I moaned with satisfaction as I drank the last drop. Once he was drained and his heart ceased, I gently moved him to the nearest chair, careful to make it look as though he'd passed out drunk.
Bella was shaking terribly and I rushed back to her, where she collapsed into my arms, dry sobs wracking her body. "It was my fault, I did that. I made him like that. I know I could have fought him off, but I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to kill him when it was my fault. I swore Trevor would be the last. Plus, I couldn't expose us! I didn't know what to do!"
I peppered her face with tiny kisses, just about everywhere except her lips, so thankful I got there in time. "Shhh, darlin', it's over. It's alright. I've got you." She pressed her forehead into the crook of my neck and I laid my cheek on the top of her head, rubbing my hands up and down her spine, trying to comfort her.
Bella calmed down a little and pulled back to look at me. "Thank you, Jasper. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't saved me. I couldn't kill him, but I didn't want to let him...do that...either. It reminded me of when I was attacked in Port Angeles, and I just panicked. I can't believe you did that for me. You've worked so hard--" her voice faltered as she realized the magnitude of what I had just done. Not only had I taken a man's life, I had drank from him, something I swore I would never do. "Thank you," she breathed again. Her relief was pulsing through me, surrounding me with her love and gratitude. I kissed her forehead before pulling her back against my chest, burying my fingers in her hair and cupping the back of her head with one hand, holding her to me with my other arm wrapped securely around her waist.
Edward and Adrian came up behind us just then. I felt Edward's anger and jealousy as they approached, but it was quickly squashed when he heard Bella's speech. I turned to look at him, not knowing what to expect, but knowing I wasn't letting go of Bella until she was ready to be let go.
"Thank you, Jazz," Edward said simply. Bella's eyes shot open at the sound of his voice, and I released her with a smile as she ran into his arms. Adrian came to stand by me, and we turned away from the intimate moment they were sharing, trying to give them some privacy.
"That was a good thing you just did, Jazz. You might want to grab that dude's shades, though," Adrian said, pointing to Brandon's body. "Your eyes are changing color already."
Emmett and Rose found us and surveyed the scene. As soon as they saw the dead man sitting in the corner and me wearing said dead man's sunglasses in the middle of a dark nightclub, Rose turned and disappeared into the crowd, presumably to gather everyone else. "Well, that's enough fun for one night, don't you think?" Emmett asked with a smile on his face.
We grabbed our jackets and paid the tab before heading towards the exit. Just as we were leaving, we saw someone entering to our left. It was Francesco. Bella gasped in shock, and Francesco zeroed in on her quickly.
"Bella!" he shouted, absolutely ecstatic. Edward put his hand on the small of her back and continued to lead her out of the club. Francesco turned and followed. We tried to lose him, but shy of revealing ourselves, it wasn't working. Francesco was relentless and determined.
Demetri took to the front of the group, announcing, "I am sick of this shit. Follow me." Demetri lead us into the dark alley that led to the catacomb entrance to the castle. Still Francesco followed. He was two steps in from the edge of the lamplight shining on the concrete. For a split second, I felt his hesitation before Demetri turned on him, pinning him to the wall and biting him.
"No!" Bella screamed. "Don't kill him!" Demetri wasn't stopping, though, until Emmett forced his arms between them and physically separated him from his Francesco, who collapsed to the ground, near unconsciousness. A moment later, he screamed as the burning began. Emmett clamped his hand over the man's mouth and picked him up with the other hand.
"Well, don't just stand there. Open the damn door!" Emmett said, irritated. We let him go first, then followed him to the castle. Carlisle heard Francesco's muffled cries and met us in the lobby as we exited the tunnels. Emmett gratefully handed him over to Carlisle, who took Francesco away, whether to destroy him or allow the transformation to complete, I wasn't sure. Knowing Carlisle, it was a safe assumption that the Volturi just acquired a new member.
A/N: Hmmm...let's see, how about, by request of Undeniably Obsessed (I'm too lazy to do that many capitals, forgive me!) naked Jasper with whipped cream and white chocolate for a review?