Disclaimer: We own nothing but the right to fuck with Edward…and Jasper's head as we see fit.
Fiberkitty's AN: fiberkitty is still away, she'll be back late Sunday night. Send Mama Mischief some lovin' since kitty isn't here to fill my inbox.
Mischief's AN: Holy crap, guys. Wow. I've never posted a DS chapter. I kinda feel bad about it now. I miss my kitty!!! She's only been gone a full day and already I's a sad mischief. However...this sad mischief has been busy! I'm writing like you wouldn't believe for my stories over on my own profile page. Plus, Kitty and I have worked hard this past week and I'm working on the last chapters of DS! It's going to be sad when it's over. BUT! We have a few tricks up our sleeves! Not to worry!
Dark Salvation: Chapter 38: The Hardest Thing To Do
Jasper POV
The growl Edward made caused me to jerk against my bindings. In the periphery of my vision, I could see Edward lunge for my master.
"He belongs to himself, you sick son of a bitch."
Aro's hand sliced through the air, there was a glint of metal, and then Edward gasped. I pulled on my cuffs, trying to slip free despite knowing they were on too tightly. The blood loss and emotional damage were weakening me but this gave me the adrenaline rush I needed to stay alert.
Master's voice sounded as if he was focusing for a last attack. He was tiring but was going to try and hurt my Edward again.
"Edward, you are not stronger. You are merely a child. And I've been doing this longer than you've been alive."
"Unleashing hell on countless victims, no doubt!" Edward retorted.
Master's laugh was icy. "You think they are victims?"
"I know they are! You and your sick fucking rules and domination and punishments!" But I need those rules, Edward. They're the only things holding me together right now.
Master grunted, a man in his condition should not be fighting like this. Edward, just leave him alone, go back to Bella, and leave us. Master will make me better and when he dies, I'm going to be in charge. Eleazar and I will win, without having to fight. It's all going to be mine and then I can let all the slaves go, the subs too if that is what they wish.
"You will not best me, Edward. You are a weak human being. You are broken, you will be broken further!"
No, Master! You can't hurt him. I tried to yell out, but my lips wouldn't move. I was locked in my mind, hearing James whisper that Edward would die and then Master would kill me next. I'd be with Maria and James soon.
Master's arm twisted and Edward went down. I managed to sob that time and Master looked up at me as he moved toward Edward. His face shimmered from the overhead light and I saw James standing beside me, a syringe in hand. "This won't hurt a bit, to me."
"Oh, poor Edward…so beautiful, so…you really are gorgeous. You will be the crowned jewel in my legacy…" Master stood before me again, looking down at Edward. He wanted to take Edward back.
"No! Master!" You can't have him. Just take me, we'll go silently, tonight after I call Eleazar to come take care of Edward's wound. Edward rolled onto his back and used his legs to shove Master back. He was going to land on his blades. I tried to shout but was frozen in my horror. The moment went in slow motion as sixteen blades went into Master's back.
Master's face hardened in shock and then sagged. Edward climbed to his feet and stood over my Master.
"Edward..." If he'd let out of the cuffs, I can take care of this. I have to take care of my Master.
He silenced me with a hand. "No, Jasper, just...wait..."
Master was trying to catch his breath. He was already weakened from the cancer and now he was bleeding out all over the mattresses. Master Aro whispered something but I couldn't hear his words.
"Edward," I begged him to hear me. "We…we have to get him some help!" I have to be the one to kill him. You can't do this to Bella. She needs you.
Edward looked down at my master with murder in his eyes. He looked how I must have when I protected them from James. "No, Jasper! This sick fucker destroyed you!"
"Edward…don't. You…you're better than this." Don't get sucked into the darkness with me. Just walk away. You can't be like me. I need you to be my light in the world.
Edward shook his head, wisps of hair floating down to land in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Jasper." He let out a snarl as leaned over Master Aro."You'll never again hurt anyone, you old pervert."
Edward shoved one of the positioning pillows over Master's face, the room going quiet as his gasping was muffled by the fabric and padding. "Go to hell... back where you belong!"
No, Edward. Hell is my life without you in it. I have to take the fall for this. I can't see you hurt. I have to do what it takes to protect you, my love.
"God, Edward! He's dead!" Move away from him, Edward. I have to be the one to kill Master. You can't. I'll have immunity as self-defense; you'll be charged with murder.
Edward's eyes focused on some far away place, much like Alice's have done in the past. He smiled faintly and then shook himself from the daydream. His hand, smeared with blood from the wound on the side of his upper hip, pulled back the pillow and then checked for a pulse. By the look on Edward's face and the dead eyes of my Master, I knew there was not one.
Edward stood up and slipped in the blood that was dripping over the side of the mattress. Master's blood and mine were mingling in the center. His head hit the ground, coating his face and chest in blood. He reminded me of a young Christopher Lee, covered in the blood of his victim. Only in this case, there were no double puncture wounds at the neck.
Edward took out his phone and I soon heard Bella's voice yelling for him.
"He's fine. I'll be home in a little while. We're calling off the therapy tonight."
No, no, no. You need to go home now, Edward. Eleazar and I will clean up the mess and make the appropriate calls. It will go smoothly.
His face tensed and then relaxed as his tone shifted slightly. "That's alright, love. I'm just going to see that he gets something to eat and then give him a sleeping pill, okay?"
I had plenty to eat with Master before we came in here. I asked him to punish me, but not to cut me. That was Master's choice. He would have bound my cuts and then left for the night. I would have packed my bag in the morning and we'd have left for Italy. Edward would have loved me when I left that way. Now, I have to make him hate me so that he'll go. It has to be this way.
"We're fine, Bella, love. I'll see you in just a bit."
Edward closed the phone and then walked slowly to the wall, careful to not slip in the blood. "I did it, Jasper. You're free now… It'll all be okay now."
You'll be okay, that's all that matters. This would be my greatest act. I have to destroy every shred of love you feel for me. I have to pretend that I don't love you any longer. As much as I need you to believe me, I have to hope that somewhere, your heart knows I'm lying.
I looked down at Master's broken form. No, I'm the Master now. I have to act like it. I am the Master of Volterra.
I forced myself to look at Aro's body with disdain. "What did you do, Edward?"
"What had to be done, just like you did with James. I neutralized the situation."
Forgive me, my darling boy. Some time in the future, forgive me. I unleashed an icy glare and slapped him, hard, across the face. "And who asked you to?"
Edward merely blinked in response. "Excuse me?"
"You…God…Edward…you fucking killed him!"
His eyes flashed with fire, his lips pursed to respond with something sarcastic. He fought against his tongue and then looked at me, sadness prevalent in his visage. "He was going to kill you…he would have killed me…"
I could have lost Edward at which point I would have transferred everything I owned to Bella and Alice, and joined Edward in the hereafter. "You…I…" I need to keep you safe. This is the only way. "I'll call Elly…he can help me clean this up." Eleazar will know what to do. I'll lie to him, tell him that I did it in self-defense and that Edward came in and was attacked.
"Your back…"
Isn't that bad. They're shallow but bloody. I'll live. I help up a hand to silence him. So soon he's forgotten who is the master in our relationship. "Go shower; get all of the blood off of you."
"Come with me, I'll clean you up…" I pulled away from him. If I let him hold me, he'd see through my emotional block. He'd see the little boy inside of me cowering in fear now that I've had to be put back in control of my life. I will take control of it all to save you, Edward. "Jasper?"
I just want to hold you, Edward. I want to kiss you and thank you for saving me. Tears were prickling at my eyes and I shook my head to fight them away.
"It's okay, Master Jasper. Aro and Maria are here with me. You'll join us in hell soon." James' voice called to me from the other side. I pulled at my hair. I couldn't take the hallucinations now. I needed to focus. How can I make him leave so I can do what I must? "No…stay away from me. You…you aren't my Edward anymore."
"But…but, Jasper. I did this for you, for us, so we can all be together…"
I want to, Edward. I can taste it, that's how badly I just want to fall into your arms and weep for everything I'm losing. But I can't. I have to be stone.
I dodged his arms as they reached for me, his heart tugging at me. "No, Edward, I mean it, stay away from me. Go. Shower. Now. We'll…deal with this."
Edward went to my bathroom and started the water. I stood in my bedroom, my head leaning against the door, tears running down my cheeks, as I heard him sobbing. I'd just ruined one of the best things to ever happen to me. But I had to save him from the darkness and this was the only way. My heart shattered into a thousand pieces and I left the shards there at the door. This would be the moment that haunted me for the rest of my life. I could kill a thousand people, but never would the guilt reach me like it is eating at me now.
Bella would help him get over me. They'd be fine again, better than before they met, and a thousand times better than they were while I was in their lives. He needs her now, in a way he never has before.
Eleazar and Seth showed up twenty minutes after my call. Seth picked up Edward in my shower, dried him off, and with Eleazar's assistance patched up the cut. He'd want to get it checked out, probably by Emmett to avoid questions, and take antibiotics, but Edward would be okay. They dressed him, and Seth took him home in Edward's car.
Eleazar rubbed my shoulder, nodding at the expression on my face. "You did the right thing, Buster."
I shook off his hand. I couldn't deal with this right now. There was a job before me to do, one last act. We had to get Aro back to Italy before anyone figured it out. There were safeguards in place there.
We gently washed our master's body and I wrapped his torso in gauze, seeing the discoloration where the cancer had started to spread. If Edward had just stayed home, if he'd... not been my Edward.
Eleazar reached up and tapped my bottom lip, his finger coming back with droplets of blood. I quickly opened my mouth, having not realized I was biting through the skin. I deserved the pain and the scar it would leave. My scars marked me as the monster I was on the inside.
"Jasper, your lip is bleeding. You need to stop this. Edward loves you and you love him. Last week proved that. Pull yourself together. We have to get Master Aro home and wait to see what Marcus and Caius have to say."
Master had told me to not say a word to Eleazar or I'd find myself shackled to the web without any safety words or conditions set up. He said that I was the only one who would use the harsh hand he has. Little did he know I'm going to destroy his empire and see that no one else is hurt the way I was. No one will face what Alice did and have a changeling sent back home in the guise of a loved one.
Eleazar's phone rang and we both jumped at the sound. I moved to the puddle of blood and began to soak a sponge with it and scrub the floor.
"Mi querida?" Eleazar went silent after answering, nodding as he listened.
"Please pick Seth up from the Cullen residence. No, I am not certain what time I will be home. Please ready the room beside ours. Jasper will probably be coming with me."
No, I have to be here. I need to pack my clothes so that Alice can have the house without everything of mine here to remind her of me. I shook my head and Eleazar raised one eyebrow, daring me to contradict him. I turned my head once more and went back to sponging up the blood.
~*~
Hours later, we had gained clearance to drive straight to the Volturi's private plane. With a flash of Master's identification, we were ushered through to the private airstrip our jet had been moved to. With the help of a wheelchair and a blanket over his lap, Eleazar and I moved our "sick master" onto the plane.
Leo had been pleased to see me and shed no tears for our departed master. He helped us situate Aro beneath the bed's blankets and then I removed his collar with the key and list of combinations I'd grabbed from Master's pocket before calling Eleazar. I gave Leo a pair of silk pajama pants I'd found in the wardrobe and then went back out to Eleazar's car to get the first boxes of clothing I had chosen to bring back. The rest would come with me in the morning.
Leo volunteered to stay with Master's body and keep anyone out of the back room until our return. He would give us his decision on the future when we returned in the morning. After being abandoned by his father, Leo wasn't sure he wanted to go back to his old life but wasn't sure what he wanted to do with a clean slate and the promise of enough cash to get him where he wanted to go. I would open the vaults of the castle and wipe them out if need be to set things right.
If only I could set things right with Edward. No, it is better this way. It has to be this way.
Eleazar dropped me off at home after I made several promises that I was alright and would not do anything foolish. For his own peace of mind, Elly took the gun from the cabinet with him. "Get some sleep, Jazz. Call me in the morning when you get up and are ready to go. Carmen and I can box up anything else if you want us to."
I nodded and moved numbly through the house. I grabbed a file box and started putting clothes I couldn't take with me into it. Alice may want them as a remembrance one day. I put the photo of us into my suitcase as well as a picture that Bella had taken clumsily of Edward, herself, and I a few weeks ago. We were all slightly out of focus, but you could see the love in Edward's eyes as he smiled for the camera. As tears dropped down onto the photo, I wiped my eyes.
"If you didn't love him, you wouldn't take the photo and you sure as hell wouldn't be crying."
I turned to see a rather pissed off Bella standing in my doorway. "Go home, Bella. He needs you."
Her bare feet slapped against the floor as she ran to me. I wasn't prepared for her as the smack sounded throughout my bedroom. Cupping my cheek, the skin was throbbing from her slap.
"What the fuck? What was that for, Bella?"
She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know what all happened here earlier but I know that Edward came here to check on you and then returned home two hours later, crying harder than I've ever seen him cry. When I threatened to call Carlisle to come sedate him, he finally told me that you had made him leave."
Her hands came up and Bella attempted to shove me backwards, only succeeding in pushing me off balance so that I staggered back a step.
"Jasper, things were finally looking up for us over the weekend. Yes, everything was dark but we, the four of us, made our own light. I thought everything was damn near perfect when the four of us all woke up together. Yes, we needed a bigger bed, but otherwise, we were all happy, Jasper! Why would you throw that all away? You get what you wanted- you have Alice, you have Edward, and you even get me! You love him, why would you make him go?"
I turned to look at her and shook my head. There was nothing I could say that wouldn't make her push back harder. So I gave her what I could, the truth. I unbuttoned my shirt and she paled, thinking I was going to do something to her, no doubt. I stayed silent, waiting until the last button was free before shrugging it out of it and then carefully peeling up my undershirt. It stuck to some of the scabs, ripping a few spots open, but I was numb to the pain. My heart ached more than the cuts.
"This is why I made him go."
I turned around and showed her the new carvings in my back. Bella murmured an "oh, God," and then ran to my bathroom, whatever she'd had for dinner coming back up. I waited until she was done and then went to get her a paper cup full of water from the bathroom tap. I handed it down to her along with a wet washcloth and then went back to my bedroom. I packed one of Edward's dirty shirts that was in my hamper. I could still smell him on it. She walked in as I was folding it.
"You still love him."
I didn't bother to give her answer, just grabbed a few pair of underwear from the drawer and tossed them into the bag. Bella grabbed me by the top of my arm and squeezed as she pushed me around to face her.
"Answer me. Do you still love Edward?"
"Bella, don't." Tears blurred my vision and I blinked them away. "You don't want me here."
She raised her hand and I stopped it with the gentle touch of my hand. "I've been through enough today without you hitting me again. You would be better off without me. Just let me go."
Tears began to well up in her deep chocolate eyes. "We want you here, always. You have to know that, Jasper."
"Bella, go home to Edward. I need to know that he's being taken care of. I'm leaving in the morning for Italy, for good."
"Then take us with you." Bella begging was making the wound in my chest open up again. "We can find jobs there, I can be an office assistant anywhere. Surely Edward can be a surgeon there. It'll be okay. Just tell me you still love him."
I shook my head. "My world isn't for the two of you. Edward almost died tonight. I can't worry about protecting the two of you. You're both too soft."
"If this is about the cut, he's fine. It had stopped bleeding and Edward even said that it was superficial. He's current on his tetanus shot and he knows what to watch for. But he needs you. You're a part of us now. We need you, Jasper. I need you here, with us. You taught me to ask for what I wanted and that's you. I want you here with us. Please."
"Bella, I'm leaving in a few hours. It will be as if I never existed. The two of you can go on with your life together without any more interference from me and my lifestyle. Edward is strong now, he'll be fine."
Bella stood on tiptoes and looked me in the eyes. "Tell. Me. You. Don't. Love. Him."
I shook my head and she reached up, grabbing my hair and pulling until I couldn't see anything but a dark splotch of her hair through my tears.
"Just say it, Jasper, and I'll leave. Tell me that you stopped loving Edward."
I collapsed into a heap at her feet, my body wracked with sobs. She wrapped her arms around me and stroked the back of my head as I cried.
"Bella, he's got to let me go. I'm bad for him. I'm not safe. He was going to give this life with you up, to save me. I have to save him from me."
She simply nodded and started wiping my tears away with the cuff on her shirt. "I know. He told me everything about that day, with the other Dom. I... I have to admit, it hurt, to know that I almost lost him. But I also realized in that moment, that I would have done the same thing, Jasper. I've grown to love you. You are a part of my relationship with Edward, even when you do stupid things like mouth off to an old friend. If Edward had done anything less, he would not have been my Edward."
"Jasper, if I'd been there instead of Edward, I would have made the same choice. Edward was worried about how I would accept his decision. But like I told him, saving your life by becoming a sub is not choosing you over me. You would have died had you gone back. Neither of us could have dealt with that outcome."
I shrugged. "My life wasn't worth Edward's servitude. I would rather die in pain, knowing that the two of you are safe, than live out a long life, worrying every day about what sort of master or mistress he has been given. I love him, Bella. I love you both too much for him to have that life."
"You don't have the right to make the decision about what I do with my life."
Edward's voice rang out from the hallway, his green eyes dark from his tears. He walked into my bedroom and knelt beside me. "You lied to me."
"I had to make you leave. You both need to go. I'm flying out in the morning."
I stood up and moved toward my suitcase. Edward reached down into it and took out one of my shirts.
"Don't take this one. It makes you look pale. Take the green one."
"I can't. It's at your house."
His smile, when it appeared, was watery. "I know. Spend your last night with us."