An: Finally! I have working internet and a computer that doesn't try to kill itself everytime i start it up. I'm sorry there was no update last week. I haven't even read all of the reviews for the last chapter yet but I will get around to them now. Forgive me? Pretty please?

Extra specail thanks to the awsome xteamxjasperx for looking this over for me even though she was on holiday. You just rock ;)

Chapter Nine

Bella

I'd been in Texas a little over a month and I was starting to think Jasper was deliberately avoiding me. I knew his shifts in the pit were twenty four hours long, but he always seemed to be gone at least thirty hours, and when he was with me we hardly ever spoke unless I started up a conversation, which was rare. I was beginning to think I had made no progress with him at all, he was even more distant now than when I'd first met him again, but last night he had surprised me. He'd taken me hunting again, and when we found a pair of White-tail Deer he'd taken one of them with no prompting at all from me. And as far as I knew, he hadn't had anything other than animals in the last month.

That was definite progress, but if I was honest, I'd rather he was still drinking normally, but talking instead. The fact that he was still clearly miserable, and still in this horrible place really took the shine off his change in diet.

Right now he was an hour late already, and I was bored. I briefly contemplated dragging Natalie in to talk to me, but decided if Jasper found out we'd sort of made friends he'd stop trusting her to be my guard. The first time Jasper had gone back to work after my little encounter with Lucian, I'd snuck out of the room, intent on heading up to the library, only to find a very small, very bored woman blocking my way. Jasper had failed to mention he was posting security.

I'd decided to try my luck and simply pretend she wasn't there, but she'd stopped me, and being just a tad stronger than I was and much better trained I hadn't had much hope. Then she'd introduced herself and told me that 'the major' had said not to leave me alone, but that didn't mean we couldn't go somewhere else together. It turned out that she was dying to have something to do too, but she was worried about getting into trouble. I assured her that I'd take the blame if we were caught, and she joined me in the library.

We hadn't spoken all that much, mainly because she was a little shy but I had learnt she was only seventeen, and that she was on holiday from Scotland when she was taken. Though she was still wary, I had glimpsed a little sarcasm creeping out occasionally, and it gave me the impression that she wasn't as wholly broken as she seemed.

I was hoping I could convince her to give me a few fighting lessons at some point as Jasper was so reluctant. We'd attempted lessons four times now, but they had all followed the same pattern, Jasper holding back, me asking him not to, and then the second he hurt me he decided it was time to stop. I had made some improvement, but it was slow going this way and it was driving me a little mad.

It seemed like our roles had been reversed, now it was me basically asking him to hurt me, and he didn't want to do that. I supposed I should add that to my scanty list of improvements he had made. That one was good in some ways, but in others it just irritated me.

I wished he wouldn't leave me alone so long, as it was times like these that I gave serious thought to giving up and leaving him. I had been fully resolved on my decision to stay and help him despite my fears, but I had read something in a book a week ago that was making me question the decision.

Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.

Was this something I should let go of? Was I fighting a losing battle? I didn't think so, but maybe I was wrong. Or just deluded. Jasper sure thought my efforts were wasted.

I'd read something else that worried me too, though I'd laughed at first and read it aloud to Natalie. Thinking about it now gave me pause.

"Be yourself" is about the worst advice you can give some people.

I had kept asking Jasper to be himself, to give up all the outer layers and all the lies he tells himself and to be who he really is. What if who he really is, is someone worse? What if the man he really is wants to hurt me just as much as he did that first day? What if deep down, behind all the bullshit, he's still a heartless bastard that thinks nothing of taking a life. What if I was going to make him worse?

I spent so much of my time alone convincing myself to leave him, and then convincing myself to stay that I was starting to drive myself mad. I had made a choice, and I wasn't going to back out of it unless I had good reason, and that reason would probably have to come from Jasper and so far he had done nothing to warrant me leaving him since we had made our rules, other than a few nasty comments.

I propped myself up on the pillows and sank into my now favourite daydream. A real future for us. Jasper didn't like me talking about the future, it was one of the reasons we rarely spoke. Whenever we did manage to get talking I'd end up saying something along the lines of 'When we leave...' or 'One day...' and he'd shut me down and go for a shower or go and see Maria.

I heard Natalie straightening up about half a second before Jasper's regular footfalls became audible to me. I was so used to him now that I could already tell he was in a bad mood simply by the way he was walking. His mood didn't frighten me anymore though. He wouldn't be taking it out on me. I was almost certain of that.

I heard the slight scuffle from the door and pictured him shoving past Natalie and her efforts to remain upright. It was followed by a slight rustle of fabric and Jasper's voice, too quiet for me to pick up on his words, then her retreating footsteps as he strode into the room.

He looked at me and then around the room, frowning. He never seemed to want to look at me for long. I put it down to him being afraid of breaking the rules if he did.

"Maria has invited us to a gathering of sorts." He began, sounding tired. "She does this occasionally just to remind us all that she's top dog. She's a little unstable sometimes."

"Who's going to be there?" I wondered aloud. If Maria was as intent on killing off or recruiting any other nearby vampires who the hell would she find to come to her little party?

"No outsiders." He told me. "It will just be most of the lackeys, Lucian an us I should think."

So it would basically be everyone who worked here, stuck in a room together for a while. 'Fun' didn't exactly spring to mind. Jasper tossed me a bundle of black satin that unravelled in my hands and revealed a dress.

"I told Maria you wouldn't be attending as you had nothing to wear so she sent you that. She even sent one for Natalie too." It was the first time he'd actually acknowledged Natalie's existence to me and it surprised me a little that he even knew her name. "You'd better dress quickly, she won' be happy if we're late."

I scowled down at the dress and wondered if I could simply refuse to go. I really didn't feel like spending any length of time making small talk with the people who worked for Maria. In the end I decided I was being stupid. I was supposed to be Jasper's plaything, so I really couldn't refuse to go without looking suspicious, especially if Maria had made an effort to get me there.

I slipped into the bathroom and out of my clothes. The dress was dark green with a high, corseted waist. Over the green silk was a sheer black material that graduated into long lacy sleeves. The dress laced up the back and was all around a fairly gothic fairytale creation. It was also impossible to put on without help.

I tried in vain to lace it up myself, but my arms simply didn't bend that way. For ten minutes I struggled, looking over my shoulder into the mirror to help, but nothing seemed to work. After several attempts the pale expanse of my back still peeked out from the dress. I was going to have to call Jasper.

I opened the door hesitantly and saw Jasper sitting on the edge of the bed looking as nervous as I felt. He was wearing and Emerald green shirt over black slacks. We matched. I stifled my laughter and reminded myself that the back of my dress was still gaping open and that I had to hold it on.

"Jasper I could use a hand." I said quietly. This would require contact and bare skin at the same time, it would be a test of how well he was coping with my rules.

He opened his mouth three times without actually saying anything before he crossed the room like lightening and disappeared behind me. I held my breath.

He was careful not to touch me, but it was unavoidable, and from the first moment his skin brushed against mine I could feel his fingers trembling on the laces. I worried he would drop the last month and give in to temptation.

One of his hands, no longer shaking brushed the hair away from my neck and over my shoulder. The backs of his fingers grazed my skin as he ran the hand back down to the laces again. I shivered. I could already see in my head how easy it would be for him to get me out of my clothes right now. He could just rip the dress right off in one go. I began to panic.

"Sorry." He muttered, his fingers suddenly agile as the laced up the rest of the dress in seconds. Then he went all formal. "All done. You look lovely."

I felt like he'd done something special and realised he had sort of. He wouldn't have done that a few weeks ago. Impulsively I turned around and hugged him. He froze and I realised my mistake. Now I was breaking the rules. I was pulling away when his arms wrapped around me and held me tight.

I hadn't been held like this for a very long time and I had a fair idea that it had been even longer for Jasper. It only lasted a few seconds and when we pulled away I realised we were mirroring ach other perfectly. Both of as had awkward smiles. Both of us didn't know what to make of it. It was almost as if we'd become friends.

Jasper cleared his throat and held out his arm. "Shall we?" He smiled, seemingly in a better mood now.

I rested my hand on his forearm and allowed him to lead me away down unfamiliar passages and through darkened rooms.

The room Jasper guided me to was about as large as the pit but all on one level. Dark sultry music was playing quietly from somewhere and two walls of the room were lined with low couches. The air was thick with human blood, calling to me. I didn't want it, but my body did, and it made my throat burn. The delicious scent came from three unconscious humans, slumped against their chains at one side of the room. Jasper's hand tightened around mine as he whispered that they were 'snacks'. I wondered if his tightened grip was down to an effort to comfort me, or if he was simply restraining me.

My first thought was to help them, I knew that they only had one of two fates in store for them now, they would either end up dead in the next few hours, or they would get a worse fate, they would be part of Maria's army.

"Don't even try." Jasper whispered, his breath brushing my ear. "I don't feel much like dying to save you tonight."

"I doubt they feel like dying either." I grumbled, wanting to argue but knowing it was pointless. I had learnt that sometimes there was no way to win.

Lucian was sitting sullenly in a corner, with Michelle held firmly to his side. She looked frighteningly happy to be there. His eyes met mine, full of malice when he caught me looking at them. I smiled and turned my head not wanting to provoke him, and wanting to kick him in the teeth at the same time.

I counted five other familiar vampires in the room before I saw that Natalie had followed us in a few dressed in a slightly less lavish dress than me. The two other women were also wearing almost identical dresses. I knew the names of almost no one, but over the last few weeks I had seen them all at some point.

Finally I rested my eyes on Maria, who was actually perched on a small throne. My only guess was that she was a little insane, and a lot power hungry.

Jasper guided me over to her, made swift introductions and left me wondering if I should curtsey or something. This was the first time I'd seen her since she had brought me here.

She let her eyes rest on me for a moment before turning them on Jasper. I noticed her face soften a little as she looked at him. "Why don't you leave Bella and I to get acquainted. Feel free to get something to eat."

I repressed a shudder.

"Thank you Maria, but we ate yesterday." He told her, surprising me. I thought he'd jump at the chance to drink from a human, especially as he could have come up with some excuse involving hiding his actions from Maria. He wouldn't be able to hide soon though if he intended to stick with his new diet. A few more animals and his eyes would start to give him away.

I watched him walk away from me with a sense of dread. For some reason Maria made me more wary even than Lucian did.

"Lucian tells me you are unmarked? Is that still the case?" She purred straightening her dress, a more elaborate version of mine, though red in place of green.

A dozen lies flitted eagerly through my mind, but none of them would come out. Something about her gaze told me that she would not accept anything less than the truth. I nodded my head slowly, surreptitiously glancing around for Jasper.

Her gaze narrowed and she followed my eyes to Jasper, who was standing on the other side of the room, his back to the wall. For a moment I watched him watching me as he ignored the woman whispering into his ear.

Maria starting speaking again in a voice that could cut through stone while she kept looking at Jasper. "The only reason I can see for him not marking you, is if he wants you as more than just a pet. You may be playing him along nicely, you may have made him think he loves you and vice versa but you won't be able to keep him for long. It is my venom that runs in his veins, he is, and always has been mine. He will tire of you." She spat.

I kept my eyes locked with Jasper's, silently willing him to take me away from this woman's petty jealousy. It wasn't even as if she had anything to be jealous about. We hardly even spoke most days, and there were certainly no romantic feelings between us aside from a little lust on Jasper's part.

"He still comes to me, you know." She added conversationally, just a touch of malice colouring her tone. "Whitlock is my boy. I know what he needs, a child like you could never fulfil him the way I do."

"Jasper, is a man." I smiled politely. How dare this little girl call me a child? She may have been centuries older than me, but at least I actually looked like a woman. She could pass for fourteen. Besides, if I actually wanted to 'fulfil' Jasper I knew I'd have no problems. If he was really with me he'd have no need to see this little bitch at all.

She looked almost confused by my short statement for a moment before a deadly calm crossed her features. "Of course." She said stiffly, rising from her seat and crossing the room languidly. I watched her order people around merely by looking at them until she reached Jasper. His eyes snapped from my face to hers as she rested a perfect hand on his forearm and whispered words I couldn't hear.

The quiet music grew louder, playing at a level humans would be able to hear. Jasper led Maria out onto the impromptu dance floor and the pair spun gracefully, seemingly unaware of everyone else in the room. I was mildly jealous, though I didn't know why. Did I want to dance? Did I want a partner? Or did I just want him to be with me instead of her? Possibly, the answer was all three, but I dismissed the last as ridiculous and accepted the hand of a man who came to ask me to dance.

I got at least a vague idea that I had seen him in passing at some point while I'd been here, and he seemed harmless enough. The dancing was oddly old-fashioned, and along with the music and the strange clothes everyone was wearing, it made me think that Maria was stuck in the past. I suppressed a smile. The song ended and my partner handed me off Jasper, who had escaped Maria's clutches. I was oddly relieved.


Jasper

I watched Maria talking to Bella from across the room, and while I couldn't hear them, it was blatantly obvious from their expressions that they were at odds over something. Bella looked annoyed and Maria looked like she wanted to kill her. I would have to keep them apart if at all possible in future.

Bella's eyes found mine and she looked very much like she wanted to get out of the conversation but I did nothing but look back at her. I couldn't make Maria worry about how much I might care about Bella. Anyway, from what I could see, Maria seemed to be losing whatever argument they were having. I watched her talk for a few minutes, probably trying to put Bella in her place, before Bella spoke four words that seemed to knock Maria off kilter. I wished I was close enough to hear what she'd said.

As always when she felt threatened in some way, Maria retreated, and she retreated right to me making me lose eye contact with Bella.

"Dance with me Whitlock." She purred at me. I really couldn't be bothered with her, she'd already nagged me once today and I wasn't in the mood for more of her whinging, especially if it was about Bella. Nevertheless, I knew my place, and I led her out onto the dance floor, giving her my complete attention. Well, sort of, I kept an eye on Bella too.

"You have not marked her yet." She started. I could tell that it was something she'd been thinking about for a while. Weeks probably. And she didn't like it. That must have been what she was arguing with Bella about.

"No." I said. I didn't want to say anything else until I knew where she was going with this. If worst came to worst and she made me mark her I'd just have to hold her down and do it. She'd live. And she'd hate me.

"Why is that?" Maria was using her most innocent, curious expression. It didn't work. Not anymore. Right now I had no desire to bend to her whims, I didn't even really want to pretend to, but I knew I had to make Bella's lack of mark my decision. If Maria thought I was letting Bella have any say she would think I'd gone soft. Maybe I had.

"She's beautiful. Perfect." I said truthfully. I'd found that was the very best way to lie, stick as close to the truth as possible. "I don't want to spoil the perfection of her skin." Was it just me or did that sound stupid?

Maria flinched. Well, not really, but her eyes twitched in a way that I'd come to recognise as a flinch from her. Then she got very, very jealous.

"What's so special about that?" She snarled.

"It makes a change." I shrugged, knowing I was only pissing her off more.

Strangely, what I'd said seemed to placate her. At least a little. "Just a change." She mumbled, and I knew why my words had relaxed her. She was hoping Bella was only a phase. I had my doubts. She did after all just hug me, like we were really friends.

I took a closer look at the object of our conversation and saw she didn't look happy. Ben was alright though, he wouldn't be bothering her, so what was wrong?

Maria's voice brought me back. "I don't like you spending so much time with that girl." She pouted. "She's not good for you."

She was right to be worried. Bella was trying to take me away from her, just not in the way she suspected. "Jealous?" I taunted.

She only scowled as the song ended and stalked away from me. A quick glance (or glare) at Ben let him know that I wanted Bella, and within a second he had passed her gracefully over. Now she was close to me I could pick out her emotions from the buzz of all of those in the room. She was actually quite relaxed, which was odd considering she'd looked so miserable.

She relaxed further as we danced. It was strange to remember how Edward had had to practically carry her around a dance floor once upon a time. I half expected her to trip or step on my feet. Not that it would bother me.

The tide of emotions in the room changed gradually from a mixture of boredom and amusement, to scepticism and curiosity. I glanced around to see what was happening, and noticed that at least half the people in the room were looking directly at us. I pictured what we looked like to them. We certainly didn't look like lovers, there was too much space between us. I pulled her closer quickly and held tight worried that she would give the game away and try to run.

She didn't try to run exactly, but she did struggle a little. I could feel it, but no one else would notice. Maria was paying more attention now, as was Lucian.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Bella hissed.

"Acting."

"You don't have to squash me." She groaned. "What is that showing them? That you think I'm a great big teddy bear or something."

She actually had a point, even if she was irritating me to make it. Bella was supposed to be my live in sex slave, the latest in a long line. And while that thought made me want to smack myself, it didn't change the fact that we were doing a piss poor job of putting on a show. We probably should have discussed this while we were away from prying eyes.

I loosened my hold very slightly and dropped my hands to her ass. Maria turned away. Lucian looked jealous. Natalie looked disappointed for some reason, and the scepticism lessoned. It worked perfectly.

"I'm going to seriously hurt you very soon."

Shit. I'd sort of forgotten about how she'd feel about this. "All part of the act." I mumbled not moving my hands. While it was all part of the act, I was still a man, and therefore still pretty happy with what I was holding.

"Well you can just un-act and remove your hands." She hadn't been properly mad at me for ages. I'd forgotten it was fun. I squeezed her ass and took great pleasure in the anger that rolled off her. Riling her up was a new favourite activity.

"I don't think so." I smirked.

She tilted her head back to look up at me, smiling with such a loving expression I almost believed it. She was good.

"If you don't stop grabbing me I will blow our cover." She said sweetly.

"If I wanted to, I could have you on your knees right now. As far as everyone else is concerned you belong to me and should do whatever I say. I tell you to do something, you do it, if not, you won't only have me to deal with, you'll have every other man and woman in this room too."

She looked for a moment like she might be sick. Which was highly unlikely.

"You don't get any say in this room Bella. You're just my puppet."

"You want me on my knees?" She snapped. "You want me to service you? Go right ahead, give me the order. I'll bite your fucking cock off."

She probably would too. I bit my tongue to avoid laughing. It was comical seeing her so angry, and though she was trying to hide it, worried too, over something I was only joking about.

The second the song ended she tried to escape me, but I was having fun and made her stay with me through three more songs. Our 'argument' eventually became senseless name calling and finally frosty silence on her part and goading on mine. I did feel a little bad about the fact that I was still groping her, but I figured she'd either get over it or get me back later. Either way, I wasn't stopping while I had an excuse. I thanked Maria for giving me that at least.

After the fourth song I realised she was really starting to hate me, she was angrier than I'd ever seen her and she was getting uncomfortable. I had to stop. Reluctantly I released her and found Michelle. I didn't fancy another chat with Maria, and I knew the only way to avoid one was to appear busy.

Michelle was as close to brain dead as I'd ever seen a vampire. Her intelligence level was almost... human. We used her for little jobs that she would find it difficult to fuck up, but nothing more. The only reason she'd been kept was because she had been marked as Lucians at the end of her first year and he'd wanted to keep her so that he had something to play with in between torturing new arrivals.

I scanned the room for him. He hadn't spoken to me at all since I'd berated him for touching Bella, and I knew he was just simmering with rage even now. I half expected him to stop me dancing with Michelle as she belonged to him.

When I found him, I also found the reason he wasn't bothering me. He was busy. With Bella.

In two and a half seconds my partner and I had crossed the room without appearing at all suspicious, and I was close enough to check up on them. The lust rolling off him almost blotted out anything coming from Bella, but I could tell she was more bored than anything. Then I caught a hint of anger.

He'd put his hand on her leg. I could rip it off. In fact, I was going to. The bastard obviously needed a reminder not to touch what didn't belong to him. I let go of Michelle and took the first step towards him, just in time to see Bella grab one of his fingers and bend it back until it touched his wrist. He winced and pulled his hand out of her grasp. I stepped back.

I heard him spit out a quick "Bitch!" and raise his hand like he was going to hit her.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Bella said calmly nodding her head in my direction.

Lucians eyes followed hers and met my steely glare. If he had any idea of how to read people he'd know he was in deep shit. He growled something at Bella that I couldn't hear and stalked off. I watched him find Natalie and ask her to dance. She was frightened of him, that much was obvious. I prepared myself to extricate her from his grip when she did exactly what I'd told her to do last week. She pulled up the sleeve of her dress and showed him my bite mark on her wrist.

He looked at it for much longer than he needed to and I could feel his fury from where I was standing. I knew he'd find Maria to complain about the fact that I had two women. If only knew I wasn't actually having either of them. The song ended and Michelle left me, heading straight for Lucian. As soon as he had hold of her arm he left the room with her. If she were anyone else I'd pity her, especially while he was in this mood, but Michelle happened to like Lucian's dark side. He'd made her that way.

I had marked Natalie simply to give her some protection as payment for protecting Bella. I knew she was doing a good job, just like I knew she went to the library with Bella every day and didn't leave her side. After work I went to see Maria, then I followed Natalie and Bella's scents to see what they'd been doing before I let Natalie go. Bella thought her little jaunts were secret, and I hadn't told her I knew. Hell, I'd taken everything else from her, the least I could do was give her the illusion of privacy.

Natalie gave me a small thankful smile and joined Ben at the 'refreshments'. The men were already changing now, and as long as no one lost control and drained them completely I knew I'd have three new recruits in a few days. New recruits usually cheered me up a little, but now the thought of them made me almost tired. I'd had enough and I needed to either apologise to Bella or start another argument. I hadn't decided which option to take yet but I need to get out of this room.

I took Bella's hand and led her out into the corridor. The moment the door was closed she yanked herself out of my grip and ran back to the room. By the time I got in there her dress was a shredded mess on the floor and she was in the bathroom. She came out a few seconds later in shorts and a tank top. I waited for the inevitable tirade.

She walked up very close to me her eyes blazing. "Jasper?" She purred.

I'd been feeling her ass half the night, now she was standing toe to toe with me, wearing next to nothing and she fucking purrs? I opened my mouth but couldn't seem to organise a response.

Bella licked her lips and smiled. Out of nowhere her fist crashed into my jaw and I landed on the bed a second later, dazed.

"Don't ever treat me like that again." She spat. I rubbed my aching jaw and stared at her as she lay down on the floor and closed her eyes. "And don't disturb me either. I'm busy."

Her breathing slowed down as if she was a sleeping human and she smiled very slightly.

"Busy doing what?" I asked.

"Dismantling you." She said around a grin. "Creatively."

I waited for her to attack for almost five minutes before I realised she only wanted to pull me apart in her head.


An: Guess what? I'll tell ya... Learning to Breath has been nominated to best Darksper (Dark Jasper) at the

"Everything's Bigger in Texas Jasper/Bella fanfiction Contest"

http://jaspers-darlins(dot)livejournal(dot)com/ I would really love it if you could hope over there and take a look. (Don't forget to change the (dot)s for .s)

Thank you for reading, please review and let me know