This chapter starts straight after the end of the last chapter; it begins once the Cullen's get back to their rooms. Enjoy!
Chapter 27.
The room was quiet as the family seated themselves; sitting as they usually did, in their pairings. Carlisle; who could see there was tension towards him; was the first to break the silence. "Why don't we take this one at a time…? Bella?"
Bella stared at the person she now considered her father, "I don't understand how you could volunteer to end Jasper's life if he fails a task. Why would you want to do that? He's your son; doesn't that mean anything to you?" The more she spoke the more upset she became and Rosalie and Emmett were nodding their heads; also not understanding how he could volunteer to do something so awful.
"Bella…" Jasper said softly; his arms pulling her close to him and his lips pressing into her hair; both actions doing little to calm her down.
Carlisle wasn't surprised by what she'd said and he moved from where he sat so he was kneeling in front of her; taking her hand in his. "Bella, it means a lot to me that Jasper thinks of me as a father and in all the time he's been a part of this family I've always thought of and treated him as my son. All of my children, including you, hold a special place in my heart and I'd do anything for each of you. Last night Jasper told Esme and I about the options he had should he fail a task and considering what they were, there's no way I'd want him to have to choose any of them. Dying at the hands of the Volturi guard would just be excruciatingly painful and I don't think Maria would be any better; she'd just torment him like she did in the past. The only other option was for one of the family to oversee the duty. I therefore offered to do it; as head of this family it's my responsibility to do it and I'd never ask any of you to do something so abhorrent. Believe me I hope it never becomes an issue because it's the last thing I want to do but if it does I'll do it for Jasper; for my son. I'll try to do it so it causes him as little pain as possible. Does that make sense? I'm sorry, Bella, we should've told you all about it this morning before we went in there but to be honest I don't think any of us wanted to think about it."
Bella was sobbing by the time he'd finished speaking and she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. "I understand and I'm sorry I was so horrible to you. Thank you, dad."
"Why are you thanking me?"
"Because I understand how difficult it is for you and I want to thank you for agreeing to do it. I don't think I could bring myself to."
"It certainly won't be easy but I'm sure it isn't going to be an issue because Alice and Edward wouldn't have steered us to follow this path if they saw Jasper failing." This was something he'd discussed with Esme the night before when they'd gone back to their room and had a similar conversation to the one they were having now; the more he thought about it the more he realized he was right; Edward and Alice saw the bond working and being in place; therefore Jasper wouldn't fail. Would he? "Rosalie, Emmett, do either of you have anything you want to ask?"
Emmett spoke first, "What happened in there, Bella? How did you manage to stop Jane from attacking Jazz?"
"Like I said in there, I don't know."
"I may have an idea," Carlisle said; looking between Bella and Jasper. "We've seen before that Bella's shield kicked in when she was fighting Emmett; when Jasper separately told him to not go easy on her; Bella's shield came into effect when she felt personally threatened." Everyone nodded. "Today was no different, Chelsea started it by aiming her attack on Bella and her shield worked. As Jasper said earlier, her shield has always been in effect in some way, even when she was human, that's why Edward's and Aro's gifts don't work on her. Today Bella felt threatened by Chelsea and protected herself. I was watching and Jasper was affected by Chelsea…"
"What is her gift?" Esme interrupted; asking the question they all needed an answer to.
"She has the ability to change emotional bonds between people; she made Jasper stop caring about Bella; about anything. When Bella touched Jasper's hand her shield must've protected him as well because he came back to normal."
"And with Jane…" Rosalie asked.
"Both Jasper and Bella knew about Jane's power and when she stepped forward Bella moved out of her way; possibly worried for her own safety; as we know not all gifts are stopped by Bella's shield; Jasper's and Alice's were both able to use their gift on her. Jane might have suspected this and she focused her attack on Jasper which is why he collapsed to the floor. In that moment Bella didn't think about what Jane was doing and went back to Jasper's side, holding his hand and therefore breaking through and protecting him from her attack. When Caius made her move away again I think she subconsciously was worried what another attack would do to Jazz so when she saw him start to fall under Jane's spell she projected it to shield him from it."
"But I don't know how to do that." Bella said, "I've no control over it."
"I think you do, it's just subconscious. I think it's been a latent talent throughout your life and now you're a vampire it's more pronounced. It works without you realizing it; you just need to practice expanding it to protect others and working out what triggers it to work."
"Why do I always end up being a freakish version of my kind; first Edward couldn't read my mind when I was human and now I have this shield thing which I don't even know how to get working!"
"Well I think what you did was pretty amazing, Bella." Jasper said; taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "Talking as another freak of our kind, I'm glad you were there to do what you did for me. Jane would've destroyed me just to prove she could; especially the second time she tried; after you'd blocked her."
"He's right, Bella. If you hadn't, I think we'd be facing a completely different circumstance now; one none of us want to see." Esme said; her voice giving away how relieved she was by what had happened.
"Will Chelsea and Jane get in trouble for using their powers? I thought they weren't supposed to but nobody tried to stop them from using them." Bella said; clutching Jasper's hand as Esme's words filtered into his brain.
"I don't think Demetri was very impressed." Carlisle said. "I think he will speak to them about it; it's down to the brothers as to whether they get punished."
"So probably not then…" Bella muttered.
"What does the second task involve?" Rosalie said; neatly changing the subject a little, for which Bella sent her a very grateful smile.
"We have to do something on behalf of the Volturi; obtain something; stop someone. The task is set at their discretion." Jasper said.
"Do you have a time limit to complete it?" Rose asked.
"It's up to them. The text on this task was even more vague than for any of the others; all it said was it would be a test of character and both Bella and I would need to be involved in it. It's to do with proving we care for each other and work together as a team, I guess."
"So we have no idea?"
"No. Not until the day after tomorrow." Jasper said. "All I do know is the four of you have to remain here while we're completing it; you're only allowed to leave the building to feed and apart from when you're in your rooms, you'll be supervised."
"Why would they want to do that?" Emmett asked.
Jasper looked at Carlisle and saw the understanding in his eyes, "To make sure they come back." He said. "I'm also guessing that if they don't, we receive the punishment on Jasper's behalf. Right?"
"It doesn't say that implicitly in the text but I would've thought that would be the case," Jasper said, "but don't worry, we intend to come back. Even if we're not successful, we'll come back and I'll face the punishment. I'm not having you all take it instead of me."
"If we're going to be stuck in here for a while, I'd like to get out of here. Does anyone fancy a hunting trip?" Emmett asked.
"Didn't you go yesterday?" Esme asked.
"Yes but I don't like the thought of being trapped here. We don't know how long Bells and Jazz will be gone and I'm going to hate going with an escort; especially if it's that Felix guy."
"I guess we could be up for a field trip." Carlisle said, looking at Esme and seeing her nod in agreement. "What about you two?"
"I'm not really up for it, if that's okay?" Bella said softly.
"I'll stay here with Bella." Jasper said; looking at her in concern.
"We'll see you later this evening then." Esme said; also watching Bella intently. "Call us if you need anything, okay?" Both of them nodded and then all four disappeared out of the room.
*B-o-B*
"Come in, Demetri." Demetri walked into the room and stood before Aro. "What did you want to discuss?"
"Sir, I wanted to know if you wanted me to reprimand Jane and Chelsea?" Demetri left his eyes lowered as he spoke.
"I don't think that will be necessary." Aro said; sweeping across the room and opening a book on his desk.
"But sir…?" Demetri protested; his voice must harsher than it should've been. Aro looked up and lifted an eyebrow at his tone. "Sir, the task clearly said that no gifts should be used; Chelsea and Jane broke the rules and should be punished for it. It's not right." He said; his voice much softer as he spoke this time. "I thought you wanted to see this law; I thought you wanted to see the God of War in action?"
Aro walked to stand in front of Demetri; he held his hand in front of him and Demetri complied with the silent request. There was silence as Aro filtered through the younger vampire's thoughts. "I see." He said as he opened his eyes. "You're quite right, Demetri. I think you should speak to them both." Demetri nodded and took a couple of steps back. "Actually, I don't think there's any need for either of them to take part in the next task. They are restricted to Volterra; they can be responsible for supervising Carlisle and his family while they're gone."
Demetri walked towards the door; a small smile on his face, "I'm sure Jane will be particularly pleased about that."
"Demetri…" Aro said; sitting behind his desk now.
He turned round, "Yes sir."
"Make sure the person you take with you knows what we are expecting from them. Inform them that I won't be pleased if they do not abide by the rules for this task."
"Yes sir."
*B-o-B*
Bella rose to her feet; tugging on Jasper's hand and pulling him out of the door and down to their room. "Are you okay, baby?" he asked her. She shook her head. He pulled on her arm and tugged her to him; feeling her head rest on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "Talk to me, darlin'."
"It's stupid… you'll think I'm stupid."
"Hey, nothing you could say would make me think you're stupid."
"I'm worried."
"What about?"
"I don't think Caius likes me very much and I think he's going to make the tasks more difficult because of it. I think he wants us to fail."
"I'm sure that's just the way he is; Carlisle always said he was… difficult to get to know. He's definitely the least gregarious of the three. Conversely, I think Marcus wants us to achieve this; when I saw him yesterday he said he could see how deeply we cared for each other; he saw the strength in our relationship so he's probably more on our side."
"You think so?" She couldn't keep the hope out of her voice however much she tried.
"Yes. Now stop worrying."
"I'm glad you're okay, Jazz." She whispered; her voice muffled slightly by his chest.
"Me too, darlin'."
"I'm so tired. I feel exhausted… that's not right for vampire, is it?"
He pulled her back by her shoulders and then lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "It's been an emotional few days, baby. We've both been through a lot in the last few months; it's bound to catch up with us. I feel just the same." He cupped her cheek with his hand, "Why don't we go and take a bath to relax?" he suggested.
She smiled at him; suddenly brighter. "You just want to see me naked again." She teased.
"Always." He whispered before bending down and lifting her in a fireman's lift as his arm circled her legs. Bella shrieked in surprise and banged his back ineffectively as he turned and walked them through to their bathroom. He didn't even let go of her as he turned on the faucets and ran the water. He gently placed her back on her feet once the tub was full and then began to peel the clothes from her; taking his time with hers before rushing to remove his own in just seconds. He lifted her again and then they were both sitting in the tub; Bella leaning back against Jasper's chest. Bella moved her head to rest on his shoulder and turned it so she could see his face. She sighed softly as his hand began to brush through her hair; each graze of his hand sending shivers down her back.
"This is nice," Bella whispered. She began to trace the curve of a scar that lay on his dead heart with a finger. "I wish we could stay like this forever. I don't want anything to change."
His other arm wrapped around her waist; pulling her closer to him as he lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Sometimes change is good, baby." He saw her frown and smiled as he saw her confusion. "If things hadn't changed we wouldn't be together; not just Alice and Edward dying but with you being a vampire."
"What do you think they're going to get us to do?"
"There's no point in worrying about it now; we can't do anything until they tell us so let's not think about it until then."
"But…"
"No buts, Bella. The bond is a banned subject until the day after tomorrow when we meet them again."
She was silent for a while, "Were you scared?"
"Bella…" he said.
"I know you don't want to talk about it but I need to; I need to talk about the things whirling round my head or I'm never going to be able to relax."
She waited while he thought about what she'd said; feeling his hands brush across her skin and his lips press against her hair in a gentle kiss. "Yes, I was scared." He eventually admitted, "When Jane stepped forward I thought she was going to target you and the thought of her hurting you filled me with fear."
"But she went for you instead. I felt the same thing about you; I was so frightened." She said softly.
"I'd have gladly taken it if it meant you not going through the pain."
"I'm glad I could shield you from it."
"Me too. It wasn't a fun experience."
"What did it feel like?"
"Worse than the pain of changing. It was as if my whole body was on fire; excruciating pain that was more intense than anything I've experienced."
"When I saw you collapse to the floor I was so scared. I wasn't expecting it to happen and I thought for a minute that she'd killed you." She began to sob against his chest and he hugged her tightly. "I guess the others were feeling the same way." She finally said once her body stopped shaking.
He didn't say anything for a few minutes and Bella lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "I couldn't say. When it was happening I couldn't feel anyone else's emotions; the pain she was causing overrode it entirely."
"That must've felt strange."
"It didn't really register until I just told you." A silence fell in the room as they sat curled around each other.
Bella brushed her hand down his cheek and he pressed his lips against the palm of her hand, "Do you think we could spend a day together; just the two of us. I'd like to try and just forget everything and spend some time with you."
"I can think of nothing better, darlin'."
*B-o-B*
It was a couple of hours later and Bella and Jasper were now lying in their bed; Jasper spooned behind Bella; his arms wrapped around her middle; pulling her back against him. Little was being spoken by them but neither needed to say anything; they were just happy to be together. As requested by Jasper earlier, the challenges they were facing and the bond were no longer being mentioned and it would appear, to an outsider that the matter had been forgotten. Of course, it wasn't easy for them to forget and both were thinking of that afternoon and every now and again one of them would caress the other; using the moment to wipe away the painful thoughts.
Bella was wishing; not for the first time tonight; that she could fall asleep. Her mind kept drifting to the memory of seeing Jazz fall to the floor; his body convulsing in pain. How she wished she'd known she could project her shield around him sooner; then she could've spared him the pain.
"Bella, I can feel your guilt." Jasper murmured. "You promised you'd stop thinking about it."
"Can you honestly tell me you aren't thinking about it?"
He was silent before quietly saying, "I am, you're right."
"Take my mind off it, Jazz. I can't get my brain to focus on anything else."
"Mmm… I wonder what I can do to distract you." He said; the smile on his face audible. "Maybe I could try this," he whispered as a hand crept up from her waist; grazing her skin as it climbed to cup a breast. "Or there's always this," he breathed as his mouth settled on her shoulder; softly kissing the skin and climbing up to her neck. He moaned slightly as Bella pressed back against him; his body already reacting to what he was doing. He paused slightly as he felt her hand move between their bodies and take his length in its grip; she began to stroke him; setting a slow pace and tightening her hold on him as she did. "Or you can do that…" he gasped; his breath coming fast as he fought the reaction to what she was doing. The movement of her hand was all he could focus on; her touch gentle and yet firm. "Oh God." He gasped, "Bella, you need to stop or this is going to be over very quickly." Jasper was relieved when her hand stopped and then watched as she rolled over to face him. He glanced up at her face and saw the impish smirk on her face; for a second he wondered what she was up to and then he saw her shift her position and before he had time to take that in her lips were opening and surrounding his cock; her tongue brushing the tip and a growl rattled through his chest. Her hand gripped the bottom of his length and then she was moving her hand and mouth and Jasper was sure he could see stars as the pressure built within him again. This wasn't something Bella had done for him before and therefore he knew this was the first time she'd done this to anyone; and she was doing a very good job; Jasper certainly had nothing to complain about. He wanted to touch her but his body wasn't co-operating quite as well as he wanted it to; finally after much coaxing he managed to move his hand and sweep it into her hair. She was taking him much deeper now and he could feel his peak approaching like a speeding train. "I'm so close, darlin', so close."
Bella opened her eyes and looked up at Jasper's face; seeing the wild fire in his eyes and she knew he wasn't lying; she smiled around his cock and sped up her movement; again taking him deeper still so he hit the back of her throat. She wasn't sure what had inspired her to do this for him but she wasn't sorry she had; the way it felt as she moved him in and out of her mouth was only surpassed by the feel of him doing the same thing to a different part of her body. She knew it wouldn't be much longer until he came and she knew she'd then get to experience what he tasted like; she'd had a pre-taster when she licked the drop that was on the tip as she moved her mouth around him and she was eager to taste some more. Just seconds later she got her wish as he began to throb and then his venom was shooting into her mouth and down her throat. He grunted as he came and his hand caressed the side of her head. She licked him clean and kissed the tip before moving back up his body and lying beside him. "Mmm." She mumbled. "A very nice distraction."
Jasper stared at her as she moved up his body and he took in the small smirk on her face. "Did you enjoy that?"
She nodded; the smirk growing in size, "Absolutely. More importantly, did you?"
"God, yes." Was his quick response. He leant forward and kissed her lips; initially gentle but increasing in intensity as time passed.
Bella pulled her mouth from his; lifting her body slightly off his so she could see his face better, "I'm definitely going to want to do that again." She said, "You've been missing out so I'm going to be making it up to you."
"There'll be no arguments from me, darlin'," he said.
They fell into an easy silence as they lay in the bed until they were disturbed by a gentle tapping on the door. Jasper climbed from the bed; lifting Bella in his arms and pushing her beneath the covers; then he threw his jeans and T-shirt on as he walked to the door. When he opened it he found his father on the other side, "Dad?"
"Esme and I were wondering if you were both okay? We were worried about you both."
"We're fine. We were just going to spend the evening together, trying to forget about the day. We can catch up with you tomorrow and maybe spend the day together as a family…?" he said; making a last minute decision as he looked at his father.
"We'd like that and I'm sure Rosalie and Emmett will too."
"We'll see you in the morning then." Jasper said softly.
Carlisle smiled at him and nodded before turning and walking back down the corridor to the room he shared with Esme.
"I thought we were going to spend the day together?" Bella said as Jazz returned to her side; stripping with each step.
"I thought it'd be nice if we could spend the day together. The day after that we're probably going to have to leave the city and we don't know how long it'll be before we see them again. And it will be their last day of freedom as well so I'm sure they'd like to get out." He looked at her worriedly; hoping she was okay with what he'd suggested, seeing as how he'd just committed them to it.
"Actually I think it's a really good idea." She reached for his hand and pulled him back onto the bed; lifting and covering him with the sheet as she did. She smiled at him as he wrapped his arms around her and snuggled into his chest; kissing the scar over his heart before laying her head down.
TBC
A/N: I hope that explained some of the questions I got about the last chapter and you enjoyed the Bella/Jasper moments. Let me know... send me a review. Back tomorrow.