I hope you like this chapter for many reasons but the interaction between Jasper and his family and with Demetri are highlights (for me anyway). Enjoy!
Chapter 31.
Jasper walked down the corridors; descending deeper and deeper into the depths of the building. As he walked into the garage in the basement he saw his family waiting for him. He hugged Esme tightly and heard her whispering to him that she loved him as she did so; a sentiment he returned to her with a pulse of love rather than words. Rosalie was next into his arms and she was sobbing against his neck before he had time to breathe; she asked for him to bring her sister back; Emmett even hugged him, which took him back a little; telling him to look after his baby sister and bring her home to them. Finally he was standing in front of the man he'd come to think of and depend on like a father and he felt a host of emotions emanating from him. Carlisle reached up and cradled the side of Jasper's head with his hand and then pulled him towards him. "Son, you've no idea how proud of you I am; the changes you've gone through, especially in recent months are astounding and I know we've not always given you the credit you deserve for the things you've struggled through but I'm really glad you became a member of our family and I look forward to the day I get to see you and your new wife begin your life together." He said softly.
"Thanks dad." Jasper replied. "I'll come back as soon as I can." He added; hoping he wasn't lying to him. He saw the rest of the guard waiting for him; standing by three SUVs; all black with darkened windows. Sighing quietly because he knew he couldn't delay it any longer he looked at his family one more time; hopefully not his last time; and then turned and walked to the nearest SUV. Jane was the only one outside the vehicle by the time he got there and she handed him the black cloak that was almost part of a uniform they wore and were recognized by; something he would now be wearing and be known by too.
Once Jane had done that task she turned sharply and climbed in the rear seat of the truck; slamming the door behind her. Jasper followed but got into the front alongside Alec who was driving and no sooner had he shut the door, all three vehicles peeled out throughout the underground exit and began the trip to recover Bella.
*B-o-B*
It'd been two days since Jasper had left Volterra and the comfort of his family; he was already missing them and the only thing that kept him from going back was the hope of finding Bella. The pain he'd experienced since learning of her absence was still present and at times it was completely debilitating; he needed to hunt a lot more often than he would usually just to be able to function and it wasn't always convenient given their current mission. He could see that several of the guard was wondering why he still maintained his non-human diet but he was desperate to ensure he kept to it; it had been too long to slip back to his former diet now and he didn't want to let Bella down.
Once they'd left Volterra it had been a relatively short trip to a nearby airport and then into the private jet that would fly them to Scotland. Within hours they'd met up with Felix and Demetri and had spent a few hours going through what'd happened in more detail and sifting through the information Demetri had managed to find while searching for a trace on them.
Jasper was keenly interested in gaining as much knowledge as he could about the vampires they were about to face, his instincts drawing on his military days as he looked for any weaknesses they could use. He was very aware that most of knowledge they needed they wouldn't be able to get until they located them and he wanted to be sure the rest of his party understood they couldn't just charge in there and hope the Volturi name would give them the credence to get Bella back. They were going to have to fight and fight hard. Caius had been right when he'd said it as an audacious attack and Jasper and the guard were definitely on the back foot when it came to heading into their territory.
There was an element of him that was looking forward to this fight; the Major was itching to be let free and had been pushing Jasper to his limits as he fought to retain some control of his actions; he couldn't allow his inner demon out; not yet anyway. It was difficult enough to get through each hour without losing this control as well.
Unfortunately certain elements of the guard weren't as flexible when it came to following Jasper's orders as he'd hoped they'd be and he'd spent much of the last day deep in discussion with some of the key trouble makers. Of course, the main protagonist was Jane; and Felix was pretty high up on the list too which surprised Jasper somewhat. Jasper's only comrade; the one who hadn't questioned one thing he'd said was Demetri; Jasper could feel the guilt coming off him in droves and it hadn't lessened at all in the time he'd been there; he doubted it would be relieved until Bella was found.
Demetri had been a godsend and it was only through his influence and because of the respect the rest of the guard had for him that Jasper hadn't completely lost it and culled a few vampires; it'd been a pretty close call though. He had needed to hunt for several hours after that in order to fight off the anger it had instilled in him. So much for Aro's assurance that they would follow their bosses orders; it was like a lot of effort for very little gain but it had given him a chance to observe what they like. He wondered if Aro would listen to what he had to say.
The plan; as it stood so far; was to leave as dawn broke tomorrow and make their way, by boat, over to Bergen in Norway; they were hiring a boat from a local fisherman and he was sailing them over to the Scandinavian region; though Jasper was concerned as the human who was helping them obviously had no idea what he was getting himself into; Jasper had made it clear the man wasn't to be harmed and fortunately they begrudgingly agreed to his decree; although at this stage he wasn't sure he believed they would do anything he asked. Once the boat landed Demetri would again use his tracking skills to gain a better direction to follow them on. Jasper was loathe to admit that was as far as he'd got with the plan and part of him was ashamed by his lack of forward planning for something that was so important to him.
Just an hour ago he'd finally relented and had called Carlisle; the need to hear the familiar voice made him feel weak and that wasn't how he needed to be now but the absence of Bella was weighing on him heavily so anything to reduce that slightly was beneficial. He'd been fighting the urge for almost a day; the frustration he was feeling towards most of his companions not helping him either. As he began to talk to Carlisle he wondered if it was his father who had the empathic abilities; his voice was so calming and Jasper instantly felt better. He was pleased to hear the family was coping okay with being under enforced lockdown and he told Carlisle the brief plan he had to rescue Bella. He didn't mention the animosity he was receiving from a majority of the guard because he didn't want them to worry about him but he did reassure him that he was sticking to their diet.
Jasper was now getting ready to get onto the boat and he watched as the rest of the group gradually filtered back to the dock; having taken some time to hunt before the crossing. He was watching Jane and Felix as he sensed Demetri approaching him and standing beside him.
"She shouldn't be a problem with this, Jasper." Jasper didn't respond to his comment; he was trying to get a sense of what she was feeling and it wasn't a comfortable experience. "She respects the Volturi too much to consider not following their instructions."
"I'm glad you think so. I wish I held the same belief."
"Have you sensed something from her?" Jasper could hear the concern in his voice.
"She definitely isn't happy; nor is Felix but it's more than that; it's not just that they have to do as I tell them; it's the fact they've been told to do this at all." He paused as he once again concentrated on Jane. "Is there something going on between the two of them?" he asked.
Demetri looked at him in surprise but then seemed to consider what he had said. "I wasn't aware of anything but now you've said it, I guess there might be."
"She seemed particularly worried about him before we got here and he's barely left her side since we've met up with you both. Now she isn't interested in this at all; since we've got to Scotland and met up with you and Felix; her feelings about this have completely changed. I keep getting flashes of emotion between the two of them; it's almost like they're trying to hide it from me but they slip every now and again." They both looked at the subjects of their conversation and watched as they walked side by side down the ramp onto the boat.
"We should probably keep a closer eye on them." Demetri finally said.
"You don't need to convince me." He paused, "If they are a problem, should I be watching Alec as well?" Jasper asked.
"It wouldn't hurt."
"I wish this was simpler." Jasper said; this additional complication just adding to the stress he was already handling. "I guess we should get on the boat." He added. The two of them followed the path Jane, Felix and the other vampires had already taken and within minutes; just as dawn was breaking; the boat set sail.
*B-o-B*
By the time they reached Bergen Jasper was pleased to get back on terra firma. The rocking motion of the boat made him feel nauseous; despite the fact he couldn't be sick; it was a very disconcerting experience and not one he wanted to repeat. Fortunately he hadn't been the only one to dislike the roughness of the North Sea and there were now several of his companions who were also slightly green; although Jasper did wonder briefly if he'd been projecting his emotions to them.
They were now standing in the port and Alec, Demetri and another vampire Jasper didn't know the name of had gone to hire some vehicles for them to use. They only had to wait a few minutes and three sleek black cars pulled up in front of them. Jasper was quick to ensure he got in the car Demetri was driving this time; they would be at the front of the convoy anyway and it'd give Jasper time to come up with a plan.
The cars were just leaving the city limits of Bergen an hour later and once they were on a quiet stretch they pulled off the road and parked. All of the vampires congregated around the rear of one car; a map of the area sprawled across the boot. Demetri had gone to try and pick up the scent of their target and within another hour he was back and marking the direction they'd gone in on the map.
Jasper peered at the map with interest and saw several possible areas they could have sequestered themselves in. "Jane." He said as he continued to peer at the map. She appeared at his side; trailed by Felix which almost made Jasper smile. "During your time with the Volturi, has there been any trouble from groups of vampires in this area?" He circled the region Demetri had highlighted on the map with his finger.
She looked at the map and nodded her head, "There was some activity from a coven in this location about one hundred years ago. We had to come over and take control of the situation." She said clinically as she pointed at a place near a small town.
Jasper knew exactly what she meant by taking control of the situation and was only slightly disturbed that it didn't bother him. "We'll start off heading in that direction then." He looked at the map and pointed to a nearby forest area. "We'll stop here and prepare for the attack on them." He only hoped they were heading in the right direction.
"When do we get to know the details of the plan?" Jane asked; staring at Jasper intently; her words almost growled at him.
"You'll know the details once I've finalized the plan. Some things can't be decided until the last minute – we still need to look at where they're based. We can't determine anything until we've got all the details of what we're facing, Jane." She growled in frustration and when Jasper turned his back on her and folded up the map, he smiled widely at Demetri who had to stifle his laughter. They got into the cars and headed towards their next rendezvous point.
*B-o-B*
"I'd like to come with you when you go to scout out their camp." Jasper said quietly to Demetri.
Demetri was silent for a minute or two and Jasper could feel the small amount of uncertainty push from him, "Do you doubt I will bring the information you need?"
"Not at all. Sometimes it's just easier to see the weaknesses yourself. I know what I'm looking for; I've almost one hundred years of searching for and spotting it. Anyway two heads are often better than one. I'd appreciate any assistance you can offer me, Demetri."
"Of course."
"I'm also hoping I'll be able to sense if Bella is there. The pain I've felt since she left Volterra is gradually lessening the closer we get to her. I'll know if she's there."
"You may be right. I hope she's there."
"If they've hurt her in any way…" his words drifted off and they both knew he didn't need to complete that statement; both of them knew how he would finish it.
"I'm sorry this happened, Jasper."
"I feel your guilt, Demetri and there's no need for it. This isn't your fault."
"I should've been paying more attention when they attacked."
"And leave Felix to fight all those vampires on his own; I think even he'd admit that was too much for him to take on."
"Maybe."
"We'll get her back, I know we will." He hoped his words didn't sound as desperate as he thought they did because desperate was how he was beginning to feel and he hated it.
*B-o-B*
Jasper walked back into the clearing after finishing hunting and found the rest of the party waiting for him; again he saw Felix hovering near Jane but he did see Alec was further away than he usually was; the level of disgust emanating from him nearly took his breath away. 'Interesting' he thought. He walked back to the car he'd arrived in and pulled his shirt over his head; feeling the intensity of their stares as they looked at the scars on his back. It was the first time in a long time he'd used them to instill some respect in people; to make sure they realized who they were dealing with; he hadn't done that since his days with Maria and it wasn't something he particularly wanted to do but circumstances called for it. Rummaging through his bag he pulled out a fresh T-shirt and pulled it onto his body then turned to face them all. "Demetri and I will be going to scout out their camp and when we come back we'll have a plan of what we're going to do. You should take this time to hunt; there's plenty of wildlife in this area so grab it while you can." He smiled as he saw several of them turn their noses up in distaste. "Look, there are no villages nearby where you won't run the risk of running into one of these vampires; so take the opportunity to feed on something. I'm not asking you to make a lifestyle choice; I'm just suggesting you get some blood and that's pretty much all you have to choose from."
Before anyone could raise any objections to him he walked away from the clearing; Demetri following behind. "Did you see Jane's face?" he laughed.
Jasper smirked as they walked deeper into the trees, "And Felix's." His smile grew even wider as he added, "I thought he was going to burst a blood vessel."
"Do you think any of them will do as you say?"
"I've no idea; some of them maybe. I won't hold my breath for it to happen though."
TBC
A/N: And so begins the Jasper/Demetri bromance, but don't worry it won't impact on Jasper's relationship with Bella. :-) Demetri was my surprise character in this story. When I first began to write the Volturi section he didn't mean that much to me but the more I wrote, I began to realize he'd become my favorite member of the guard... and it kind of developed from there. Anyway, let me know what you think and send me a review. Next chapter tomorrow.