Sorry about the late posting of the chapter... part of the reason for the delay was because a review for chapter 31 asked if there would be a chapter of events from the POV of Bella... and I kind of realized I hadn't done it and it needed to be there. So, while it isn't a complete chapter, it has made it's way into this one (so thanks to aggy73 for the comment. :-)). The second reason for delay was because I had to bake a cake when I got home from work so I'm running a little late... you might find that there's one paragraph that was inspired by this project - I couldn't resist and it made me laugh as I was typing it. Anyway... on with the show. Enjoy!
Chapter 33.
It was surprising still to Jasper that things could move so fast; although he should've realized with the Volturi involved it would make things easier. Within hours of them finding Bella they were back in the cars; travelling further north to liaise with the private jet they'd flown to Scotland on. Jasper was loathed to relinquish his hold on Bella so she'd curled up on his lap and when he carried her onto the plane; she didn't seem in a hurry to for him to let her go either.
The flight to Volterra was relatively peaceful as the rest of the occupants of the plane left Bella and Jasper alone; with Demetri the only one who said anything to them. Intermittently Jasper would send his feelings of love to Bella; needing, for his own sake, to remind her how important she was to him. Jasper found he needed to kiss her intermittently too; this time to reassure himself he wasn't imagining she was safe in his arms; it was another thing that Bella never fought against.
Bella couldn't put into words how she felt to back safe in her mate's arms; she'd been so scared and upset when she left Volterra and there had definitely been times when she doubted she'd ever return. When she'd left Felix didn't seem to like her at all; in fact he'd been down right rude at times and she didn't really know Demetri. To her he was just the person who'd appeared to be in charge for the first task and she wasn't overly impressed with him as a result of that. As they'd flown from the city she'd been very upset about the fact she hadn't been able to say goodbye to her family; especially Jasper, before she'd gone and she knew how equally upset they would be by that too. As they were starting to fly over France a dull ache had started in her stomach and it gradually spread throughout her body as the flight progressed. At times the pain sharpened and she would be left gasping for breath until it lessened back to the constant throb.
By this point both Felix and Demetri had noticed she was in pain. Felix seemed to have the belief she was putting it on to garner some sympathy from them or to try and get them to go back to Volterra. Demetri was different and she began to see a different side to him than had been shown earlier. He'd asked her if she was okay and then when the pain was bad he would hold her hand and rub her back; talking to her the whole time. He seemed to genuinely care about her wellbeing and once the plane had landed had gone with her to hunt while Felix secured the use of a car.
Demetri had spoken to her as they made their way back to where Felix was waiting for them and he told her a little about what the task would be made up of. He told her that a location had been picked for them to wait in and she would be told where that was in a few hours time. There were certain elements that Jasper had to go through for the task; the Volturi leaders had decided he should make his way to their destination over ground only; so he wouldn't be flying there. Jasper would obviously need to ensure that he didn't reveal what he was to any human. Their location would be an inhabited area and there would be other vampires in the vicinity that Jasper would need to get past without causing any attention to be drawn to their kind. Demetri's explanation didn't do much to reassure Bella but he was quick to tell her he had every confidence that Jasper would have no difficulties with anything he was faced with. His biggest challenge was achieving the task in the deadline set; this would be the limiting factor for completion.
Once they were in the car, with Demetri sitting in the back beside her as Felix drove, their journey continued. The drive wasn't too bad and Demetri ensured there was minimal contact with humans for Bella to have to deal with. Just over the border of Scotland they stopped as both Demetri and Felix needed to hunt. Demetri was the first to leave but returned very quickly, enabling Felix to go. His hunt took longer and Bella took the time to hunt herself; escorted by Demetri. He watched her as she pounced on a stag and when she returned to his side after she'd finished he told her he was impressed with her hunting style, which to Bella meant a lot.
Bella asked him about his life and the years he'd been with the Volturi. At first he was reluctant to talk about it but he did eventually open up to her; telling her that he was turned by Aro about twenty years after Carlisle left Volterra. He told her about his ability as a tracker and how it had come in useful over the years. Bella was particularly interested when Demetri told her about his times in the South; when he'd seen Jasper fighting for Maria. She could almost picture in her mind the vision of him as Demetri described it; the picture forming with such clarity it was like she was almost there. She could hear his admiration for her mate in his voice and she knew he respected him a great deal.
Bella asked him why Felix was off with her as they sat there waiting for him to return and for a while Demetri didn't say anything. Bella wondered if she'd insulted him and was about to apologize for speaking out of turn and then he answered her. He said he wasn't sure but he'd seen the looks he'd been sending her ever since they'd left Volterra and he thought maybe it was because of the diet she lived by. Bella wasn't so sure that was the reason behind it because his disdain seemed to be aimed at her personally and not at any of the rest of her family but she let the matter drop. Felix came back a few minutes later so they spent some time in silence from that point.
They were about to get back in the car when all hell broke loose. Demetri pushed her into the car as the large group of vampires approached and then he and Felix stood guard; crouched and ready to fight as they got closer. Bella watched in awe as they both took on multiple vampires; easily dispatching of a few but struggling against others. As a result she was distracted when the door on the other side of the car opened and two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her across the seat. She tried to struggle but even with her newborn strength it was a pointless fight. A hand was clamped over her mouth and she couldn't even attract Demetri's attention.
As they ran away from the two Volturi Bella's thoughts were caught on Jasper and as each mile passed she felt the pain of their separation more and more. Bella could remember very little of the journey back to the camp where she was held hostage as she'd withdrawn into herself letting the pain overwhelm her. Once she was dragged into the camp the apparent leader of the coven looked her over. She'd flinched from his touch when his hand brushed down her face and he smirked at her when he told her she was his now.
Over the first day she was their prisoner she was told about the mistrust that had been brewing within this coven for a couple of hundred years; the Volturi had come down on them hard as the coven was originally forming; claiming to need to 'control their activities' as they were deemed to have broken a rule. The way they'd controlled the Norwegian coven was to wipe out two thirds of it's population as a warning to the remainders and since that time the contempt towards them had manifested to the point that when news began to spread throughout the vampire population of the bond of brotherhood law being invoked; something Bella was unsure how it could've been so well known; the plan had been put into place to take her during the second task.
Bella discovered they'd been tracked ever since leaving Volterra; which if she wasn't so disgusted would've made her laugh because the thought of someone managing to track them without being noticed stunned her. They'd taken the opportunity to remove her from their custody and had been lucky enough to get close enough to Bella and her companions without being detected.
Bella had been left alone for quite a lot of the time she'd been held and she was only removed from the building that was her prison once, when she fought the female vampire. As each hour passed she became weaker and weaker; the only thing that gave her any strength was her conviction that Jasper would rescue her. Thoughts of her family and particularly of her mate helped her through the pain which at points was more than she could bear.
When the unknown vampire entered the room and killed her captor with such ease, Bella was frightened and wondered just what she was in for. She couldn't see who this person was; their appearance hidden by the cloak they were wearing. She backed away from them as they turned to face her; an aggressive stance taken, as if they were about to attack and then everything froze and Bella wondered for a second if it was something she had done. She was pressed against the wall so hard that she was sure there would be an imprint of her body in the stone.
Her hero or killer, she wasn't sure which at this stage, took a step towards her but seemed to pause when she flinched from him. She daren't even breathe as she waited for the end to come; she could almost see her life flashing before her eyes; her thoughts caught on the look of devastation she could see fall over Jasper's face as she watched him learn of her death in her mind. As her mind settled on her mate she felt a wave of emotions run through her body and for a second she thought she'd imagined it, then realization struck and she lifted her eyes and looked up at the hidden face of the person before her. She whispered his name; almost more as a question than in recognition. When he nodded to her she flung herself at him; clinging to him as her emotions overwhelmed her; she found herself sobbing against his shoulder as his hands brushed over her body as if he was inspecting her for injuries. When he began to kiss her hair, neck and then shoulder it just made her sob harder and yet she was the happiest she had ever been.
Reality set in when she pulled away from him and took in what he was wearing. She'd seen that outfit before; more times than she'd ever wanted to. In fact her companions before she'd been taken captive wore the very same thing. Her heart clenched as she began to worry he'd become one of them; had she lost him forever? He must have sensed her concern because he reassured her he was fine. For the first time since she'd realized it was him she looked into his eyes and saw they were the same as the one's she'd fallen in love with; not a hint of crimson to them.
Time since then passed quickly and now she was sitting in the plane; next to Jasper; feeling safe and loved. Every now and again she'd feel his emotions sweep through her and it reassured her; being in his arms was amazing and she didn't want to be anywhere else but knowing how he felt about her was the icing on the cake; the cherry on top being each time his lips met hers. Neither of them had said much during most of the flight and it wasn't until they were only an hour from landing that Bella needed to speak to him. "Jasper," she whispered; her voice still very quiet.
"Yes, angel." He murmured.
She lifted her head; which had been resting on his chest and looked at his face, "I need you." She said softly; hoping he would understand.
Jasper knew immediately what she meant and her words had the appropriate affect on his body which caused her to smile beautifully. He looked around the plane and saw that most of the other passengers were well away from them; he didn't want to move from where they were as that would just draw more attention to them both and to be honest he didn't care if they realized what they were doing. He was relieved Bella was still wearing his cloak and as he nodded to her; she shifted on his lap, turning to straddle him; pressing against his arousal in a way he thought he wouldn't experience again. He reached beneath the cloak and tore her skirt and panties from her body; receiving a raised eyebrow from her. "I have some clothes for you in my bag; I thought you might want to change before you got back to Volterra."
She reached for his pants and was soon pulling his rigid length free of his clothing and then he was inside her and they both sighed in relief. Finally they were together again. Jasper brushed his hand through her hair and pulled her head towards his; kissing her softly but deeply as she began to move on top of him. He could already feel his body tightening as the release he felt at getting her back threw any hope of this lasting more than a couple of minutes out of the window. Fortunately, Bella seemed to be having the same problem and mere seconds after they united as one, both flew over the precipice.
Jasper was aware he was projecting their combined emotions throughout the cabin and he didn't care in the slightest; in fact he was quite interested in seeing the results of it; his hunch about Jane and Felix still at the back of his mind.
Bella clung to his body; both physically and emotionally and Jasper loved the feeling; he never wanted to let go. He peppered kisses across her face; hearing her breath hitch every now and again when he hit a spot she liked.
He was still inside her and he didn't want to leave but he had to; the plane would soon be landing and then it would be the trip back to Volterra; they needed to stop this before that happened. He lifted her in his arms; turning her body and pulling her against his body. "I love you," she murmured as she snuggled once more against him.
He reached beneath the seat and pulled his backpack from the floor. Kissing her softly he handed her the bag, "You should go and change into the clothes in here; the plane is going to land soon." Her bottom lip pushed out and he nipped it gently with his teeth. "Go, before I change my mind and we do something really stupid." She stared into his eyes before turning and taking the bag from his hand; as she got to her feet Jasper rearranged himself back in his pants and watched her walk into the bathroom just a few rows back.
*B-o-B*
Jasper zoned out a little once he was in the SUV; Bella was still in his lap; her arms wrapped around his neck and to most people she would look as if she was sleeping; for a while he began to wonder if she was because she barely responded to anything. He'd have been worried but her thumb was brushing a scar on his neck that sent shivers up and down his spine; it was his reassurance she was still with him. He stared out of the window and saw the countryside flashing by; it was a landscape he recognized and he knew it wouldn't be long until they were back with their family.
Just ten minutes later the vans were driving through the streets of the city and then into the underground entrance to the Volturi castle. As the rest of the guard got out of the vehicles he kissed Bella's temple, "Bella, we're back, darlin'." She stirred against him and slowly opened her eyes; peering out of the window and seeing their dark surroundings, "Time to see the family again." He whispered to her. Carefully he lifted her in his arms and climbed out of the car.
Demetri was standing near the back of the vehicle, "They're all waiting for you in the main chamber," he said.
"Can't we go and see our family first?" Jasper asked.
"They'll be there as well." Demetri replied.
"Let's get this over with then." Jasper muttered. The two of them walked down the corridors; Jasper still carrying Bella. Just before they entered the room Jasper lowered Bella's feet to the floor, "We shouldn't make the family worry about you," he said to her softly. Bella still clung to his side but at least she was able to make her own way there. Demetri opened the door and all three of them walked into the room, Bella blinking slightly as the bright light in the room hit her eyes. She looked around the room and she could feel the venom pooling in her eyes as she met the faces of her family; her grip on Jasper's hand tightened slightly as her emotions ramped.
"Bella, my dear, it's a pleasure to see you again," Aro said; descending the stairs and moving to stand in front of her. Bella smiled at him politely but Jasper could tell it was a little forced.
"We must apologize for what happened, Bella. It was not our intention for you to be put in harm's way and taken by those vampires. It never should've happened and they've been punished for what they've done." Caius said. Bella was surprised by what he'd said; for the first time she felt no animosity from him and it was very welcome.
"Since you're standing here, we can now proclaim the second task complete and achieved by Jasper Whitlock." Aro said; a smile on his face which looked genuine. "The third task will begin in three days." Jasper glanced at Bella quickly and then at his family. A look that wasn't missed by any of the Volturi.
"Have you both read the details of the third task?" Marcus asked.
"We have."
"You have the next three days to prepare for this task. The three of us would like to meet with you both tomorrow to discuss this task in more detail; I'm sure you understand there is much that needs sorting before the task can begin." A murmur of confusion rippled around the room as Marcus spoke again. Marcus and Caius turned and filed out of the room; followed by the audience, leaving behind Aro and the Cullens.
"Jasper, I wondered if we could talk about what we discussed, before you start the last task?" Aro asked.
"Okay." Jasper said.
Aro turned to face the rest of the family, "Carlisle, my friend, why don't you and the rest of your family go back to your quarters while Jasper and I have our discussion? I won't keep him that long."
Bella edged closer to Jasper's side; burying her head in his shoulder. "Would it be okay if Bella stayed?" Jasper asked; reluctant to let her go.
"Of course." Aro agreed.
Carlisle and the rest of the family walked out of the room although Jasper could tell they had many questions for both of them. "We'll come and see you when we've finished," he said to his father.
Once the room was empty Aro glided over to his seat and sat; facing the both of them. "Please, Jasper, come and take a seat." He said, waving his hand towards the two empty thrones usually used by his brothers. Jasper stepped forward and sat in the throne that belonged to Marcus; pulling Bella onto his lap and circling her with his arms. "Are you okay, Bella?" Aro asked; obviously concerned for her.
Bella nodded; her face still pressed into Jasper's neck. "She's still very weak and she needs to feed. They didn't feed her while they held her and as you know a newborn needs to feed more often than we would."
"I take it she suffered the same pain you did when you were apart?" Aro asked gently.
Bella had tensed in his arms when they began talking about her abduction and it was the only indication Jasper had that she'd heard him; he started brushing his hand up and down her back and he smiled as he heard her begin to purr. She was barely moving but he'd noticed she was stroking the scar on his wrist; an instinctual habit she seemed to have picked up since she'd first seen it. "She did suffer the same pain; although it was a little different to what I felt. My pain seemed to increase as she got further away from me; Bella said her pain was mostly constant with small intense peaks and it didn't lessen when I was nearby; not until I'd rescued her. We wondered if the pain was more intense for me because of my gift."
"You could be right…" Aro murmured, "This is most intriguing and not something we've ever witnessed before. For there to be a physical link between the two of you before the bond is even in place just backs up our earlier conversations. Even with the bonded couple we had in our family when this was first created, it wasn't something we saw. And when Vincenzo began to display signs of pain after his mate was killed, we were only witness to his reaction. None of the guard with Surilia saw any adverse reaction from her during their separation and Vincenzo didn't complain either. I will say that neither of them had a gift so it may be a side effect we weren't aware of."
Jasper tightened his arms around Bella at the thought his gift might've caused her pain. "I felt her pain when Demetri and I were watching the camp and I felt it much stronger than she did; when I found her I could sense she was in pain but mine seemed so much more intense."
"I wonder…" Aro said; drifting into silence as he thought some more. "I think I might have an idea why it's happening."
"Why?" Jasper asked; eager for some answers.
"I think we can all safely agree that you feel the separation more intensely because of your gift; you are susceptible to other's emotions anyway and as a result this probably increases the impact of what you feel. Did you project the pain you were feeling at all?"
"Yes, when they took me out of the city to feed, the pain increased intensely and I shared the pain with them accidently; my mum got the worst of it because she was holding me." Jasper still felt the guilt for causing them all pain; especially Esme.
"I think the reason Bella didn't suffer as badly as you is because of one of her gifts."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, she's displayed the ability to shield herself from attacks of certain kinds; especially Jane's gift and those of myself and Edward. I'm sure if we were to test it Alec's gift wouldn't work either. I don't think it's a stretch for us to think that maybe this gift is the reason her pain was less. In essence she protected herself from it."
Jasper suddenly realized something he'd said earlier. "You said one of her gifts?"
Aro smiled, "Yes. I first suspected Bella had another gift when I spoke to her before she left with Felix and Demetri. While you were away I thought about it some more and I must confess I searched through what I'd seen in your memories and the things I saw just seemed to confirm my suspicion."
"Which is?"
"I think Bella may be an amplifier; of sorts." Jasper stared at him; waiting for him to explain his theory. "I think she has the ability to make other's gifts stronger. When I was speaking to Bella I spoke about both your and Carlisle's memories; usually when that happens, there's a faint flash of the pertinent memories through my thoughts. When I was talking to Bella it was as if I was seeing the memories again; like you and your father were there. The flashes were much stronger." Aro paused and looked at Jasper seeing his nod of understanding as he took in what the older man had said. "So I've looked back through the memories you and Carlisle had shown over the last few days; trying to see if there were occurrences when your gift was affected by her presence. I saw there were many times when it happened. Has your gift been stronger since Bella became a vampire?"
"I'm not sure stronger is the right word; it's definitely been harder to control."
"Yes, I guess that is a better way of describing it. I've seen in your memories that there are times when you project your combined emotions, affecting a wider number of people than you usually would if you were more in control."
Jasper felt his embarrassment rise as he realized the moments Aro was referring to were when he and Bella had been making love; he felt Bella shift in his lap and realized she could sense him embarrassment even if she wasn't fully aware of what they were talking about. "Do you think that will always happen?" he asked, "I'm not sure the family will be pleased if that was to become a regular thing."
"I'm sure once Bella has got some control over her gifts it will occur less and less," his smile grew wider before he spoke again, "I think it's going to be something you're just going to have to work on; together."
Jasper closed his eyes and turned his head slightly so he could press a kiss to Bella's forehead; this conversation was becoming beyond embarrassing now and he wished it was over. This was even worse than having to bear witness to his parents having sex. He cleared his throat and decided now was time to change the subject. "You wanted to talk about what I'd seen during my time away?" he said, his voice soft but firm.
Aro smiled at the change in subject but let it happen; he wouldn't torture them any further, "Yes. I'd like to know what you thought about my people."
"Mostly they are good; they work together as a team very effectively and have a lot of respect for you and your brothers."
"Should I be worried about the 'mostly' in your statement?"
"That's up to you. I can't say my time with them was easy; if Demetri hadn't been there, I'm not sure I would've been as successful."
"Why?" Aro was frowning now.
Jasper fidgeted slightly; reverting back to human habits, long forgotten. "There was a few who didn't like the fact they had to report to me; it was only because Demetri stared them down that they fell into line."
"Who are they?"
"It was a lot of them and I don't know all their names…"
"You must know some of them."
Jasper nodded, taking a deep breath before he admitted to Aro, "Jane and Felix were the ringleaders."
Aro's frown turned to a scowl as he absorbed what Jasper had reluctantly said, "What were your thoughts on them?" he asked.
"As I've said; they work well as a team; I would say there is a little over reliance on Jane and Alec's gifts but they're very effective at what they do so I can understand it; in fact I took advantage of it to get Bella back. The only real negative I've noticed is I would say they've become a bit too dependent on the Volturi name having an impact on what they're doing; they sometimes assume that everyone will fall in line with them regardless of their actions; you can't always expect that to happen."
"You've mentioned Jane and Alec; how would you rate them?"
Jasper thought for a minute; choosing his words carefully. "I would say of the two of them, Jane is definitely the more dominant one." He decided he was going to tell Aro the truth; regardless of the consequences; Aro had asked for his feedback and he was going to give it to him. "To be honest, Jane likes to get her own way, a little too much if you ask me and if that doesn't happen; everyone soon knows about it. Unfortunately she invariably does get her way so this isn't something you've probably seen but there were times during the task when I thought she was going to throw a tantrum." Aro fixed his eyes on him; remaining silent as he listened to what he was saying; his eyes darkening as he heard Jasper talk about his favorite so harshly. Jasper continued without hesitation, "Alec is a relatively nice guy; slightly overshadowed by his sister and she rules his actions just a little too much but if he's given his own space he has the ability to lead well. In some ways I think he could be more effective than Jane because she just has a tendency to piss people off."
Aro's voice was hard when he spoke again; slightly agitated at what he was hearing, "Any other's you have thoughts about?" he asked quietly.
"Felix is a good fighter; again I did have problems with him and he's certainly under Jane's thumb when it comes to doing anything." Aro quirked his eyebrow at that comment, "I have my suspicions but that's all they are; it's more a hunch than anything."
"Which is?"
"I think there is something going on between Jane and Felix; I spoke to Demetri about it and while he wasn't aware of anything, he could see there might be something there."
"I'm not sure it's a problem if they are together."
"I'm not saying it is, although Jane lost interest in the mission once we'd met up with Felix and Demetri and then the two of them began creating problems. During the actual attack on the camp though, they both pulled their weight."
"Mmm." Aro paused as he contemplated what was said, "And Demetri?"
"Demetri is amazing. The rest of the guard have a lot of respect for him and listen to what he says; he's the reason I got anywhere with the task. He's very conscientious and considers all options. Even after we'd rescued Bella it was him that hunted and brought some animals to her so she could feed. His gift is probable one of your greatest assets but he doesn't just rely on it; he takes everything into account."
"You seem to have a great deal of respect for him?"
"I do and I hope he does for me too."
"Thank you for your honesty, Jasper." He smiled slightly. "I'm assuming you aren't going to take up our invitation to be part of our guard?"
"No, I won't."
"I didn't really think you would." He smiled at them both as he saw the two of them hug each other slightly. "You should be getting back to your family; I'm sure they all want to catch up with you both."
Jasper stood; again lifting Bella in his arms and walked towards the back of the room. Before he left the room he turned and made one last comment, "I meant what I said about Jane, Aro. While she's a great asset to you, she's also your biggest weakness because out of any of them, she will be the first to turn against you." Aro just stared at him as he left the room and soon he was heading back to the rooms they were staying in.
TBC
A/N: So there you go. A bit of a tease for the third task (sorry) but look at what else I gave you. A bit of Jasper lovin', a second gift for Bella and Jasper telling Aro just what he thought about the guard... What did you think? Let me know and send me a review. No more chapters today, because of the extra element of this chapter I haven't had a chance to review the next chapter one last time and I don't want to rush it. I will make up for it tomorrow with possibly three chapters (which will include the third task). I haven't decided about whether to post chapter 36 tomorrow - or to wait till Sunday... maybe I need convincing. :-)