Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all.

Rated M for several reasons.

Chpt 10 Let's Get This Party Started

BPOV

I frown at my reflection, deep in thought.

Don't get me wrong, all that time at the Academy in LA cured me of my party aversion but this one is slightly different. The crazy bitch's boss an' my worst enemy will be here an' I have to be nice to them. Can you say, chances of success slim to non-existent?

Simon is tsk, tsking while he 'fantabulises' my hair. This is one of the few occasions when you can tell he swings in a happy direction, usually he avoids acting the stereotype. Hair is the key, apparently.

"Do I have to do this?" I ask him for the umpteenth time.

"Yes Mistress. May I remind you that this was your idea?"

"Oh right, I forgot. Be nice to people I want to kill!"

"Mistress." Simon snaps sharply. "Calm down. I will be beside you every second of the night. I will not let you kill anybody you shouldn't."

I roll my eyes. Like a babysitter. Albeit a much needed one. Simon is the only one who knows anything about how I feel at the moment. He doesn't approve but he does understand an' as such he says he'll be doing his duty in stopping me from doing something I'll regret later.

Even before the party starts I have to meet with Kseniya. She obeyed Jasper's summons, arriving last night. I have managed to avoid her but soon I have to stand by my mate while he meets with her. As far as I am concerned she has two hopes of surviving that meeting, Bob Hope an' no hope. Which is why my bodyguard is coming with me.

"Finished." Simon pronounces with a flourish.

Wow. I look beautiful an' sophisticated. Then worst of my scars hidden by my hair, which is swept up on my head with thick tendrils winding down over my neck an' shoulders.

The Guard retrieved the Prius, an' therefore my shopping from Chicago so I am squeezed into some very complicated underwear and the beautiful aubergine dress from Washington. It moulds to all my curves an' flares out below the knee, as Simon puts it, everything is covered but in such a way that it screams 'uncover it now'.

"The Master will have his hands full tonight." Simon muses as he fiddles with my hair an' dress one last time. "Very beautiful Mistress. Try not to spoil it by acting your age."

I poke my tongue out at him.

"Exactly." He says rolling his own eyes.

A knock on the bedroom door signals the arrival of Jasper an' Pete. Both looking like GQ models in their tailor made tuxedos.

"Wow." Pete whistles. "Lil sis you certainly scrub up well. I can't remember the last time you were all glammed up."

Jasper looks me over silently but I can see the appreciation in his eyes as he holds out his arm for me.

"Ready darlin'?"

"As I'll ever be."

We sweep out, three rednecks in their best bib an' tucker and one sharply dressed Italian bringing up the rear.

Pete leads the way down to Jasper's office. Char's done a marvellous job with it. Its genteel an' serious looking with dark wood furniture and brown leather chairs but still very Jasper. The walls are lined with his books an' there's a saddle horse in the corner just waiting for a saddle.

Grinning at each other in amusement we spend a few moments arranging an re-arranging ourselves for the meeting, which calms me a little, none of us are quite used to this sort of thing. Not even Simon.

Eventually Jasper sits behind his desk an' I stand behind him with my hand on his shoulder. Simon stands just behind me an' Pete settles himself on the corner of Jasper's massive desk. I supress a giggle, it's like a scene from The Godfather. All Jasper needs is a big fat cigar.

Demetri opens the door with a flourish. Admitting a beautiful but icy looking blonde with a cowed Vassili in tow.

"Master." She says, bowing extravagantly.

"Kseniya." Jasper greets her in a low voice, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please take a seat."

She sits quickly, fussing with her silver gown for a moment. Vassili stands behind her an' Demetri folds himself into the other chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You have not yet met my brother, Peter." Pete nods coolly. "Nor my wife." I glare at her. "Or her bodyguard." Simon curls his lip into a silent snarl, an' he tells me off for being childish.

"Explain yourself." Jasper orders when she looks back to him.

"Master . . . ." She begins.

"Not to me." He growls. "To my wife."

Blinking in surprise the blonde turns her eyes to me.

"Mistress. My men had no idea who you were, if they had they would never have approached you or harmed you. Vassili has told me what Raisa did and for that I am truly sorry. I merely wanted to discover more information about the coven who destroyed Aro. It was a valid action, in defence of my own."

"A valid action?" I growl in disbelief. "You think attacking innocent people without provocation is a perfectly normal way to find out what you want to know? Are you crazy? Your men tried to torture my bodyguard. Your, whatever the hell she was, attacked me."

Angry I clamp my mouth shut an' start counting to a hundred.

"We are not The Volturi." Jasper speaks into the tense silence. "An attack of any kind against any one of us will be treated as an attack against all of us. We are different and we will expect different behaviour from the Covens."

Kseniya looks around at our stony faces.

"I am sorry." She says finally, with more conviction. "I have lived under the old regime for a very long time, I think it will take me time to adjust to a fairer system. I have spoken to several people since I arrived last night and they have all described you as a strong but fair leader. And your coven as very much more relaxed and friendly than The Volturi. How will I be punished Master?"

"That will be up to my wife."

Oh shit.

Behind me Simon snickers an' whispers. "Be honest, Mistress. Be who you are."

"I would very much like to kill you." I tell her, daring her to look away from my now black eyes. "You are a potential threat to my husband and my family. And that I will not tolerate. You should believe me when I tell you that I could do that now and no one would be able to stop me."

I pause an' my family smiles at her. Jasper's shoulder is relaxed under my hand, is that because he thinks I won't kill her or he doesn't care if I do? Or because he trusts me to do the right thing? Mental eye roll, as if I'd know what the right thing is.

"However. I believe you have been punished enough. You have lost eleven of your coven. My husband is trying to forge a peaceful rule and your support would be greatly appreciated. Any act against us would not.

We are more than capable of defending ourselves. Aro is not the first former leader we have defeated."

"I have recently heard about Vladimir." She says quietly.

"I am sorry." I tell her, meaning it. "We were defending ourselves."

"Yes, I appreciate that. I cannot fault you for your actions." She smiles at me suddenly, a tentative smile. "As much as I would like to."

"Then we understand each other perfectly." Unexpectedly I smile back.

"Yes Mistress." She bobs her head to me.

"My wife has been more lenient with you than I was planning to be." Jasper growls, surprising me. "I suggest you join the party, we will talk again later."

"Yes Master." Rising to her feet she bows graciously an' exits the room with a very relieved looking Vassili in tow.

Simon pats my shoulder an' disappears out of the French windows.

"That went better than I expected." Pete chuckles.

"Why?" I laugh, tension temporarily gone. "Because I didn't kill her?"

"Aw sweet thing, I knew you wouldn't kill her." He taps his head annoyingly. "But I thought J might."

Laughing at my gaping face Pete hauls Demetri to his feet. "Come on Big D, obviously ain't gonna be any action here. Let's go find my wife an' get this party started. Don't be too long you two."

Jasper stands an' grabs my arm before I can hurry out after them.

"That." He says with a smirk. "Is a very beautiful dress an' you were awesome."

I snort an' look down, inspecting my cleavage.

"Bella." He says quietly. Against my will I look up into his golden eyes. "Why have you been avoidin' me?"

Jasper coma. Why have I been avoiding him? Oh yes, right. Because I'm not fit to be his mate, because I can't do all this diplomatic shit an' all I know how to do is fight. An' one way or another I'm going to ruin everything for him.

"Bella." With a groan he pulls me into his arms. "Of course you are fit to be my mate. I don't understand where this is coming from, darlin' I can't take it when you don't talk to me."

Oh shit, did I actually say all that out loud?

"Yes you did." He laughs, ruffling my hair with his breath. "Twice. Darlin' I know how hard this is, I'm tryin' to adjust too. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to rip Kseniya to shreds. Her actions got you hurt an' almost killed. I thought you'd be more level headed about her punishment an' you were. I read her emotions, she respects us but she likes you."

I hug him back, wrapping my arms around his waist an' pressing myself to him. Of all the things that are scaring me at the moment the distance between he an' I is the worst.

"We need to talk." He says unhappily. "Please darlin', don't shut me out anymore."

I nod, I'm not looking forward to it but I'm finally on the same page as Simon. He's been nagging for two weeks for me to talk to Jasper about how I'm feeling an' I haven't wanted to do it. Jasper's so strong, growing an' changing to meet new circumstances an' I'm not. I feel like he's leaving me behind. I didn't want him to know, I wanted to stave off the day when he finally realises I'm not good enough for him. I want to protect him an' take care of him and all I've done is hurt him. Hurt us both. And brought that day closer.

I sigh heavily. Shouldn't I know better than anyone that putting things off only leads to disaster?

"I wish we could talk now." He whispers. "But unfortunately we have to go stand in a receiving line an' shake hands with Rutilio Asturias. I promise darlin', I won't tear his arm off if you don't."

Despite myself I laugh. Maybe Jasper an' I aren't so far apart after all.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't care who knows how important you are to me."