Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all.

Rated M for several reasons.

Chpt 17 Prelude to a Hunt

BPOV

Our return was suitably low key.

We snuck in with barely a comment an' I was relieved until we got to our room and I realised all was not back to normal in the world of B an' J.

But I'm glad. Because I'm not ready for that level of intimacy yet. An' because if my lady parts controlled my gift they'd have crushed my brain the second it decided to get undressed in the bathroom.

I mull that over while I shower an' am sadly amused to find Jasper wearing a bathrobe when I emerge.

Smiling awkwardly he shuffles past me an' shuts himself in the bathroom.

Back to square one.

Pouting I drop the remains of my dress in the trash an' pull on jeans and a t-shirt. With an eye to the future I put the underwear in the wash basket, it'll be a shame to waste it.

After a few minutes Jasper returns clean an' fully clothed.

We smile at each other ruefully, linking arms and heading downstairs to find our family.

Pete, Char an' Demetri are in the 'spy center' discussing the ethics of questioning the Guard an' finding the traitor.

They greet us easily as we slip in an' carry on with their lively but good natured disagreement. It seems that the Italian's intended methods don't meet with Char's approval an' Pete has a foot in both camps.

Jasper slides into a chair an' pulls me onto his lap. It's the kind of mild argument that makes me feel at home an' judging by the relaxed way Jasper is stroking my palm it's having the same effect on him.

"Ahem." He says eventually.

"Yes Master?" Demetri responds as they all turn to look at us.

"I really don't hold with torturin' people D." Jasper begins.

Pete snorts an' I stifle a giggle.

"At least not people supposed to be on our side." Jasper amends. "As far as we know we only have the one traitor at the moment, I think brutalisin' members of our coven is a good way to escalate that number real quick."

"We have often done it that way in the past Master." Demetri informs us casually. "I am happy to discontinue it but I think it is crucial that we find this traitor quickly."

"Agreed." Jasper nods. "However our top priority has to be Asturias, since The Recognised Covens have effectively sanctioned action against him after Chelsea's direct attack on us."

"Good point J." Pete chips in. "We should strike quickly before he has a chance to garner any support from the others."

"Do you distrust them that much?" I ask. From what Jasper told me on our little 'retreat' it sounded like they'd been quite reasonable about our assuming power an' disinclined to rock the boat.

"Nah, sweet thing. It's' that Spaniard I don't trust." Pete shakes his head ruefully. "Fucker's as slippery as an eel an' just cos none of his plans have come off so far doesn't mean we should suffer him bein' out there to make more one day longer than we need to."

Everybody nods energetically.

"Then let me fetch Simon." Demetri growls. "And we will plan his demise immediately."

Jasper looks to me an' I nod. I know now that he regrets not letting us go after him in the first place despite his perfectly good reasons for being cautious about revenge.

Demetri darts out the door an' we Whitlocks smile at each other, happy to be together again.

"You guys okay?" Char asks.

I snuggle into Jasper's chest an' he buries his nose in my hair.

"We will be." He says just loud enough for them to hear.

"Ah baby." Pete drawls. "They'll be great, they're nauseatin' me already."

Char slaps the back of his head an' Jasper's chest rumbles with laughter an' then settles into a low purr as I rub my cheek against his heart scar.

Normal. For now everything feels comforting an' normal.

Demetri marches back with Simon in tow.

About as normal as it can be when you're plotting with your loved ones to murder someone. Strange life.

"Mistress." Simon greets me happily. "You look so much better now you are clean."

"Thanks." I grumble, play slapping a chuckling Jasper.

"So." Jasper says, suddenly all business. "We need a plan to capture Asturias, get him to divulge the identity of our traitor an' then eradicate him from the earth. Any ideas?"

"I can sense him." Demetri states. "He is a long way away. South America, I would guess, at his compound, the closer I get the quicker I will be able to locate him. Escape is not possible. I could take a cadre of the Guard and have the job done in no time."

"Bella?" Jasper asks softly.

"I don't feel a primal urge to kill him myself." I confess. "But I will not be able to rest until I know he is gone forever. So I want to be there."

"Me too." Pete says.

"And me." Jasper's voice is hard.

"I ain't missin' out." Char growls.

"I would like to go." Simon adds in a cold voice. "He must pay for what he's done."

I know Simon takes his status as bodyguard an' friend seriously but I'm surprised by the vehemence in his tone.

"Are the Cullens still here?" Jasper asks.

"Yeah." Pete doesn't sound happy. "They're gettin' ready to leave today, headin' out to their new place in Alberta, the Doc's gotta start work in two days."

"Demetri." Jasper orders. "Fetch Alice, she can give us the details on Rutilio's compound."

While he's gone Jasper continues to rub my palm an' I give myself a good talking to.

Alice bounces into the room ahead of Demetri, far more like her old self.

"Hey Jazzy." She greets. "Hey Bella, glad you're back safe and sound. Demetri says you want to know about Rutilio's home outside Rio, is that because you're going after him?"

"Alice." Jasper begins in a warning tone.

"Oh Jazzy, don't be like that." She pouts. "I have as much right to be in on this as anyone."

I manage not to snort.

Jasper is silent an' I can almost feel his brain whirring.

"Jazzy." She says quietly. "Don't you trust me?"

"Alice." He sighs. "There are a lot of things to consider, give us the details of his compound an' we'll talk to you again when we've come up with a plan."

"Fair enough." She bounces up an' down for a moment an' then starts talking.

An' hour later we have plenty of information an' Pete hustles her out with a wink at me.

"Pete's been given the task of keepin' Alice away from J." Char explains quietly with a wide smile. "Otherwise he reckoned J was gonna kill her."

"She was drivin' me fuckin' nuts." Jasper admits with a shiver.

Even Simon laughs.

"She can be very intense Master." He chuckles. "But that woman has an encyclopaedic knowledge of shopping that should be recorded for posterity."

We're still laughing at how impressed he sounds when Pete returns with a face like a smacked ass.

"I swear." He growls at Jasper throwing himself into a chair. "If you let her come along for this I'm gonna fuckin' kill her."

"Collateral damage." Char agrees moving over to sit on Pete's lap.

"There will no killin' or damagin' of our alleged allies until I say so." Jasper says with mock severity.

"Yes Master." They all respond with varying degrees of respect.

"Let's plan." He prompts.

An hour later I finally understand why there's only one General. The six of us are making a right pig's ear of it an' I can see Demetri an' Jasper, the experts, getting annoyed with the rest of us.

"Look." I interrupt eventually. "I don't really care how he dies just so long as he's dead. I appreciate that everyone wants a piece of him but there's only so much bad guy to go round. In case you've all forgotten he's real short."

"She's got a point." Jasper laughs, wrapping his arms around me an' pulling me further onto his lap. "Maybe we're makin' this over complicated an' we should just take the Guard down there, storm the compound an' exercise some power."

"KISS." Demetri smirks.

"What?"

"Keep it simple, stupid." Pete explains, amused by the expression on my face.

"That's great." I observe. "But I assume our traitor will tell him we're coming? I mean as soon as any of us disappear it won't be hard to guess where we've gone."

"He can run Mistress." Demetri informs me lightly. "But I will find him. And in my experience the more resources we take, the shorter the hunt."

"So that's it?" I ask, failing to keep the sarcasm out of my tone. "We're all just goin' to pile into the family jumbo, fly to Rio an' charge about until we find him?"

"In essence Mistress." Simon confirms.

"An' this is how you did stuff in The Volturi?"

"Good god, no Mistress." He says eyes wide in horror. "Aro always made us fly coach."

Laughter breaks out all round.

"We'll need a slightly better plan than that." Jasper comments when he sobers up. "But I like the principle. If we all leave together it will be harder for anyone to tip him off. An' I like the idea of us acting professionally as a unit, it sends a strong message to everyone else."

"What about the Cullens?" Demetri asks.

"They don't know anythin'." Pete snorts. "I can't see Carlisle tippin' off Rutilio, not after what he did to Edward. Besides they'll be gone later, they won't know what we're up to."

"I wish we had more intel." Demetri muses. "As you said Peter, Asturias has been plotting for a long time. It is possible that he has more options and assets at his disposal than we are aware of."

"I agree." Jasper sighs. "But it's a calculated risk. If we wait too long he might be able to gather support an' turn himself into a problem we can't handle."

Pete, Demetri an' Simon all nod in agreement.

"Would you like to go to Rio darlin'?" Jasper asks quietly, dropping his face into my hair. "I did promise you some recreational shreddin'."

"You do realise that's not the most excitin' honeymoon offer a girl's ever had?" I giggle.

"I promised you the world's longest honeymoon didn't I?" He sighs. "One day I'll make good on that."

"You'll have to. Simon an' Char have already started plannin' my trousseau."

"Do I even want to know what that is?" He asks.

"No. Just know that it goes in suitcases an' you'll be carryin' 'em."

We lapse into silence, breathing in each other's scents until it finally dawns on me that the others have left.

"We've driven Pete out of his own office." I chuckle.

He shrugs an' we snuggle closer. Sighing contentedly.

Sometime later a commotion in the hallway pulls us both back to awareness.

"We're leaving." Carlisle announces. "Where is Jasper? We wanted to say goodbye."

"The Master is out." Demetri answers coolly. "He will be sorry to have missed you but he had important matters to attend to."

Jasper slips his hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter.

"That is unfortunate." Carlisle responds waspishly. "My daughter in particular wanted to speak with him before we left, they still have many things to discuss."

"Would you like me to take a message?" Demetri has mastered the art of projecting bored disinterest into his voice.

"No." Carlisle answers shortly. "It is a private matter. They were married you know."

"They were?" Demetri asks as if it's the most shocking idea in the world an' I can imagine his dark eyebrows climbing up his handsome face.

"Yes. For a very long time." Carlisle sounds even more annoyed.

"Ah well." Demetri sounds amused. "I am afraid that the matters the Master is attending to will also take a very long time. May I help you load your luggage into the car?"

Their voices gradually fade away as they move through the house.

Jasper lowers his lips to my ear an' whispers. "I think we'll be safe if we stay here."

I manage to nod despite the tremor that runs through me at the contact.

Jasper sighs, blowing another breath across my ear lobe.

We continue to snuggle.

But now we'd rather be doing something else.