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Jasper's POV

I lifted up from the stray deer as Bella's growl echoed through the forest. The sound was then followed by Emmett's boisterous yell and loud splashes. I shook my head. We've been in the South for four days now. Well, Alabama more specifically. Northern Alabama where deer run rampant. Easy hunting grounds, beautiful lands, and apparently a big place for vampires due to the abundance of any gourmet choice. Can't say I didn't agree honestly. But that's all beside the point. Bella had been on edge, surfing through every single person in order to catch the vampires. She didn't have to look hard, though. With her compelling voice, and their hatred for the Volturi, they were more than willing to join in our fight against them. It was miraculous. We had picked up a few people along the way. Some followed silently, others were extremely vocal and stayed close. Some were silent but deadly so to speak. The stronger one's stayed close, but their names were all they would give besides their okay to do this.

Which bugged Carlisle immensely. I smirked. But Bella was fine with that. The more people the better off she was. It calmed her to a degree, and I did not have to help her so much. That's what I enjoyed, and she enjoyed such little help. I began to walk through the woods as I thought.

"I think Emmett's gonna get killed, Jasper." Natalia materialized beside me, silent as could be. She was a petite, curly haired ginger with bright ruby eyes to match. Her diet was not the disturbing part, however, as she could absorb powers and bend them to her will. More powerful, less powerful. It was with her that I realized exactly how Aro felt. She would've been his pickin' prize if he had the chance to get his claws in her. She despised him, though, so I knew she was permanently on our side. She's got fantastic character to boot, and Bella adored her.

I chuckled at her words. "What makes you think so, Little Ginger?" I asked, passing along the nickname just to bug her a little.

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "He's pushing Bella to the edge. She just chucked him into the Tennessee River. I can't imagine the hell he's going through right now."

I snorted. "He deserves it."

"I agree." Just then, we stepped through the tree line to see a dripping Bella's back with Emmett staring wide eyed from twenty to thirty feet away.

I raised my eyebrows, looking Bella up and down. Huh, red and lacy… I twisted my lips, making my way up her silky white legs to her curling hair. Natalia smirked at my face, walking past Bella to get to her mate that sat at the base of a tree nearby. When passing Bella, she slapped her on the backside, and I swear myself, Emmett, and Natalia's mate, Carter, almost choked on our own venom. Bella only glanced at her, her eyes set on Emmett.

"I really don't think that was necessary," Bella snarled at Emmett viciously.

His puppy dog eyes grew as he hoped for an affect. Bella was obviously not falling for it.

"Oh, no, no way," she quipped. "Suck it up, puppy boy, because you will need to really apologize to me to get out of this one. Not to mention, you have ruined the one broken down pair of shoes I had left."

His bottom lip popped out for a second. "Fine," he breathed. He walked over to her, taking her hand to really rub it in. "I'm sorry, sis, please forgive me."

She took a deep breath, swaying on her feet slightly. "Alright, you're forgiven. But do it again, and we won't talk for a month."

I had to snort at that. Her head whipped to me, her eyes flashing. "Can it, Jasper. You're coming home with me, think about that."

I lifted my hands in surrender, taking a few steps closer as Emmett bolted over to Rose. "I didn't mean anything by it, but let's face it, you're not going to be able to not talk to him for a month. If it wasn't for me, you'd spend all your time with Em."

Her lips curled as she considered that. Finally, she sighed, giving in. "True, but I would be serious about it. And he really did ruin my shoes."

I followed her gaze down to her now deep brown tennis shoes that she bought when we went on our honeymoon. I took her hand. "Oh, well. I'll get you more when we get into town. Before that, though, we need to check their condition when-"

"I don't want new ones, Jasper. We've got more important stuff to worry about. Hell, I'd rather go barefoot," she stated, her eyes sparkling into mine.

I chuckled shortly. "Alright."

"Speaking of important stuff…" We all turned to see Peter holding a flailing newborn in his arms. I hissed, stepping to stand beside Bella while still being slightly in front of her. The newborn was male, about Peter's height with long brown hair that hit just below his shoulders. His eyes were pure red, and I could see that his movements were not going to chill anytime soon.

Well, without my help, that is. I sent as much calm to the man as I could handle. He definitely calmed down, practically turning to gel in Peter's arms.

"Uh, too much, Major," Peter said, walking the newborn to a nearby rock and sitting him down.

I nodded. "I know. I did that for a reason."

Bella walked past me, nearing the man. I followed her but stayed back. I did not want to crowd her. I could be where I needed to be in no time anyway. She was perfectly safe. Peter got beside me, glancing at me worriedly as Bella moved even closer. She tilted her head, getting close to the newborns face, tracing it with her eyes as though she was studying him like artwork. She probably was. The newborn lifted his head, locking his eyes with hers. His eyes sparked with…fear. How odd. He was probably two times her size.

"Will you hurt me?" he asked.

Shock struck her for a second, but she recovered, shaking her head. "Of course not. What made you think I would?"

He blinked, looking away. "This vampire who knows you."

I hissed, and Bella looked back at me, warning me to silence with her eyes. I stared at him.

"What's your name?" she wondered.

He glanced at me. "Silith. I ran from the group I was with. That's when I ran into him." He nodded to Peter.

"Who was the leader of your group?" Bella asked.

"A man named Jared. He told me I was needed for my ability. Well, he said she needed me for my ability."

"May I ask what your power is?" Carlisle came up behind me, wanting as much information as he could get. I always told him he was a mad scientist at heart.

Silith's eyes traced up to him. "I can form ice flames. Not very useful, though, unless I'm around water. I carry a small tube on my belt." He lifted the side of his shirt to show us the small, tin object that was hooked to his belt.

"Can you produce water, or do you only have the amount in there? When you don't have water nearby, of course," Carlisle murmured.

"I can create it if I have it, but I have to have a starting point."

"That's fascinating," Carlisle murmured.

Bella nodded mutely in agreement as Peter spoke up. "Who's the vampire that knows her?"

"No," Bella interjected. "How do you know me?"

Silith looked incredibly sheepish. "You're quite a hot topic amongst all of us actually. The tale of the human that loved a vampire and gave up life for eternity with her mate. It's like a vampire's bedtime story. You're both famous. The groups around here look up to you both and are desperate to me you, all of you. My leader is after you, though. You're her prized possession gone awry. Unfortunately, though, she won't stop until she gets you, or she's dead."

"She…" Bella breathed, her eyebrows pulling together. Her face calmed then as she rolled her eyes. "You're talking about Victoria, aren't you?"

My lip curled back over my teeth when he nodded. Her glanced my way, fear spiking again. I calmed, but he was not appeased in the slightest.

"Yes, she's the one. I won't give her your whereabouts, though, I swear. I'd like to not go back at all. She's not the best leader around. She's killed plenty of us just because we want to hunt animals and not humans. She's disgraced by it. Says it makes us weak," he stated, disbelievingly.

"It does not," Bella breathed passionately. "How do you wish to live?"

His eyes locked with hers. "Animals, actually." He looked down, pain and self-hatred smothering him. "I killed a child. A beautiful little girl." He sniffed, eyes glossy. "I-I will never be able to forgive myself."

Bella took his hand. "We will help you."

"Thank you," he murmured gratefully. "I will help you all in return. It is deserved for being so kind to me, and I apologize if I startled you by crossing into your territory." He glanced at Peter when saying this.

Peter, as usually, shrugged it off, walking away after slapping Silith on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, man. No harm done."

Silith smiled briefly, shaking his head awkwardly. Bella glanced at me, biting her lip softly. "Uh, why don't you and I go hunting? I'm sure you're thirsty, and this could be a good place to start your new diet." Her lips curled upward at the edges.

His eyes sparkled. "That would be great. Thank you."

She brushed it off. Esme walked up soon after. "Bella?"

"Yes, Esme?" Bella wondered, standing tall as Silith rose.

"Do the two of you mind if I come with? I'd like a quick trip," she said, glancing at me.

I sniffed, one side of my lip curling upwards as I walked away, my shoulders shaking from repressed laughter. Esme trusted the new piece of our company, but she knew I didn't. Her mother instincts were kicking in. She was going to spy on him. I snorted when I was at a good distance, falling down to sit beside Carter on a tree root.

"Sure, no problem. Let's go."

They took off into the tree line. The wind blew, rustling the trees. I inhaled deeply, reveling in Bella's scent that slowly disappeared from the area as her soft footfalls disappeared.

"They'll be okay, Jasper," Carter told me, and Natalia nodded in agreement.

I sighed. "I know, but that doesn't mean I can't not worry."

"Never said you had to stop."

I snorted. Eleazar walked over to us. I looked up as he towered over me. "Carmen, Peter, Charlotte, and I are going to check the grounds, look over the territory and try to catch some scents. Then, Carmen and I are making a quick run to see a friend. We managed to get in touch with them, and they are expecting our arrival soon."

I nodded. "Should we all be there to visit your friends?" I wondered.

He shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I expect them to come with us on our return. They will be more than happy to assist us in this battle."

I glanced away. "Thank you, Eleazar, for all you've done. While I would be grateful for their help, do tell them that it is not necessary, and they may choose to refuse."

"Of course. We will be back soon." Our companions disappeared, going the opposite direction as Bella and them went.

I crossed my arms, leaning my back against the tree as birds sang off in the distance. Guess all I had to do now was wait for my girl to return.

Bella's POV

"Breathe in," I commanded Silith.

He rested on the balls of his seat beneath me. I looked down from my perch on the branch. Esme was off to the north, catching a herd of deer in its wake. Silith and I were tracking a bobcat I had caught in passing. The wind was blowing in the perfect direction for the scent to hit Silith full on. His chest rose as he inhaled, his back stiffening at the unusual scent. His nose curled slightly.

"Are they supposed to smell like that?" he asked me, glancing upward.

I shrugged. "Like meat? Guess so. I've never really given it much thought. They smell like food to me so it never mattered." I scooted down, swinging my legs down behind his back. "Anyway, go for it."

His head whipped around so fast I would have missed it if not for my immaculate eyesight. "Just…go for it? Isn't there like…I don't know, a certain way to do it?"

I snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, one, too sexual." I giggled. "Second, no, there's not. It's an animal. It won't be able to out move you, that's impossible. Sneak up on it, revel in the scent, and pounce. I prefer to break their necks before I drink, but if you want to be like my brother, play with your food."

"Play with my food…" His eye brows lifted. "As in, taunt it?"

I nodded. "Pretty much. If you break their neck, though, they don't suffer as much. I'm compassionate about all of it. I think of it like this: they give me life, I can at least make their passing easier."

He looked up at me. "You are very sweet to them. It's good to see."

I smiled. His eyes sparkled up at me with an almost childlike air before he dropped from the branch.

"Hey," I called before he could go after the animal.

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go back a few miles, try and find something bigger. Don't go far, I'll find you later."

"Gotcha, later." He sped off, no sounds left behind.

I hopped to the ground, landing on the balls of my feet with a soft thud. I took off, flying through the trees. I ran for about ten miles, a decent distance away from either of my companions. I slowed to a walk, taking a stroll through the trees, waiting for a good scent to hit. However, that is not at all what I got.

I snarled, twisting around defensively, glancing around. There was no one around me, but I knew what I had smelled, and I knew exactly who was here. I pivoted on my feet, looking over the trees. My eyes tightened, taking in every detail. I breathed in. Her scent was too strong…

I slowly lifted my head, looking right up into ruby eyes. Jane smiled sharply, venom covered teeth gleaming.

"Miss me?"

She pounced. I was on the ground in seconds, her hands holding mine wrists, immobilizing them. She bit down on my neck. I groaned, shaking my hands free and gripping the back of her neck. I pulled hard, swinging my wrist so she planted against a nearby tree. I jumped up while she stood from the crumbled oak. She stood tall, staring me down. I reached up a hand, wiping my neck. She smirked.

"Painful?" she wondered, raising her eyebrows.

I smiled slightly. "Not exactly."

Her eyes grew hard, and we began to circle one another, waiting for a move. I sat back, waiting on her to come at me. She glanced away from me, off to the side. She turned that direction, and I thought it would be a good idea to peak. It wasn't.

My back hit the tree, caving into the bark. She landed on me, straddling my hips. I growled, grasping her neck in both hands. I kicked off the ground, rolling to the side, bringing her with me. She snarled as I pinned her down. I scratched my way down her side, digging my nails into her skin. She hissed when I broke the skin, flailing and managing to kick me off. I rose into the air, sliding back on the balls of my feet. My lips curled back over my teeth as she shot at me.

We collided, rolling on the ground in a flurry of punches and kicks. Her foot struck my leg when I went for a punch to her abdomen, and I cried out as my leg bent in an abnormal position. I fell down on my backside, glancing down at my twisted leg. I saw her laugh shortly, and I pulled my leg back into position, moaning quietly as it set. I pumped up on my hands as she got close, narrowly missing her attempt to crush my stomach beneath her foot.

She growled at me. I smirked quickly, before dodging her forward attack. I whipped around, planting my chest to her back and taking her neck in my hand, hobbling with her until she simply gave up and stopped moving. Her hands curled around my arm, her nails digging into my skin. I winced at that, but did not loosen my grip.

"You bitch!" she snarled. "You killed my brother! You deserve to die."

I nodded. "Yes, I probably do, but here's the problem with that. You attacked my family." I got real close to her ear, talking in quiet tones. "And that is so much more dangerous than my killing one member of that pathetic excuse for a coven you're a part of. Speaking of, are you alone?"

She huffed, squirming against me quickly. To no avail. "Yes, I'm alone." She smiled, the look deadly. "My family is still trying to find you, and they've got spies all over this place. You're public enemy number one, Bella. You will be found, and Aro will have you-" She gasped as I choked her.

"He will not have me," I murmured softly. "But, I know someone that's going to have you…"

Her eyes widened, and she tried to look at me. I could feel her entire body begin to panic at what I was bringing up, offering so to speak. Because I was offering her pile of ashes up for collateral damage. I'd love to say the bare minimum, payment for what my family as suffered, what I have suffered, but let's face it, her simple little death did nothing to even the playing fields.

"W-who?" she stuttered.

"Lucifer," I whispered just before her ashes floated to the ground. I looked down on the black particles in pity. I honestly felt remorse at killing them, all of them, as it were, but my priorities were in a specific order. And, well, they were way down at the bottom of the list when it came right down to it. I sniffed, shaking my head. I breathed hard. No one deserved this, but it was defense. That's all I can tell myself, I suppose. The best I could do.

I turned, walking back to where Silith and I had been. My eyes closed as a sharp pain traveled down my neck. I hissed, lifting a hand to the fresh wound, feeling the venom seep out of the insanely deep teeth marks. I held my hand there, hoping it would heal soon. It would take hours still, however, for how deep it was. I gasped as it stung, speeding up so I got back to our spot sooner. I walked up, coming upon both Silith and Esme. Esme glanced up, gasping as I grew closer, taking not of the marks that marred my skin from Jane's nails.

"What happened?" she asked frantically, helping me to a fallen log.

"Jane," I murmured.

Silith came over and sat beside me, carefully checking over the bite mark. "Ouch, Bella. That's a beauty. It's gonna take a while to heal. Does it hurt very bad?"

I closed my eyes briefly. "Bad enough."

"We need to get you to Carlisle, sweetheart," Esme said, taking my hand. "He needs to look over your wounds."

I nodded in agreement. I stood, and Esme wrapped her arm around my waist. We walked through the forest, slowly making our way to the tree line. We finally reached the small clearing and Jasper was immediately at my side.

"Bella!?" He rushed over, Carlisle right on his heels. "Are you okay? What happened?"

He took Esme's place, walking me to sit on a tree root. Carlisle got down beside me, looking at the scratches along my arms first, working his way up to my neck.

"Jane," I told him, and he growled.

"I'll kill her," he snarled.

I exhaled through my nose as my chest inflated with a short laugh. "Already taken care of."

"You smoked her good, didn't you, Angel?"

I smirked lightly. "Her ashes are still out there. She's taken care of, that's what matters. But I wasn't as slick with her as I was with Alec. She was trained more than him."

"I can tell," Carlisle murmured, brushing a gentle finger over the wound.

Jasper's eyes blazed when seeing the bite mark. He once told me that he wished me to never have reason to gain his scars. And now I had one. Not to mention the others I was sure to gain in the near future. It hurt him to see me wounded, much less scarred. I took his hand, shaking my head at him.

"It's okay," I whispered. He inhaled, nodded slightly in return. He leaned forward, kissing my cheek. I smiled gently, focusing on his touch. It dulled the pain.

"This is going to need to heal, Bella," Carlisle told me.

"I broke my leg, too," I breathed, almost interrupting him.

He glanced down, sighing. "Well, you've already set in place. It shouldn't be moved, though. Jasper can make sure nothing happens with it." He glanced at Jasper who nodded seriously. "Otherwise, all we can do is wait for your wounds to close. The scratches aren't so bad, but this bite will take a few hours, and you will have quite a scar from it."

I sniffed. "That's okay. Besides, the best man I know has them everywhere, it's no big deal." I looked up at Jasper to see his eyes had glazed over with venom. Carlisle walked over to Esme. Jasper ran a finger around the wound, light as a feather.

"I wished you to have no scars. You're skin should be pure, unmarked," he whispered.

I squeezed his hand. "I'll be okay. I can always heal."

He cradled my face in his hands. "And I will be here every step of the way. But, from now on, you're not going anywhere without me. I won't control you, but I'll be around."

I giggled lightly. "I can work with that. My husband around me all the time…" He pressed his lips to mine, our lips moving together fluidly, matching perfectly. We pulled away slowly, very slowly, our lips still brushing one another as I spoke. "I can live with that. For eternity."

"And when this is all over, we will have the best forever that I can offer," he breathed.

I smiled. "We've already got the best forever, Jasper," I whispered. He brushed his nose against mine. "We're together, that's all that matters." His lips curled up at the edges adorably. I swallowed as my neck burned.

"My world has changed

Time has passed

Yet here we are

Together at last…"

I smiled, the words he sang in a whisper dancing across my mind. "You sang that at our wedding," I murmured.

He breathed a laugh, nodding. "I did. I sang it for you then, and I will sing it for you for all of eternity."

My eyes fell closed as I listened to his soft breathing, loving the words that passed his lips. "For me…"

He pressed his lips to my forehead before resting my cheek against his chest. "Just for you, always for you…"

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~Much Love-Zoe-VSA-XOXOX