Chapter Eleven
Jasper
I let my phone ring and go to voice mail, I couldn't be bothered to pick it up, I couldn't be bothered to do anything at all except lay with my eyes closed and think about Bella. So it was several hours later that I finally listened to my messages. One from Esme hoping I got home OK, and asking me to ring,
"We're worried about you Jasper."
The second was from Edward a warning to stay away from him, scary that one! But the third was more interesting, Alice at last!
"Jazz I need you to pick up the phone. Don't start being dramatic now. We have things to discuss and you have things to do."
I sighed and dialed her number which she answered immediately.
"About time Jazz. Stop wallowing in self-pity. I have a job for you."
"Alice I'm not an odd job man and I just got back from Forks so give me a break. Besides you know what happened and how I I feel so cut the crap. Are you coming back? And why the hell didn't you come to the service? Charlie was looking for you, not to mention Edward who now has Tanya in tow. That didn't go unnoticed either. Besides all that it would have been nice to have a little moral support."
"Well there's no point in my coming back. It's over for us, nice while it lasted but over now."
"OK, what about your stuff? You going to collect it or you want me to store it?"
"I don't care about my stuff or what happened in Forks I need you to pay attention Jasper. There's something I want you to do for me."
"OK, If I can Alice what?"
"Are you going back to Forks?"
"No, so if its anything to do with the Cullens, especially Edward then you are right out of luck"
"That's good, me neither and for the same reason but we won't go into that yet. Do your friends still live in Louisiana?"
"Peter and Charlotte? As far as I know why?"
"Do you think they would consider helping you out?"
"Doing what Alice? I'm just a little tired of playing games. I don't have the energy so go find someone else to play with."
"Oh it isn't a game, far from it. I need a safe refuge for a friend."
"A friend? What about your own friend Mary?"
"She's not around or at least I can't contact her besides she doesn't know you"
"Me? I'm not with you Alice."
"My friend needs a friend, someone they know."
"OK Alice lets say just for argument's sake that I can persuade Peter to agree to one of your harebrained schemes, what do I have to do?"
"Not a lot really. Will you be seeing the Cullens again?"
"Alice I already told you no."
"Or anyone they might see?"
"Well that's a wide spectrum of people Alice but not that I'm aware of, why?"
"Because I don't want it getting back to them that's why. It's dangerous."
"OK. You have two minutes to make sense or I'm gone."
"I need you to protect my friend who needs to stay under the radar"
"How long for?"
"Ever."
"Alice what are you talking about?"
"You'll understand soon. Will you do it?"
"Oh hell why not. I'll give it a try. Where do I pick your friend up?"
"In the Hyatt House close to the airport, the room is in my name. You need to be circumspect but you're good at that."
I hadn't the faintest idea why I was agreeing to this harebrained scheme of Alice's but I had nothing else to do and it would be good to get away from Denver and all the memories for a while. I knew Peter would go ballistic when he heard of Alice's plans for me but that was for later.
"Are you going to ring and make arrangements."
"No its OK, you just go. Everything will be fine, I've seen remember. Thank Jazz. I'll be in touch."
I packed my things and threw Bella's book in too, stupid but I couldn't bear to leave it behind. I drove to the hotel and became more tense the closer I got, remembering the last time I had seen Bella, here at the airport. I parked up in the underground car park and took the stairs up to the fifth floor as instructed by Alice, I'm sure she was getting more crazy by the year. She'd have me dressing as Spider man or something soon! Room 411 was half way down the corridor so I knocked on the door and waited hearing heart beats all around me, the hotel must be full. Then I froze unable to believe my senses before knocking more urgently and calling out softly,
"Bella?"
I heard a gasp inside then the rattle of a key and the door opened just a crack but it was enough, I recognised the scent, the eye that peered at me and then the relief in her voice,
"Jasper? Oh god it is you."
She flung the door open and almost dragged me inside slamming the door shut again quickly. I didn't have time to speak before she was in my arms her body shaking violently and tears running down her cheeks.
"Oh I'm so glad to see you. I've been so scared."
I just stood there unable to believe that not only was she still alive but Bella was in my arms and the pain in my chest had disappeared as if it had never been there. My arms folded around her pulling her in close and I closed my eyes, this was it, the real thing. My phone rang again and I managed to extricate it from my pocket without letting go of Bella who was still clinging to me tightly.
"Alice what the hell is going on? Do you know how scared Bella is and how much we've suffered the past few weeks.
"You think I should have told you so Edward could read it in your thoughts? That would have kept her safe now wouldn't it? Good thinking Jazz! As for you, why shouldn't I let you suffer just a little, after all I'm giving you your freedom and your mate."
"You knew?"
"Remember Jazz I see everything, well nearly everything. I admit I slipped up a bit when Bella and Edward got married and I had to put it right eventually."
"What do you mean?"
"Edward never loved Bella but I can't go into it all now. I did all I could to keep her safe but it was never going to be enough. He would have found a way round me eventually or I'd have given myself away. Edward wasn't interested in Bella so much as what she could give him."
"But I felt his fascination, his love, when they were together."
"Oh he thought he loved her at first and then he loved what she represented. Edward wanted a child Jazz. A son or daughter all his own. If she'd had a child she would have died, either during the birth or soon after. That's why he wouldn't change her. I talked her into taking precautions by scaring her with horror stories but he would have found out eventually and stopped her and she would have got pregnant Jazz. That would have been her death sentence. She had to get away from him permanently and when this trip came up I saw a way out but I couldn't tell her about it, I didn't trust her to keep her head and not ruin it all so I had to scare her. You were my ace in the hole, Edward would read your thoughts and know she really was on the plane. He'd see you loved her but that was unavoidable and it just stroked his ego so it didn't matter."
"Are you telling me that Bella would have given Edward a child but died doing it?"