Chapter Forty One

Esme

We heard Bella's cry and ran to her room hearing her heart beating too fast and her laboured breathing, She was sitting up in bed her arms around her body hugging her chest tight,

"I can't breathe Esme, It hurts so much!"

I went to her putting my arms around her and holding her tight,

"Something's wrong, Alice ring the others, find out what's going on and tell them about Bella."

I heard Alice on the phone in the next room as I tried to soothe Bella stroking her hair and whispering nonsense into her ear as if she were a little girl but it helped, she calmed and the pain in her chest became more manageable.

"It might be stress Bella especially as you had a nightmare about Jasper. He'll be fine, Jasper knows how to look after himself Bella and he'll find a way back to you I'm sure of it."

"I'm not sure I can do this Esme, live without him. How can it hurt so much?"

"He'll be feeling it too Bella, it's trying to draw you together."

"Well it can't while he's Maria's puppet and its all my fault. If I hadn't fallen in love with him he'd still be here and free."

"No my love, if he hadn't fallen in love with you he would still be unhappy and searching. You made him happy and he would be the first to say that's the most important thing of all."

She held her bracelet, the little turtle sparkling in the early morning sunlight, the rain held off which meant Alice couldn't go to school and it was going to be difficult to get Bella there without exposing ourselves.

Alice

I got through to Carlisle eventually, they were almost ready to land but my news regarding Bella did concern him.

"Let me put this on speaker phone Alice and tell us exactly what's happened again."

I did so, telling them how much pain Bella had been in after her nightmare and Esme's worry for her.

"If Bella is feeling more pain it must mean something."

"Yes Rose but what?"

"I don't know Alice but I don't like it."

There was a short silence and then I heard Darius,

"Then you're going to like this even less. I just pulled up a satellite link over Maria's compound and there's something going on, a lot of smoke, and I doubt its a welcome bonfire for us."

"You mean there's trouble at the compound? Could it be Jasper got free?"

"Why would he? It would be putting his mate at risk again, that doesn't make sense. No there's something else going on. I suggest you keep Bella well hidden and safe until we know exactly what's going on here."

"And how do we do that? Her fathers expecting her to go to school and home today."

I heard Carlisle's voice again,

"We can't risk Bella Alice, whatever happens she has to remain safe. See what Esme thinks, I fear we may have to make an excuse to Bella's father or...tell him enough of the truth to gain his cooperation."

"Yeah, good luck with that Cullen. I can just see her dad saying fine, you keep her safe Mrs. Vampire I'm comfortable with that."

I left Carlisle and Darius arguing and put the phone down going back into the bedroom where Bella was sitting up more composed now but still pale and shaky. She glanced at my face and I saw fear in her eyes,

"Something's happened hasn't it? That's why I have more pain. Oh God he isn't dead is he?"

I went quickly to her side and took her hands in mine trying to sound optimistic,

"No nothing like that Bella please calm down. Something has happened at the compound but we don't know what yet. Carlisle thinks you should stay with us, not go to school or home just in case they try to harm you or snatch you."

"Do they think I'm in more danger?"

"I think Carlisle is just covering all the bases Bella but it leaves us with a problem. Your father is expecting you to go to school and then home but home isn't safe right now, or may not be."

"So what do we do? Maybe you could sleep at my place for a couple of nights, until we know what's happened. We could go there from school."

"I can't go to school, not today Bella."

"Why not?"

I sighed and went to the window pulling open the drapes and standing in the sunlight. She gasped as the sun reflected off my skin causing rainbows to sparkle around the room.

"Its one of our problems living among humans. We cannot go out in the sun, luckily Forks isn't often sunny but today...well as you see."

She nodded and I saw her thinking of alternatives,

"What if I go to school, you drive me, I should be OK in a school full of humans especially if it stays sunny then you can pick me up at the end of the day and come home with me. I'm sure Charlie won't mind if you stay."

I looked at Esme who shrugged,

"Well, Bella has a point, we know it's Maria's people watching so chances are they're vampires so they are as trapped by the sun as we are. It will work at least today but Bella, you do not leave the school buildings, not for anything unless Alice or I are coming to pick you up. OK?"

She nodded,

"I promise but if you hear anything."

Esme

"If we do Alice will text you."

Bella would probably be as safe at school as here and I would wait to hear from Carlisle or one of the others, hoping for good news but not necessarily expecting it. I wondered what would happen to Bella if Jasper had been killed. For a vampire to lose a mate was almost certain death, did the same hold true for a human mate of a vampire? I wasn't sure I could cope with the guilt if Bella died, it was too horrible to contemplate. She and Alice drove off in Carlisle's Mercedes, the tinted windows proving invaluable today and we decided that Alice would continue to watch over Bella from a safe distance until it was time to pick her up again. Her truck, I drove into the garage out of the way hoping she would soon be driving it between here and home again for all our sakes.

When news came it was bad but could have been far worse.

"The compound is deserted but there's been a fight or more correctly a massacre. The newborns were the smoke we saw but there's no sign of Jasper or Maria. Someone beat us to it and they've taken prisoners. We're scouring the area for any clues but I think that was the cause of Bella's pain. Jasper has moved further from her but I have no idea where yet."

"Do you think you'll find out?"

"Yes Darius has access to various satellites and surveillance cameras so he's checking them to see who took Jasper and where they took him. As soon as I know more I'll be in touch. How's Bella now?"

I explained our plan and although he wasn't happy he did see the practicality of it. As soon as he rang off I text Bella with the news which again wouldn't make her happy but it would explain her pain and it would assure her that her mate was still alive, at least as far as we knew. Alice rang me to say she hadn't seen anyone hanging around but then if Maria had been taken by the same people who took Jasper then maybe they had been called off or unable to contact her had fled the area. The next time I heard from her it was to tell me that she and Bella were at Charlie's and he was quite happy for her to stay overnight. He was just happy his daughter had made some friends since arriving. I spoke to him quickly at work to thank him for allowing Alice to stay and paved the way for another night by telling him Carlisle and I were called to a sick relative and needed somewhere for Alice to stay. He jumped right in and it was settled, Alice could stay with Bella as long as was necessary. I felt bad lying to Chief Swan but it was to keep his daughter safe.