A/N: The original authors note for this chapter was about my 4 yr old helping me by cleaning my laptop. With milk. She's 10 now…10! And thankfully no longer attempting to clean anything with dairy products.
B~E~L~L~A
I was pissed. So very, very pissed. I was still sitting in the bath, the water almost tepid and the bubbles had all but disappeared. The scent of lavender still lingered, but it was about as calming as a cattle prod. I had been spinning around anger, disbelief, betrayal, and incredulity. I spent most of my time sitting here thinking, I just couldn't believe they would fucking do this to me. After everything that had been done, all the things that they had saved me from. Yet they still thought this would be a good idea.
Yeah, I understood the reasons, I even agreed with them a little. But it was still a downright shitty thing to do and even though I didn't hate them for doing it, I hated that this was what it had come down to. Was I really so slow that they had to resort to that? I really didn't want to think about it anymore.
My book was forgotten on the tiled floor by the tub, after reading the same paragraph over and over again I had given up and thrown it down. My iPod had been turned up loud enough to drown out the knocks on my door and the requests for entry. I didn't want to talk to anyone, I wanted to sulk and wallow and simmer away, thank you very much.
But the water was becoming uncomfortable and I was starting to shiver, my fingers and toes were pruned to the extreme. It was definitely time to vacate the protection of my tub. Damn human limitations. I gingerly removed one ear bud to check for noises, I wasn't ready to speak with anyone just yet. There was nothing. Good. I stood up, the cold even more noticeable now that I was out of the water, and stepped out onto the soft bath mat. My robe was in the bedroom so I grabbed a huge towel off the heated rail and wrapped it around me, enjoying the warmth and soft cosiness that came with it. A smaller towel made its home, wrapped around my head; I grabbed my iPod and plodded into my room.
I was messing with my playlists, no reason to it other than a vain attempt to distract myself from everything running through my head. After placing it on my dresser I bent forward and removed the towel covering my hair, allowing my hair to spill forward. I dried my hair as thoroughly as you can with nothing but a towel and then stood up quickly, my hair flying back over my head and slapping onto my back. I had loved doing that since I was a child.
Then I screamed. Loudly.
I screamed because there was a vampire lounging on my bed. Jasper was sitting with his back against the headboard, one leg bent and the other straight. He was looking right at me, fighting not to show his amusement. Me? I was clutching my towel that had come loose during my hair toss, white knuckling it to my chest; I was left fighting for composure. It took three attempts for me to speak.
"You know, I could've sworn that I'd locked my door," I said dryly looking towards the door in question and gasped. There was a large hole where the lock used to be.
I looked back to Jasper, who shrugged, "I got impatient."
"You should count yourself lucky; if I hadn't got a hold of him he would've barged into the bathroom as well." I jumped when I heard Peter's voice, and turned back to the door just in time to see his grinning face through the hole, just before Jasper covered it with my dresser.
"Don't help, fucker," Jasper growled out. I stifled a giggle.
Bad Bella, no giggles...glower, baby, glower!
Jasper turned to me, locking his gaze with mine. He obviously wanted to talk, I wanted answers or at the very least someone to use as a verbal punching bag. I also wanted to get dressed.
"Take a seat Jasper; I need to dress before anything else," I spoke quietly, the way only a woman can when she is pissed and wants the offending party to know it. To hear the disappointment.
He didn't say anything; he was there one second and the next he was back in position on my bed. I could definitely think of a few other positions I'd like him in.
Bad Bella! Oh fuck it, I'm a woman and he is a drop dead gorgeous vampire.
Shaking myself out of my dirty reverie I walked towards my newly positioned dresser and grabbed some jeans before taking a red shirt out of my closet. I could feel his eyes following my every move and I just couldn't help what I did next. Honest. Back in front of my dresser I pulled out a lacy red bra and panty set. I shimmed them on underneath my towel. And then dropped it.
My back was still to Jasper, I wasn't that brave, as I picked up the body cream that Charley had picked up for me. I may have taken longer than was strictly necessary, and maybe bending over at the waist and slowly running my hands from my ankle to my thigh, was over kill. Did I care? Not so much.
Once dressed, I turned back towards the bed and realized that maybe toying with Jasper wasn't such a good idea after all. Well, it was, if the effect I was going for was a black-eyed vampire, his desire evident and not just on his face, standing a couple of feet from me.
I swallowed twice before speaking, "You came to talk, so talk."
His smirk was pure sin and I clenched muscles I wasn't aware that I even had. He closed the distance with impossible speed, my ass bumped against the wood of the dresser.
"Don't you want to reap the benefits of your teasing, Isabella?" He spoke down to me, his face darkened by the shadow of his hair. All I could see was his darkened eyes.
Hell yeah, I wanted to climb him like a tree. I wanted him to grab my ass and wrap my legs around him. I wanted him to make me forget everything that had happened, forget everything until all I knew was his name. But I couldn't, and I could see the annoyance dancing in his eyes. He knew that we couldn't either; he was simply answering my challenge. Naughty Bella.
"Talk first, benefits later," I breathed out, happy that my voice seemed calmer than I felt. Even if only slightly.
He drew back and took my hand, walking me to the bed. It was the only place to sit in the room. I climbed up and sat, my legs crossed in front of me, facing Jasper.
"I think you know why we did what we did." That's all he's got to say? That's what he's going with?!
I suddenly felt like a child. A child who was being asked to understand why something happened that she didn't like. Well fuck that.
"Yes, I do. Despite my mortal status, I do have a decent brain between my ears. It was an exercise, a lesson to give me better use of my shield. A kick start, a fucking bonfire lit directly under my ass to get me to stop fucking about and just use it the way you wanted me to. Well you got what you wanted, whoopee-fucking-doo."
"We are working under heavy time constraints, it was a necessary step, Bella, trust me when I say that we went through all other options," he spoke with conviction, as if I had no right to my anger. At least he had stopped with the talking to me like a child shit.
"Time constraints? Necessary step? So as long as you all got the result you wanted, consequences be damned?"
"There are more important things at risk than your feelings, Bella." Oh, he was angry. Well so was I and that shit just stung.
I stalked off the bed, just needing to move. I nodded, looking away, "No, I get it. I get it. As long as my power is working on schedule then it doesn't matter that I had to watch you writhe and contort in pain, it doesn't matter that I thought you were going to die! Actually, that was the point wasn't it? To make me believe that. I'll try to be a better little soldier from now on!" I spat out bitterly and full of venom.
Jasper was on his feet as well, "Damn it Bella, I didn't mean it like that. You're more than your power, how can you say otherwise?"
"Because that's how it feels!" I screamed, "I don't feel loved or cherished or cared for, I feel used and unimportant. Nothing more than whatever my shitty power can give you. And you, I don't know what we are. I have all these feelings, feelings that I always told myself were for Edward. But they've always been there...so why didn't we find each other? If we are meant to be together, why didn't you know? Why didn't you find me? Why didn't you save me from Edward?"
I hadn't even realised I was harbouring these thoughts and feelings until they spilled out, along with the stupid tears running down my face. Suddenly, Jasper's hands were on my shoulders, his face almost panicked in its intensity, "NO! No, no Bella, no. You are a part of this family; you are loved and cared for. I love you. God, I love you Bella. I will forever be sorry that I didn't act on my feelings, that I believed Alice when she said that I would hurt you. That I would lose control and kill you."
"She said that?" Of course she said that, why the hell was I surprised?
"Bella, from the very first time that I saw you I knew that you were mine. I felt what I had never felt for Alice, what I thought I wasn't able to feel. But we had always been told that you would be Edward's mate and I assumed...forgive me, but I assumed that my feelings weren't my own. I hated myself for almost standing in the way of my brother's happiness," he laughed, not a happy sound, and led me to sit on the edge of the bed. His hands slid from my shoulders and clasped tightly around my hands. I couldn't take my eyes off him. "I used to think about you all the time; I had to stay away from the house and out of Edward's radar for fear of upsetting him. Sometimes I would crack and head out to see you, and Alice would appear and plead with me not to kill her friend, her sister. I kept away from you as they requested, petrified that I would hurt you. But the feelings never went away, they grew, almost painfully. I would sit on the edges just to see you, just to watch you." He paused for a moment and just looked at me, ghosting his fingertips down my cheek and across my lips. "I would fantasise about the feel of your lips, the heat of your touch." He smiled suddenly, "I would call Peter and talk about you, just to get it out of my system. It never worked; the fucker would always tell me that it made no sense for you to be with Edward if this was how I was feeling."
"Did you not sense my feelings for you?" I asked.
"The only time I was around you without Edward was when we were hiding you from James, you were so stressed and worried for us that it drowned out everything else. Other than that it was safe to assume that your love and lust and longing was all for Edward. It was during a call with Peter that I found out about the betrayal."
"Ah, Peter's power?" I remembered Peter's comment on the plane, that it had been his gift that had brought it all to light.
Jasper nodded, "I was talking to Peter, therefore mute to Edward and invisible to Alice. They had no idea I had chosen to return early from hunting, and I was able to get close enough to hear their conversation without them knowing. Edward was talking about me, worrying that Alice was losing control and that I would finally act on my feelings. I had thought he was being his usual overprotective dickhead self until Alice assured him that your birthday would cement his control over you and get me out of the way."
I frowned, "My birthday?" What the hell did that dreaded day have to do with anything?
"It turns out that Alice and Edward had it all planned out, down to the right kind of paper to ensure you a paper cut upon opening your presents. They talked about making sure I didn't hunt close to it, that Edward would allow his bloodlust to run free. It would trigger my own; Alice had seen me attacking you. Unsuccessfully of course, but the shame would have sent me to Denali."
"Oh Jasper, I wouldn't have let you leave. You're a vampire for god's sake; reacting to fresh blood is your nature. I would never have blamed you." Silly boy.
"You don't understand. Their plan included the whole family leaving. They would convince us that you had asked us to leave, that I had scared you and you no longer wanted anything to do with this world. Alice would tell them that the time isn't right, that you would re-join the family in a few years. They would have made them leave without saying goodbye to you. I was standing there in shock, enraged, staring at the house and listening to my wife and brother plot how to get rid of me and leave you alone and broken. I was about to rush in there and kill them both when Edward said something that stopped me right in my tracks. He was coming up with the best and most efficient ways to break your spirit. To complete their plan they needed you so low that when they returned you would be so grateful to them that you were theirs to control. It was sick Bella; he spoke about how relieved he would be to be able to tell the truth for once. To see you crumble before his eyes."
Well...shit. We left ten days before my birthday. Ten days before they planned to break me of everything that I am. Ten days before they planned to break Jasper, before they planned to convince my family that I was scared of them. That I didn't want them anymore. I had no idea how close I had actually come to losing everything. To never knowing Jasper. I promised myself in that moment that I would build Alice's pyre myself, with her precious shoes and clothes. I would throw her on it piece by piece and then dance around the damn thing while she withered and burned. Envision that future bitch! Hopefully she'll catch a glimpse.
"Wow, even after everything else that I already knew...that's...it's...fuck, I don't know what to say." I was a little shell shocked. Suddenly the stunt that I had been pissed about didn't matter anymore.
"You have to understand what you mean to me, how I feel about you. What you mean to everyone here. Not just your power, but you, Bella. You've enchanted us all and I would do anything to be able to spare you this kind of pain. But they're out there, somewhere, plotting. We've forced their hand and the only way for them to gain the advantage is to get you back. That is their sole purpose. I can't lose you, Bella, and neither can anyone else. So Carlisle, my brother, and I made a difficult decision."
"I get it now, really. I just took it the wrong way before, but I was just so mad, Jasper. You scared me so much. But I have a better understanding now. I, well, I want you to know that it was the same for me. The feelings, the confusion, the guilt. I would watch you, wonder about you, I'd lay in bed thinking about you. My dreams were full of you...being with me." I smiled shyly, colouring at my own words, "I have wanted you since the first time I saw you, I just convinced myself that all of it was for Edward, that it was him that I loved. I'm apparently pretty good at deluding myself. I love you too, and not to sound too corny, I probably always have. I'd..." I let out a huge breath, suddenly nervous, "I can't believe I'm even contemplating telling you this."
Jasper just smiled at me and I had a sudden burst of confidence. Nosy vampire.
"The thought of you used to make me swell inside my chest and..." and contract in other places, but I'm not about to tell anyone that. Jasper looked at me intently before hitting me with another burst of confidence, this time mixed with reassurance. "I used to lie in bed thinking of you, I used to dream of you and all of the things that I wanted you to do with me, that I wanted us to do together. I used to revel in the time that Edward wasn't there because for a few short minutes I could imagine you there with me, that it was your touch and not my own that was bringing me pleasure. Afterwards there would always be guilt, but for that short time I would imagine you there with me."
I crawled, as gracefully as my clambering frame would allow on the soft bed. Jasper followed me and I pressed a hand to his chest for him to lie down. Not breaking eye contact I slid a leg over his waist, so that I ended up straddling him. My palms were flat on his chest, my hips taut with tension and anticipation. I really had no idea how he was going to react to this, Edward had always protested, citing his vampire nature as the reason for his rejections. But Jasper had done much more than Edward, so my confidence stuck with me. All mine this time, nothing of Jasper's manipulations remained. Making my hands into claws, I ran my nails down his chest, watching and hearing the hitch in his breath and seeing his shirt bunch under my fingers.
"I may have been attracted to Edward, but he never made me feel this overwhelming need to be closer to him. Not like you. When I'm around you, god Jasper I can barely control myself. The things I want to do to you." I gently, experimentally, rolled my hips against his. Feeling how happy he was to have me there. "I want you to touch me; I want to feel you around me, against me...inside me." He was barely breathing, his chest vibrating with a constant low growl, almost a purr. His hands on my hips, clutching me to him, massaging, gripping, and moving me. I bent, moving closer to him, stretching to run my nose, and then my mouth, and then my tongue along his neck. And fuck did he taste amazing. My hips were moving steadily against his, I was slick and hot and thrumming in time with my quickened heartbeat. This man, this man beneath me, my man. I wanted him in every way possible. "I want to be taken, to be consumed." I bit where his pulse would have been in his human life; he jolted under me, a softly moaned 'fuck' forced from between his lips.
"Jasper, I want you to claim me."
He stilled beneath me, ceased all movement. It was frustrating for a couple of reasons, mostly because I was rather enjoying the movements he'd had me making. Then the sharp pang of fear began to creep up and my insecurity was going to get the better of me. But then he moved, oh god did he move. He was suddenly above me, my legs over his hips and my damp hair spread out around my head. He still hadn't actually said anything, but I figured I was safe to take our new position as a positive sign. He leaned down, the whites of his eyes shining in contrast to the blackened irises. I was finding it hard to remember how to breathe and the bastard was teasing me. I lifted my head to meet him and with a sly grin he pulled back, just out of my reach. His right hand grazed up and under my shirt, I gasped at the icy cold fingers that were now gently curving round and round over the skin of my waist.
He sat back suddenly, on his knees, hands running up and down my jean clad thighs. I don't think I had ever hated denim until that moment. Or realised quite how undignified this position is when someone isn't laying between your thighs.
"Patience," he spoke and it sent shivers down my...well, just about everywhere. It was deep and rough, but smooth at the same time. Sex voice, there is nothing else to call it. Well, there is, but I didn't think this moment called for cruder names. Maybe later.
He seemed to be considering something, I was personally hoping that he was considering the best way to get me out of my jeans. Apparently I was right, because in the next second he ripped them off me. Just ripped them off. My wide eyes followed the scraps of denim as they fell to the floor. I slowly turned my head, back to Jasper. The question plain on my face.
He shrugged and smiled; all dark and sin and full of promise, "They were in my way."
Impatient much? Not that I was complaining, god no, no complaints here.
He ran his fingertips along the length of my legs, hardly touching me, but boy did it feel good. His magic fingers carried on past my underwear and under my shirt, his touch was just on the right side of ticklish. It elicited goose bumps on my flesh, soft moans from my mouth, and then another squeal when he destroyed my shirt. Literally, he was looking at it like it was the dragon and he was George and now that they're free, my boobs were apparently his reward.
His touch ghosted around my breasts, over my collarbone, down my arms, and up again. I was starting to wonder if he could bring me to climax without actually touching me in the traditional places. He closed his eyes and took in a long, deep breath. His grip tightening on my sides, my body arched off the bed, my nerve endings so acutely attuned to his touch.
"Fuck. Bella, I can smell you."
Nice. Thanks for that, way to make a girl feel comfortable. I kind of forgave him when he moved so that he had his face buried in my panty covered crotch. Funny that. I could feel him breathing me in, his moans and cold breath on my overheated sex. He was mumbling, but seen as he was mumbling directly into my vagina it was pretty hard to make out. Plus, there was that whole thing about me not giving two shits about he was saying. As long as he kept saying it...right...there!
His hands were back at work, full palms this time, no teasing...good boy, Jasper. He ran his hands over my thighs and gripped my underwear. Now, going off what had happened to my clothes earlier, I was expecting him to rip the scrap of lace asunder. But no, he gently dragged them over my hips and down my legs. He glanced up to me and smirked. "What? I like them"
Good to know.
Next went my bra, taken off with the same care he gave my panties, and there I was completely nude, being stared at by Jasper. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I should do. Do I pose? Pout my lips for him and thrust my out my breasts? Did I stay where I was and leave him to his perusal? Or should I even the playing field somewhat and get him naked too.
Last option it is then.
But he stopped me when I went to go for his shirt buttons, "Not yet Bella, we can worry about my clothes after you've let the valley know who you belong to."
Belong to? I wasn't sure I would normally like that, but there and then, with him looking at me like I was the most beautiful and sexy woman in the world...then yeah, I belonged to him. Not really being an expert in these matters, I was a little confused when he lay down next to me. I rather preferred him on top of me. Almost lazily he kissed me, holding me down by my shoulder when I tried to roll onto my side. Him being the experienced one, I just followed his lead. His lips moved to my neck, just as his fingers found my nipple. He twisted and pulled and tweaked and suddenly my nipple was hard wired to my clit. And, oh my, did it feel good.
His mouth replaced his fingers and I moaned, long and low and gripped his hair. His hand was rubbing circles on my stomach, and then it was ghosting over the inside of my thighs. He palmed my sex, pressing down on my clit with the heel of his palm and feeling out my folds and entrance and whatever the hell else was down there.
"You're so slick, Darlin', so wet," he growled into my breast. The combination of the vibrations on my nipple and his hand fooling about between my legs made me go cross-eyed.
I wanted to say 'yeah, you think? You've been teasing me for, what feels like, a week and you're surprised that I'm dripping for you?', but what actually came out was a rather breathy, "Yes."
As he changed breasts, he changed the positioning of his hands, sliding one finger into me and his thumb taking up residence over my nub. He rubbed it in small circles, around and around, hardly actually touching the nerves themselves as his finger explored inside me.
"I should have been the first to feel you here," he slipped another finger into me, stretching me, my breathing sped up and I was pretty sure that all those little whimpering sounds I could hear were coming from me. "I am the only one that can make you feel like this, so wet, so tight, so on fire. I can feel your muscles contracting around my fingers, Bella. I can feel your clit swell with each pass of my thumb. I can hear your heart beating, hard, in your chest as you labour to breathe, to handle what I make you feel."
"Jasper," I whispered.
"You're so close, Baby, just feel."
The pleasure was all beginning to concentrate, inside me with his fingers, outside with his thumb, deep in my abdomen, and it was growing, tightening, coiling. A constant stream of 'oh god, oh god, oh god' was all I could muster, my eyes closed and hands desperately trying to find purchase on my headboard or sheets or anything to keep me grounded. Then his mouth was on me, replacing his thumb, and my eyes flew open to meet his as he watched me. His fingers thrust, faster and faster and his tongue. Oh holy mother of god...his tongue! It was moving so fast, so, so, fast and so very cold and tingly and hard and...
"Jasper! Oh, God, JASPER!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I exploded, as he carried on his ministrations and then changed his MO once again and pressed against something inside me.
I think I screamed again, to be honest I didn't care what or how loud or anything at that moment, because all I could see were stars. All I could feel were waves of euphoria and bliss billowing through me.
Jasper settled down next to me as I lay with my limbs still spread and my breathing only just coming back into the range of normalcy. My eyes were wide, staring at the ceiling and I was wondering if I would ever be able to close them again.
"You ok?" he asked quietly.
I laughed, "Ok? You could say that, I don't think I've ever felt this ok before in my life. What was that thing that you did, at the end I mean, you pressed on something inside of me?"
His smile was so shit eating that I wanted to hit him. "That, sweetheart, I believe is referred to as the G-spot."
I nodded in understanding, "Ah yes, well gee...it sure was swell!" We laughed and my brain began to come back on-line, "Jasper?" He was nuzzling my neck again, "Yeah, Darlin'?"
"Why are you still dressed?" It was a good question!
He moved off the bad and stood at the side of it, he watched me as he started to unbutton his shirt. And then stopped. He stopped and turned towards the door, frowning. I groaned, this can't be good.
"What is it?" I asked as I sat up, curling my legs beneath me. I didn't even think of hiding my nakedness, I pretty much figured we were beyond that point.
"Something's happened. Peter's had one of his epiphanies. He said that he expects thanks for waiting until you were finished."
Mortification, oh dear Lord, take me now! I buried my head in my hands, who in their right mind gets so horny that they forget they live in a house full of super hearing, super smelling vampires? Me, apparently. Oh, fuck, I didn't care. Ok, well, I did, but just chose to ignore it and move on. And avoid Emmett.
"Oh god, how loud was I?" I asked into my hands.
"Well, let us just say that you did as I asked, and more." He was so smug. Not that he shouldn't be, that was one hell of a feeling.
"Finished that roller coaster of emotions there?" Jasper laughed, "I have to go, but I believe that this will continue at a later date. Get yourself dressed and meet me down stairs, I'll be able to tell you more then, ok?"
I nodded and he disappeared, pausing only to move the dresser away from the door.
All I could hear as I walked down the stairs was the signature buzz of supernatural conversation. The living room was a bustle of activity, Peter and Jasper were talking to Carlisle, and Emmett was on a computer but still made the time to grin at me like a fool. Charley, Kate, and Eleazar were all on the phone. The two guards were standing by the Jasper/Peter/Carlisle huddle. I couldn't see Esme or Rose anywhere. Figuring that I wouldn't be much help, I followed my nose into the kitchen. Esme was working steadily at the stove, but it was the dinner table that caught my attention.
The huge dining table was laden with food. Casseroles, pasta dishes, stews, salads, meats, vegetables, and various different sweets covered the surface.
"Hello Bella, I thought you might be hungry. Just pick up a plate of whatever you want." Esme smiled over at me before going back to the stove.
"Err...Esme? Mom? I am hungry, and don't think I'm ungrateful, but why is there enough here to feed an army?" To be honest, I was wondering if she had lost it.
"Oh Bella, dear. This isn't all for you, we are expecting visitors soon and I wanted to be ready for when they arrived."
"Visitors? Visitors that eat food? You mean humans?" I asked, my curiosity spiking.
"You'll be able to see for yourself soon enough, Darlin'." I jumped at Jasper's voice, and then melted back into him as his arms wrapped around me. "Two more of the Denali clan, Carmen and Tanya, will also be bunking with us."
Just Carmen and Tanya?
"What about Irina?"
"She has chosen her side," Kate said her voice venomous and angry, as she stalked into the kitchen.
I turned to Jasper, "What's going on?"
"You remember that Laurent went to stay with the Denali's, curious about our diet?"
"Yeah, Edward said that he and Irina were mates. He seemed quite happy about it, so I'm assuming it wasn't a good thing."
"That frog bastard never defected from James' coven, hell at this point it's safe to say that there was no James' coven at all," Kate spoke up again.
"Someone needs to explain this to me?" I asked.
"Laurent was a plant, a spy. He and Irina have mated, and he has used that to his advantage," Kate began, "He must have been whispering in her ear for months." I looked back to Jasper expectantly.
"Irina has joined our enemies; she has chosen her mate over her family and the Volturi. Peter's spidey sense picked up on a problem and had Eleazar warn Carmen and Tanya to flee, and to make sure that Irina doesn't know that they left or where they were going. Victoria, Edward, and five newborns turned up as they left. Carmen and Tanya watched them from about six miles out as they conversed with Irina and Laurent."
"They were going to kill them?"
"We don't know."
"No, no, Irina may have changed sides but she would never offer her sisters up for slaughter." Eleazar had joined us now, Carlisle close behind.
I wandered off to the table, knowing that I think better on a full stomach, that and I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I got a little bit of everything and settled on a stool at the breakfast bar to observe. I was grateful that they were speaking at a human level. Jasper came to stand behind me, giving me a soft kiss to the top of my head before handing me a glass of juice. Every time that I think they couldn't do any worse, they reach a whole new level of evil. All that time I had spent alone with them, feeling safe. How is it that I never sensed something was off? But then, no one had. This had taken everyone by surprise, of course looking back over the time and facts; it was pretty obvious that something was up with them. But then, hindsight is always 20/20.
"Two aged vamps and five newborns, and that's not including Irina. What else would you say their plan was?" Peter asked as he walked in with Charley and stood next to Jasper and I.
"El, there are only two possibilities," Kate spoke, standing and walking over to face Eleazar, "Either they were there to coerce them into turning from us or they were there to kill them. Probably both, one being the punishment after they declined the other."
"Kate-"
"No, do not try to sway me from this. Think about it, you know how Irina feels about the Volturi, it probably wasn't that hard to sway her." Kate insisted, though I was lost on the backstory they were referring to. Her and Eleazar became locked into a staring contest.
I turned to Jasper in the hopes of an explanation, but he just shook his head, kissed my ear and whispered that he would tell me later.
"Irina understands what happened to your mother," Eleazar argued.
"No, she does not. She hates them for what they did. Out of the three of us, she was the only one unable to understand why no mercy was shown. A few right words, the right nudging, Alice would have fed Laurent what to say...what to do. Irina was the weak link in our armour. She would have given Carmen and Tanya a choice, I have no doubt of that. But if they made the wrong one then she would have seen them as the enemy and a necessary loss. Don't let your innate trust in people cloud your judgement." Kate pleaded with her coven mate.
Eleazar didn't say anything more on the matter. He and Kate embraced; I thought about the damage that Edward and Alice have done to this coven, this family. It's not just trust that has been broken; it is trust that has been built over hundreds of years in this case at least. Then it occurred to me that they had only mentioned Irina as actually being there.
"Laurent wasn't there?" I blurted out, everyone turned to look at me, as I blushed the colour of my tomato sauce covered pasta.
"No, he wasn't. Carmen said that he was out hunting, why do you ask?" Eleazar answered.
"It doesn't make sense that he would miss it just to go hunting, especially if I'm guessing that he hasn't been keeping to the diet. I was just thinking that it must have been something important to keep him away when they planned on confronting Carmen and Tanya." It made sense to me anyway, as I understood it a mated pair rarely separated, especially if there was likely to be fighting involved.
"You are wondering if Laurent had been sent out on some sort of mission." It wasn't a question so much as a statement that Kate made; she didn't add to it and just looked as if she were lost in thought.
"Did Laurent have a gift of some sort?" I asked Eleazar directly, knowing that his gift was to sense power and the nature of it in others.
Eleazar suddenly looked stricken, "Yes, he was a tracker. Not quite of the same calibre as James in terms of senses, but he is able to make a leap between locations."
"Leap between locations? Oh, you mean if someone got into a car he would be able to know where they next got out of it instead of losing the scent?" Well that can't be good, how the hell do you hide from someone who can do that? "But doesn't that mean that he would be able to find us?"
"No, his gift is limited to distance. If we had stayed in the country, then he may have been able to find us as we not travelled long enough by car. It was one of the reasons for choosing an overseas location. With a human in the car we would have had to stop for your relief, he would have tracked us easily. The only useful information that he could pass on to the others is that we are far away from where we started. Or in this case, had he been on our trail then he would have known we got on a plane, but not its destination."
Carlisle spoke up next, "Our friends in Forks sent word that they killed a lone vampire. Esme, call them and find out their ETA and any details on the vamp they destroyed." Esme nodded and left the room. "We need to find them, I don't want to be surprised again. Peter, Jasper, I want a list of who or where is likely to be their next targets. All persons under threat need to be moved. I am going to have Demetri fly to Alaska, Rose I want you to meet him there, you and Demetri can combine your gifts. Hopefully you will be able to find where they went. Of course, you can take Emmett with you for backup. I will send more with Demetri."
"Denali won't be clear for another day and a half," Peter broke in.
"Then you leave in two days. Jasper, I think now is the time to move Renee and Phil."
My fork clattered against my plate, I ignored the sauce that was now plastered across my top.
"My mom? You think they would go after Renee? Of course they would, what wouldn't they do? Crap."
"Sweetheart, calm down for me, ok? We'll get them to safety, Garrett and Ben will get them and bring them here. I need you to call your mom and tell her that she is to do everything that the nice red eyed gentlemen are telling them to do."
Nice red eyed gentlemen? Oh, that is so not going to go down well. "What do I tell her? She has no idea about vampires and werewolves and whatever the fuck else is out there. She'll flip, and coming here? Oh crap, the questions! Is she allowed to know? Will you have to change them?"
"Bella, take a deep breath," I did as instructed, staring into Jasper gold eyes and wondering how it was fair that a man got to have lashes that long and thick, "Now call Renee, you don't have time for a full explanation but we will have to tell her."
I chose to ignore the fact that Jasper had neither confirmed nor denied my question on changing them and took the phone that he offered me, dialling my mother's number from memory. I had no idea what time it was in Florida, but I knew that Renee still hadn't gotten herself a job so she should be in. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Jasper was on his cell, talking rapidly. Finally my mom answered.
"Hello?"
"Mom! Mom you hav-"
"Bella? I was just about to call you, why are their two strange men at my door asking me to follow them? They say that your boyfriend sent them. Well actually they said mate and then boyfriend when I asked them to explain, I mea-"
"Mom!" I interrupted before she could go too far off on a tangent, "Just listen to me; you have to do what they say. You and Phil need to leave with them right now, ok mom? I will explain everything; there just isn't time for that now. Go with them, do whatever they say and I will see you soon."
"I don't like this, Bella."
"I know, I know you don't. But mom, you don't have to like it, you just have to do it." I paused for a second, wondering if I should say this next part. "This is a life and death situation, mom, specifically yours and Phil's right at this moment. Go with Garrett and Ben, let them keep you safe."
She was quiet, I knew Renee and I knew that she was going over all the options. For as flighty and open minded as she might be, she hates being forced into something, especially a something that she knows nothing about.
"Ok, ok. But you owe an explanation!"
"I will mom, I promise. Now go, don't worry about a bag. Just go."
My relief turned to horror when I heard a crash in the background and then my mother screaming, there were snarls and growls and someone shouting for Renee to keep down and not to move. Renee screamed again and I had never felt so damn impotent in my life. I closed my eyes, as if cutting off my sight would help me hear better. As if not seeing could somehow mean that I would hear my mother's voice telling me that she was ok, that everything was ok. Noises that made no sense came through the speaker, what sounded like lightning and thunder was so loud that I pulled the phone from my ear. There was a great rushing sound; I looked to Jasper for an explanation.
"Ben can control the elements." He informed me quietly, his eyes full of worry.
The storm continued, I thought I could hear people talking, but the wind was too loud. I couldn't hear Renee anymore, no screaming, no nothing.
Jasper must have sensed my frustration, "Give them time, Bella. They'll get them out of there."
I stared at him; seeing whether he was placating me or if he truly believed that his men would save them. A car door slammed and all sounds of the storm were muffled, I heard tyres squealing and nothing else. Then the phone went dead and there was nothing. Nothing at all.
"Mom? Mom, can you hear me?" I didn't know why I expected that an answer, why I allowed myself to feel that irrational hope that somehow the connection would come back and Renee would be telling me that everything is fine. Panic; cold, dead, panic. Not my mom, not my mom, not my mom, please not my mommy, please.
"Bella, sweetheart. Take this, just listen, ok?" Jasper handed me another phone, I stared at him blankly. He pressed it to my ear. "Just listen."
"Bella? Bella?"
"Mom?" I gasped out.
"Bella, honey, I'm ok. We're ok. These nice...young men got us out safely." Her voice was shaking, she carried on in a whisper, "And, I don't think that they are entirely human, I'm not really sure what happened. One minute I was talking to you and Phil and I were following Garrett and Ben out, when your ex-boyfriend burst in with these other...people and then it was all growling and blurs and there was this freak storm!"
"God, mom, I thought you were dead."
"No, baby girl, no. I dropped my phone in all the chaos. They tell me that I'll see you soon, but not when. They were so fast, Bella. So fast and strong. I've never seen anything like it."
I laughed, I couldn't help it. She ain't seen nothing yet. "Mom, just do as they say, ok? No matter what it is, just go with it. Make sure that Phil knows to do that too. I have to go, but call me soon to let me know you're ok?"
"Trust me, I won't be arguing with them. Don't worry, we'll see you soon. And Bella?"
"Yeah?"
"We'll talk when I see you and you will be telling me everything." She had taken on her rarely used 'mom' voice, and it had the desired effect.
"Yeah, mom, I know. I'll talk to you soon, I love you."
"Love you too, baby girl."
I ended the call and handed the phone back to Jasper, I felt kind of weird. Relief was there and the panic was gone, but the horrible thought of what might have been just wouldn't leave me alone. Normally, dealing with bad shit was easy for me. Compartmentalising comes easy to me normally. But then I can't say that I have ever listened to my mother and step-dad almost murdered by a bunch of rampaging vampires. Nope, never had to deal with that before.
She's fine, you heard her, and she's fine. They're both fine.
But they're not, not really. No one is safe, not until our enemies are brought down. No one is safe around me, no one. I felt hands on my face, forcing me to look up into golden eyes. The hands should have felt colder to me, but they didn't, I shivered and felt wetness trickle down my cheeks. I stared into Jasper's eyes and felt nothing.
"Don't do this, Bella. Don't shut yourself off. Renee is fine, Phil is fine. They are with two of our best. Garrett has centuries of experience and Ben has a strong gift, one that can't be defended against. They have them and they will keep them safe. Don't think of what could have happened, concentrate on what did happen. Remember the sound of Renee's voice when she spoke to you, don't let them get to you Bella. Don't let them do this to you."
With each word he spoke I felt warmer, calmer...I just felt. The numbness washed away, though I had no idea why he hadn't just flooded me with emotion in the first place. Why he had to talk me down. To be honest, I didn't give a shit about that, I felt like me again. That was the important thing. I smiled and he smiled with me, his relief was palpable. Hmm, I guess I scared him.
"Will you be ok if I talk to Peter for a minute? I won't be long, promise."
I rolled my eyes, one almost breakdown and he's worrying about leaving my side. "Jasper, I'm fine. I had a minor blip, nothing to worry about. Besides, I need to ready myself for Renee's arrival, it's gonna be a fun reunion," I grumbled. I loved my mother with everything that I was, but I wasn't looking forward to the interrogation that was coming. Both about her first vampire experience and my love life.
Jasper gave me a lingering kiss, making my lips tingle, and then exited through the backdoor, Peter close behind. Everyone seemed to have something to do, so I decided to help Esme with the cooking. Anything to feel useful. Then Emmett was standing in front of me, a huge grin on his face. I didn't like this grin, this grin meant that he was up to something. Something that was likely to get us in trouble.
I had time to hear Peter scream something from out back before I was swept off my feet and the world was lost in a blur of wind and my hair. I was pretty much thrown into a car seat, my belt buckled in record time, the car started before I even registered who was driving.
"Emmett! You are in such big trouble! What the hell are you thinking? Have you lost your marbles? Jasper is gonna kill you, as in remove your head from your shoulders."
"Pfft, like that would kill me," he scoffed.
"Wouldn't exactly be comfy though would it?" I pointed out.
"Of course not, having a limb removed isn't an experience that I would like to go through again," he said, as if I were stupid to even ask that.
"Then why are you risking your neck to...what the hell are we doing anyway? I'm pretty sick of being manhandled, or should I say vampire handled?" But then I had a thought that I really didn't want to linger on, "Oh fuck Emmett, you've not gone all 'Irina' on me and joined Edward and Alice have you?"
It felt like the right thing to ask after everything that had happened today, but it was still a ludicrous thought. Wasn't it? Emmett hadn't answered me yet, his face had turned grim and when he turned to look at me I saw him as a vampire for the first time. All signs of my jovial ass of a big brother had gone. He was scaring the hell out of me.
"Em?"
A/N: Leave me some love…