Chapter Fifteen

Bella

They all sat listening attentively, even Darius who had turned away from his computer to watch me and at first I felt very nervous, as if this were an important oral exam but as I got into it I forgot all of them except Jasper, as if I were speaking only to him.

I told him about my first meeting with Jay when I mistook him for Jasper.

"So we are very similar?"

"More than that...he's...well you if you were still human. Like a photograph of you before you met Maria."

"Yeah but more handsome I think."

I glared at Peter but the others simply ignored him.

"I see, well go on."

I tried not to leave anything out including my ruse to try and get him to safety by taking him to the Quileutes.

"You really went out of your way to save him, a man you hardly knew but then I guess that shouldn't surprise me."

He smiled when I told him about the paper Jay had written,

"And you jumped to my defense Bella? Thank you but it really wasn't necessary. It was so long ago, a different lifetime, a different person."

I shook my head,

"I don't believe that for one second. You're still the honorable and courageous man you were then."

"Now you see, she believed your press release, I told you it'd work. A hero's resume always attracts the women."

"Shut up Peter."

Of course it was water off a ducks back to him but I could see Alice and Darius were beginning to get annoyed by his interruptions.

Jasper however turned back to look at me puzzled,

"I know you heard some of my history from Edward and Alice so how can you say that?"

"Anyone else would have been destroyed by the things you went through but here you are, ready to help a man you don't even know and one who has cast doubt on your courage and honor."

He stopped speaking, took my hands in his, and stared into my eyes making butterflies wake up in my stomach and turn cartwheel although I didn't think I was that nervous.

"Bella, don't make me out to be one of the good guys because I'm not. I came because someone has kidnapped my double and I want to know why. It might concern me."

That flustered me so I went on hurriedly.

"Of course it all went wrong and I had to tell him the truth before we reached Forks, he wouldn't go any further without something and that's when he decided I was really crazy and left."

There was a silence as they took this in, Darius shaking his head while Jasper looked at me frowning.

"What I don't understand is how did he get back to Portland before you if he didn't have transport?"

"Ah you see, she's trying to cover for the scum bag. He had transport, he left Bella in the middle of the road out in the wilds. It's a good thing I'm an honorable man too or anything could have happened."

Alice tutted while Darius merely frowned but said nothing.

I thought Peter had been a little stark in his telling of the incident but he hadn't finished yet.

"Of course, Bella didn't tell you how she lured the Clone to Forks in the first place by using her sexual charms?"

I was fuming,

"I did not. I told him if he went with me to meet my friends I would tell him all about Jasper."

"Same thing really, I saw you fluttering your eyelashes at him before he left you in the middle of the road, obviously not his type."

Jasper

I appreciated Peter being here because he cared but it annoyed me for a reason I couldn't articulate and when he spoke of Bella using her charms to lure this double of mine I felt a sudden rush of rage that was there and then gone which was crazy. After all what was it to do with me if she had felt something for him? I hadn't seen her in several years, it was her life, not for me to try and control what she did. Then I thought perhaps my rage had been at his leaving a young girl alone in the middle of nowhere and driving off. Not the actions of an honorable man at all and I wondered just what this Jasper Whitlock really was like. It seemed odd we were so alike that Bella had initially thought we were the same man and I wondered if when she saw he was human she had been relieved it wasn't me after all.

Bella

When I finished by telling him that Peter and I had returned to college only to see him kidnapped by the same vampire I had seen watching him before there was another silence.

"So what are we going to do about Jay?"

"See, very cozy, first name terms with the Clone."

"I'm not sure there is anything we can do yet Bella. Peter didn't recognize the scent of the vampire who took your friend, we have no idea where they took him or why. We have to wait for Darius to dig something up."

I shook my head in frustration,

"No, the longer he's in their hands the more danger he's in."

"Not necessarily Bella, they might just want a pet that looks like their hero. Put him in a cage, feed him on tidbits and watch him perform. Hey they might even have a little Major's outfit to dress him in. Now that would be kinda cute don't you think?"

I rounded on Peter enraged by his flippancy.

"Jay's a human caught up in something he doesn't understand. Doesn't it bother you he might be in danger from these vampires?"

Peter grinned infuriatingly at me and shrugged,

"Not really, been there, done it, got the tee shirt and the DVD. How do you think we all became vampires Bella? Answered a fucking ad in the paper? You're missing the point, its not the Clone that concerns us, its the motive."

"What?"

"Well, a vampire could take anyone so why stalk your precious professor for weeks before snatching him? Why him?"

"I don't understand, does it matter why? He's …..."

Peter raised an eyebrow enquiringly,

"Yes Bella? He's what? Cute, adorable? Fanciable? You do have a thing about him don't you... you little vixen."

I wanted to slap him but I knew the only person I would hurt was myself and he'd probably have a good laugh about that too.

"Now if you are asking us to find your boyfriend why don't you just come out and say so."

I scowled at him and stuck my tongue out, very adult I know but I couldn't help myself.

"Do you really think we'd all be here if your cute little professor had looked like anyone else?"

I thought about this,

"You think he was targeted because he looks like Jasper don't you?"

"Well done, any prize off the top shelf. She's dim but adorable isn't she?"

"But what good is he to a vampire? He's not Jasper and they know that, he's human for a start."

"Yeah but that can be easily remedied little Bella. One bite and...voila! We have a Major Clone."

"I still don't see why though."

Jasper touched my hand glaring at Peter,

"Neither do we, that's why were trying to find your professor and who took him."

"You think he's going to be turned into a vampire like you?"

"I can't think of any other reason for taking him, can you?"

I couldn't and the others suddenly looked very serious. This was far more important than a man being kidnapped by vampires. Everyone in this room thought there was much more to the story and I was beginning to believe it myself.