Sorry for the delay on this one folks. I was having troubles with where to go with this chapter, so it took a little longer than normal. Enjoy!
SM is the stage; I am merely a player.
Chapter 3: Girls' night out and unwelcome attentions
"How long has it been since we heard from Alice Cullen?" Aro asked.
"A few weeks, no more," Caius replied. "Hardly enough time to warrant an update, or a visit."
"And I thought I was the mind reader, brother," Aro mused.
Caius chuckled. "Well, I've been sitting to your left for only a couple thousand years, one might pick up on a few common personality traits, brother."
"Nevertheless, I think I'll give her a call," he decided. As if she'd been in the room hearing the conversation, the phone rang, Alice's number blinking on the caller ID. "My dear Alice, it's as if you knew I wanted to call you."
Alice giggled. "You know I did Aro. I understand you're curious about what's going on here."
"Yes," he replied. "Something gave me an inkling that I should call or decide to call and get an update."
"There's a human girl that's moved into the area. I can't see why yet, but she'd going to be very important to us, and to you."
"Does she know what we are?" Caius hissed.
Alice sighed, "Of course not, Caius. She's completely oblivious, though she doesn't seem to have the same adversity towards us as most humans do. It's really as if she has zero self preservation instincts. I mean she called out Peter Whitlock."
"What?! What is she doing associating with the Whitlocks?" Aro demanded.
"It was sheer happenstance, Aro, I assure you. She moved into a warehouse apartment in No Man's Land. Jasper Whitlock happened to be strolling by and he caught her eye. She's very pretty, already looks like a vampire almost, so naturally, she piqued his interest. Her bold personality and no-nonsense attitude has made him even more interested. But worry not, I have a plan."
Alice was lying to Aro. She didn't have a plan. Not really. Other than befriending Bella and hoping to slowly indoctrinate her into the world of Vampires and the Volturi, she didn't have a clue. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see Bella. Not at all. She could see visions with Bella in them, but never anything directly about her. It was as if she was blocking her without even knowing it.
"Alice! Esme! Hi! What a surprise!" Bella exclaimed after the two women had knocked on her door the morning after her Whitlock sponsored shopping spree. "Come on in!"
"We brought coffee," Alice offered, holding up a large cup from the Java Joe's joint down the road.
"Oh that smells amazing; you're a goddess. Thank you," Bella replied, gratefully. She took the proffered cup and sipped it carefully. "What is in this? Crack?"
The two women laughed. "My daughter-in-law Rosalie runs the coffee shop, so her recipes are top-secret. Also, I may have added a shot of my homemade hooch. It's caramel flavored," Esme admitted. She was excited to have the chance to use the cooking skills she'd acquired through the years of hosting the classes at her store. Homemade alcohol was one of the more recent classes.
"Did you go on a shopping spree without me?" Alice asked, pouting. She gazed around the room at all the shopping bags, some from very high-end stores. She wondered how much money Bella really had.
"Well, sort of," Bella replied. "Jasper Whitlock apparently paid for everything." Alice and Esme shared a glance. "What is it with that guy, anyway? I've barely shared ten words with him and he spends two hundred grand on me. Granted, I wasn't really paying attention to what I was buying and thought I was paying for it myself, but still."
"You didn't know you were spending that much?" Alice asked.
Bella shrugged. "I chose not to pay attention to the receipts or the amounts on the registers until I got home. I was having too much fun. Back home, there are no shops like the ones here, and I never had the money to go to the few that were on the higher end. I had planned to look at the damage when I got home and return whatever wasn't absolutely necessary.
"But then, I checked the receipts and saw that it wasn't my card details listed on any of them. I called one of the shops and they told me that my purchases had been covered by an anonymous benefactor. A call to a few more shops and I knew for sure. I remembered a burly guy following me around all day in a pinstripe suit. I mean, really, how obvious and stereotypical can you be? So I figured if he'd been following me all day, he probably was casing my house, so I went outside to look for him."
"You did what?!" Alice and Esme chorused in unison.
"Calm down; nothing happened," Bella reassured. "I found him on a park bench and persuaded him to tell me who paid for my items. He tried to act like he didn't know what I was talking about, but I got it out of him."
Alice and Esme looked at Bella like she sprouted a second head. "How did you persuade him?" Alice asked suggestively, winking at Bella.
"Not like that, gross! I got a little… angry with him. Truly, it surprised me how little effort it took for me to get him to talk. I was prepared to get violent if need be, but all I did was give him 'the look' and he sang like a canary. For a guy as big as he was, he was just a marshmallow."
The two vampires blinked at her in surprise. How could one little human get Captain Peter Whitlock to just spill his guts about his boss like that? She must have a hell of a look, Esme thought.
"So what do you say to girls' night tonight?" Esme asked, deciding to change the topic. "Rosalie will join us there. She had to work today."
"Okay, I know it's not possible that you have full-grown children unless you've got a hell of a plastic surgeon," Bella commented.
"No plastic surgery, no. My husband and I adopted our children when they were teenagers. I unfortunately was not blessed with the ability to have my own children, so we got ours another way. They were just foster children at first, but then we took them in permanently," Esme explained, wrapping her arm affectionately around Alice's shoulders.
Bella's eyebrows hit her hairline. "You and your husband adopted teenagers?! That has to be the noblest thing I have ever heard. I can't even imagine. What are the others' names?"
"Well you've met most of them already. Alice is my youngest, the next oldest is Emmett. I believe you met him the other day. It gets kind of weird though. Edward was our first son, and then he married Alice… can't fight matters of the heart, right? Emmett met Rosalie while on a bear hunting trip in Tennessee and married her a few months later. She saved him from nearly being mauled by a bear. Just wait until you meet her. I'm sure you'll just love her."
"So… two of your children are married… to each other?" Bella asked, confused. "I'm not judging, just trying to understand the family tree."
"Rosalie is ours, too," Esme answered. "She was only seventeen and a run-away. Her parents disowned her, and she had no other relatives. She was basically living in that forest when she found Emmett and the bear." Bella was amazed. She already liked Esme a lot, but once she learned how caring and selfless she was, she became a near-goddess in her eyes.
"SO your husband's name is Carlisle, and Alice, yours is Edward?" Bella asked.
Esme was confused. "You met them the other day."
"Yes, but they introduced themselves as Mister Esme and Mister Alice," Bella replied.
"So it'll be you two, Rosalie, and me going to girls' night?" Bella asked.
Alice nodded. "The boys usually find a way to crash the night though. Even though we never tell them where we're going, they always find out somehow. We should have a good two to three hours to ourselves though." Bella felt a little left out at that. Alice and Esme were both married, as was Rosalie, who she had yet to meet. Bella would be the odd-one-out. Unless Jasper showed up, which given his short but consistent track record, he would. She hadn't decided how to feel about him yet. It was obvious that he was into her, why else would he drop two-hundred grand on her and not immediately demand she return the items and give his money back?
"Bella! You have got to wear this tonight!" Alice exclaimed, pulling out a purple mini-dress that she bought at the Chanel store. "Where are the shoes you bought?" Bella pointed to a pile of shoe boxes next to where her shoe rack was going to be built. Alice dashed over there faster than seemed possible and began digging through the shoes. She found a pair of silver Louboutins with purple lace wrapped around the toe. They matched the dress perfectly. Alice squealed in delight.
"We'll have to put rollers in your hair. Do you have any?" Alice asked. Bella shook her head, taking another sip of coffee. She didn't have any girly products like that. Just shampoo, conditioner, a blow dryer and a brush. She never was much for bothering with that stuff. Didn't even have any make up. Telling Alice all this, the pixie of a woman groaned in exasperation and dragged Bella out of her warehouse apartment, Jasper the dog in tow and to her own home a few blocks away.
Edward was at the door when he heard his wife, mother and another person coming through the door. "Ali, what are you doing home?" he asked.
"Bella needs help getting ready for girls' night," his wife answered. "She has awesome clothes, but no hair care products, make up, or anything else that is vital for this process." She said that as an accusation towards the girl in question. Bella simply shrugged in response.
"I lived in a small town in Wisconsin, Alice, and was constantly covered in paint from all my projects. I didn't go out, I hardly had friends. I never had much of a reason to get all dolled up. Plus, my mother wouldn't know which end of a curling iron to hold until she got her hand burned off." Alice and Edward exchanged a look. Bella was beginning to wonder what this family's silent communications were about.
"Well, life is about to change for you, Ms. Swan," Alice declared. "You're one of us now." She yanked her through to her bedroom where she placed Bella at the vanity. "You just sit, relax and enjoy yourself."
"Can I take Jasper for a walk?" Edward asked.
"Yes! Please do!" Bella agreed, handing over the reins. Jasper yipped happily as he followed Edward out of the house.
"I just feel the need to mention how hilarious it is that your dog is named Jasper," Alice mentioned. "I mean, if you get together with Jasper Whitlock, and you call out his name, both of them will be coming!" She began laughing hysterically. Bella didn't see why it was that funny, but Alice laughing so hard made her start laughing, too.
Alice whirled around her, curling hair, applying eye shadow, dabbing lip gloss, and fussing over how perfect Bella's skin was. "You don't even have freckles. This is amazing." Bella took a close look at Alice's face when she had a moment. The dark haired girl was perfection. Her honey colored eyes seemed to sparkle with glee. She noticed that the others she'd met so far all had honey colored eyes, what was with that? Jasper and his marshmallow of a cohort both had burgundy eyes. Both of these were colors that Bella had never seen before. Maybe that was the root of this apparent family feud they had going. It seemed silly, but most family feuds began over something ridiculous.
After two hours, Bella was ready for girls' night. Alice seemed to take only minutes to get ready, but Bella figured she was used to doing all this stuff and so it didn't take her long to get ready. Edward reappeared with a happy Jasper, "This dog is great, Bella. He's so friendly! And if I wasn't already happily married to the most beautiful woman in the world, I'd have about seven or eight dates lined up. There was even one that said she didn't care that I was married."
"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" Alice barked. "Were you flirting?"
"No love, no. It's the dog. He's a natural at flirting. All he had to do was smile and wag his tail and the ladies came running. Literally. There were two that were running towards us from across the park, trying to race each other. It was rather humorous. Alice, you know I love you and only you." Bella stepped out of the room during their exchange. The "I love yous" turned into kisses and it looked as though that would lead to other things, so she conveniently found herself in the kitchen. Esme was there, finding a bowl to put water in for Jasper.
She set the bowl down and Jasper lapped at it happily. Scratching behind his ears she said, "Sorry I don't have any biscuits for you, Jasper. I'll have some on hand next time." Esme smiled at Bella and then went about her preparations for the evening. Bella felt a bit of motherly love towards the woman and felt odd going to a girls' night out with her. She felt as if she shouldn't drink or get too rowdy.
Emmett and Carlisle came home then, greeting Bella as they went to find their wives. Bella stayed with Jasper, absently petting his back as he sat next to her. "Good to see you old sport," Carlisle said to Jasper as he came back in the room. "Does he need to be walked?" Jasper's ears perked up.
"Edward took him just a bit ago, but Jasper here will never say no to a W-O-K."
"Don't you mean—"
"Nope," Bella said, cutting him off. "He can spell it in English, so I have to be sneaky," she added with a wink. Carlisle chuckled.
"Well, I'd love to take him for another one. Do you have his leash?" Bella nodded grabbing it from the counter. Jasper jumped around happily, excited to be going on yet another walk with his new friends. Bella was glad that he was taking to the Cullens so well. She was completely at ease with them, and therefore so was Jasper. "Emmett, grab a tennis ball," he called out as he led Jasper out the door. Emmett came bounding through the hall, a tennis ball in hand.
"Hi Bells… Bye Bells," he said, grinning like an idiot as he followed his dad out, tossing a tennis ball in his hand. Bella shook her head. Poor Jasper was going to get the workout of his life.
Esme and Alice emerged from their rooms, fully ready for the evening. Alice was wearing a black dress covered in black sequins that hugged her tiny frame, giving curves that she didn't necessarily have. Bella thought she was rather flat-chested and lacking in the curvaceous area, but Alice was downright boyish without the right attire, her short spiky hair didn't help matters, but her face was very feminine. Esme was wearing a midnight blue mini dress with silver jewels around the neck line. She already had luscious curves and the dress only accentuated them. Her golden caramel hair was curled in big waves and pinned back from her face with clips that matched the jewels on her dress.
Once they arrived at the club, the ladies dispersed, promising to meet up at their reserved VIP table in a few minutes. Alice told Bella to get her libations and then Rosalie would be at the table and they'd head out to the dance-floor.
Bella made a beeline for the bar, knowing she'd need a good few drinks in her system before she even considered dancing. This place was known for their margaritas, so she ordered a top-shelf standard margarita on the rocks. "Salt on the rim?" the bartender asked.
"As if there's any other way," Bella replied, giggling. The bartender smiled and got to making the drink. "The name's Bella," she added, offering her hand.
"James," he replied, taking her hand in his and lightly kissing it. "James Hunter. You're new to New York, aren't you? Most women don't introduce themselves quite like this."
Bella noticed his hands and lips were ice cold. Just like Alice and Esme. What was with that? Was being cold all the time a new fashion trend or something? If so, Bella wanted no part of that. "Um yeah, just moved from Wisconsin. Aspiring artist, just like so many. Though unlike most, I already have a job here."
"Oh yeah? Doing what?" He'd finished her drink and handed it over.
Bella took a sip, smiling at the delicious flavors. "This is perfect, thank you. Um, I'm a painter. I got commissioned to do the artwork for a restaurant that's opening up soon. The guy bought out my gallery in Wisconsin, which paid for my move out here and is paying me quite a bit for the new series, so it warranted a move out here to see what else I could discover. What do I owe you?" She pulled her wallet out of a hidden pocket in her dress
"It's ladies' night," James replied. "Your drinks are free."
"Wow, even the top-shelf ones?" James nodded. "Awesome. Well, James, it's been real. I'll definitely be back." She winked at him and placed a ten dollar bill in his tip jar. James smiled and thanked her, only his grin took on a bit of a sinister quality. Bella chocked it up to the weird lighting.
Alice approached as Bella turned away from the bar. "There you are. We've been waiting at the table for you. I thought you got lost!" She seemed truly concerned.
"No, I was just at the bar getting this." She held up her drink. "And chatting with the bartender, James."
"James Hunter?" Alice asked, worried again. She leaned over and sniffed the drink.
"Um, yeah. I think that's what he said his last name was. Long blond hair, tied in the back, pale skin, handsome. Kinda dark though." Bella remembered that she couldn't really see his eyes. The lighting made it so there was a shadow right where his eyes were. That definitely added to the darkness about him.
Alice threaded her arm through Bella's. "Just be careful. He does have a dark side. A very dark side." Bella thought she saw Alice turn back towards the bar and give James some hand signal. Stay Away, was the message she got from it. Why would Bella need to be protected from James? He seemed harmless enough. Until that last smile, anyway. And this was New York, home of many a crazy and cruel criminal. She had better stick with the girls for the rest of the evening. As a group, they'd keep each other safe. As they walked, Bella noticed that Alice's entire body was cold. Her hip and thigh would brush up against hers every couple steps, and she felt no warmth, only cold.
"Bella, this is Rosalie," Esme said, standing up and gesturing to the blonde next to her. Bella's mouth hit the floor.
"Um, hi. I'm Bella. You're gorgeous."
Rosalie's hand met Bella's, and she learned it was equally as cold as the rest of them. "Thanks, Bella. Right back atcha," she replied with a smile. "Welcome to girls' night out. Well, at least until the boys come crash it."
"I don't know if they will," Esme added. "They're all pretty taken with Bella's dog, Jasper. I think he'll keep them occupied for the evening."
"They're going to wear him out," Bella said, laughing. "I'll have to carry him into my apartment later."
She finished her first drink and like magic, another one appeared. "I grabbed it for you on my way from the bathroom," Alice told her. Bella couldn't help but wonder if her friend did that so she wouldn't have to see James again. Alice barely knew her, but she was already treating her like a close friend, one she'd protect at any costs. It made Bella happy, because she knew she'd do exactly the same for Alice, Esme, and now even Rosalie.
After her third drink, she felt ready to get on the dance-floor. She noticed the other women had all been nursing the same drink the entire night. It made her feel like a lush in comparison, when she hardly ever drank. Rosalie yanked her out of her seat with more force then necessary and nearly sent her catapulting into the nearest male. "Whoops! Sorry, Bella. Guess I don't know my own strength sometimes. Are you alright?"
Bella shook her head. "I guess not…. But yes I'm fine." She was going to have a bruise on her arm where Rosalie grabbed her, but that was nothing new. She'd gotten over her clumsy phase that was most of her childhood, but she still found ways to trip over thin air every now and then.
Alice and Esme were dancing happily when Rosalie and Bella joined them. Bella felt loose enough after her three margaritas to join in the fun. She began swaying her hips to the beat and letting her hair fly all over. She felt cold hands on her hips and figured one of the girls was dancing with her. She swung her hips around more freely, letting her fall over one shoulder. She went to move backwards when she felt something against her rear that definitely did not belong on a female body. When she looked up, she saw Alice, Rosalie and Esme glaring at something above her. She turned her head, and there was Jasper Whitlock.
She pulled herself out of his grasp and turned to face him. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" She demanded.
"Um, what?" Jasper asked.
"When did I give you permission to dance with me? And where do you get off spending two hundred grand on me? You don't know me; you're not my boyfriend. Ever hear of, 'Hey Bella, I like you. Would you like to go on a date?' and that could possibly lead to dancing like this. And then after a very long courtship after which we decide we're going to be in an exclusive relationship with each other would it be permissible for you to spend money on me, and vice versa.
"But no, you've got more money than sense and figure the way to my heart is through anonymously buying me shit and sneaking up on me at a club. Not acceptable." Jasper Whitlock tried to touch her arm, but she flicked his hand away. "Do not touch me. Alice, Rosalie, Esme, I'm sorry. I'm going home. Thank you for tonight. Up until a few minutes ago, I was having the time of my life. I'll see you all soon.
"And as for you. Do not come jogging near my place again. I don't care if it was always on your route, I don't want to see your snide face anymore. And that goes for that burly marshmallow goon of yours, too. If I see either of you again, I'll sick my dog on you, and trust me, you won't like the outcome of that." She stormed away from the dance-floor.
Rosalie ran after her. "Bella you can't go home alone."
"I'm not. I'm going to catch a cab to your place, get my dog, and then go home."
"At least let me come with you," she offered. "New York is no place for a young attractive woman to be out alone at night."
Bella huffed. "Fine, that's a good idea, I guess. I'm still used to small town life where that stuff just didn't happen." Rosalie nodded, got their coats from the coat check and hailed a cab outside. Once back at the Cullen house, Bella looked for Jasper, who was napping soundly in the corner of the room, while the men were playing video games.
"I knew you'd wear him out," Bella commented as she tried to rouse her dog. He wouldn't budge. He was snoring loudly and completely dead to the world. "How much fetch did you play?"
"I dunno, a couple hours, I suppose," Emmett answered. "He kept bringing the ball back, so we kept throwing it. Then we stopped at a pet store and got the dog bed. We didn't think Esme would want him on the sofa"
"Yeah, Em, that's the definition of fetch," Rosalie replied, kissing his nose. "You're such a dork but good thinking on the dog-bed. Esme would have a fit."
"You love me anyway," he retorted, kissing her soundly on the lips. Bella had to look away. Yet another couple that was madly in love and all she had was Jasper the dog and Jasper Whitlock who was more of a dog than the one sleeping at her feet.
"Why don't you stay here tonight, Bella?" Rosalie offered. "We've got a guest room, and I'm sure one of the guys can carry Jasper in there. You're about Esme's size, I think. You'll fit her pajamas."
"Normally I'd insist that I go home, but I'm exhausted, drunk, and don't even want to try getting Jasper into a cab when he's like this. Thank you so much." Rosalie told her to think nothing of it and led her to the guest room. Emmett scooped Jasper up of the newly acquired dog bed and carried him into the room. Edward followed with the dog bed in tow and laid it on the floor next to the bed. "I can't guarantee he'll stay in the dog bed," Bella said. "He's used to sleeping with me, so he might hop up here once he wakes up. Is that okay?"
"Not a problem, Bella," Rosalie assured her. "Sheets can be washed more easily than the upholstery on the sofas." Bella nodded and thanked her again. She changed into the satin pajamas that Rosalie brought and slipped between the sheets. This bed was like sleeping on a cloud. She was out within minutes into a dreamless sleep.
Looks like James is up to his old tricks, eh? And what about Jasper just sneaking up and copping a feel... so not okay, right? Up next will be the morning after... Jasper Whitlock will try and make amends with her, will he make it worse or better. And we'll have another interaction with the infamous James. Thank you all for reading!