A wee bit of citrus ensues in this chapter, right in the beginning. (Not between Bella and anyone else though, that'll happen much later) If you don't like lemons, you can skip to the next section. But on that note, if you don't like lemons, you probably shouldn't read my fics. I tend to throw them in fairly often. Not as often as other writers, but enough that my fics are for adults only ;) Also at the end of the chapter is a reference to sexual assault. Nothing happens, so rest assured, but just have to warn of the reference.

Chapter 5

"Damn that Jasper Whitlock," James hissed as he entered his apartment. Annoyed that the Major had foiled his plans to get under the Swan girl's skin, he plopped onto the couch, an exasperated huff escaping his lungs.

"Problems, lover?" Victoria purred as she wrapped her arms around him. "You know how I hate to see you upset. Just say the word and I'll turn Jasper Whitlock to ash. You know I can do it."

She was a perfect little thing most of the time, but sometimes Victoria just annoyed the hell out of him. This wasn't one of those times though. He pulled her over the back of the couch and laid her against his body. After kissing her soundly, he put his arms behind his head and nodded at her. "You know what to do."

Giving him a salacious grin, she wormed her way down his body and undid his belt buckle. After deftly unclasping his jeans, she freed him from their confines and quickly descended upon him. Her mouth was heaven, and he loved when she put him there. All he ever had to do was give her one look and she had him in her mouth within seconds.

After he finished in her mouth, he suggested, "Let's go out tonight. I know a girl that's just waiting to be tasted." Victoria grinned again and followed him out the door after tucking him back into his pants.

Jasper returned to his home, glad he was able to intervene with James and Isabella. He knew James well enough though, that it was only the beginning for him. And if anything, Jasper's claim on the girl just made the game that much more fun. His mate, Victoria, was another story all together. She had a gift of evasion, but her secondary gift, and it practically was one, was the gift of jealousy. Any time James showed an inkling of interest in another woman, meaning his eyes landed on her, she'd kill her without a second thought. Regardless of whether or not said woman even knew James existed. The woman had a problem. And now Isabella was caught in the middle of it all.

"I want someone watching Miss Swan at all times," Jasper barked at his subordinates, after having called a meeting regarding the safety of his intended. When Ruby asked him why, he simply glared at her. "James Hunter has caught her scent." Realization dawned on everyone's faces and the instantly knew why their boss was making this demand. "Try and be as covert as vampires can. I don't want Isabella thinking she's being watched, if we can help it. I wanted to respect her wishes and give her a wide berth until she came to me, but first with the Cullens trying to draw her in and now James, I need her safe. She needs to always be safe. Not just from the supernatural, but from human predators. The girl doesn't seem to have a self-preservation instinct and relies on her dog to know when danger is near.

"If she's with a Cullen, back off, but still make sure James and Victoria stay away. The Cullens can handle it, I know, and they know all about James and Victoria, so I'm not concerned about her safety from him when she's with them. But if she's alone or with other humans, stay as close as you can without giving yourselves away. Understood?" Everyone nodded their agreement and the meeting was adjourned.

Peter and his mate Charlotte had first watch. Garrett and Allen would relieve them after twelve hours. The Major wanted a situation report via text message every ninety minutes on Miss Swan's whereabouts and whether or not they caught sight or scent of James or Victoria in the area. The watch began mere hours after Jasper left her in the park. Peter confirmed that she was in her apartment, presumably asleep as all the lights were off. The next report was the same, and the one after that until around seven AM when she ventured out for coffee and a run with her dog, who coincidentally was also named Jasper. After that she stayed in her apartment. Every report was the same. "She's still in her apartment, no sign of J or V."

Around six pm, Garrett and Allen did see her leave the apartment briefly to get some food from a nearby vendor, walk her dog so he could do his business, and then head back to her apartment. She was dressed in raggedy clothes that were covered in paint splotches and streaks. She also looked to have the paint on her fingers and arms all over the place. The report on her indicated she was building her own furniture. Perhaps she was painting it as well. Garrett chose to leave those minute details out of their update to the Major, much to Allen's chagrin.

"I don't think we should keep any details from the Major," Allen complained. "Clearly he wants to know what she's up to at all times. We should tell him."

Garrett shook his head. "The Major's orders are for us to update him on her whereabouts, not what she's doing. If she was turning tricks in her apartment every 45 minutes, that'd be her business. Our updates would still read that she hasn't left her apartment and that we haven't seen James or Victoria. Simple as that. What she does is her business, and we have no right telling Jasper what she's doing at every moment of the day. Even if those were his orders, I'd ignore them. I won't condone him completely invading her privacy like that. It's bad enough he's got her on twenty-four hour watch without her knowledge, much less consent."

Allen couldn't argue with his partner's logic. Whatever Miss Swan did in the privacy of her home was her business. Though he was relieved that turning tricks was definitely not something she did. She came back out again around nine, this time in running gear. It was rather late to go running, but Allen was glad that he and Garrett were there to protect her. James and Victoria weren't the only monsters in New York. In fact, most of them were human.

After the third text message of the exact same update, Jasper was trying to figure out why she was suddenly in her apartment all the time instead of exploring the city like she had been doing the first few days she was there. Around six pm, he got a different message that she had ventured out with her dog, running to the nearest food vendor. "Not dressed for running, just seems to be getting a bit of fresh air and some food. Heading back to her apartment now," the message said.

His curiosity was getting the best of him and he wanted nothing more than to pay a visit to the young beauty, but he knew that he would not be well received. Instead he focused on his work, and on how he could convince her that joining up with the Cullens was not the best idea. To do that, he'd likely have to tell her the truth, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to do that, nor if her fragile human mind was ready to hear it.

Glancing at the clock, he noticed that it had been 95 minutes since the last update. Garrett and Allen were never late. Not once in the decades they'd worked for him. Something was seriously wrong. He called Garrett's phone and it went directly to voicemail, which meant one of three things. One, The battery was dead, for which Garrett would lose an eye. They were to keep their phones charged at all times. Two, the phone was turned off, for which Garrett would lose both arms. They were to keep their phones on at all times, no matter what. Three, the phone was destroyed, and depending on the reason behind it, Garrett might get to keep all his limbs and both eyes.

Grabbing his keys, he headed out towards Bella's house to make sure she was alright. Then he planned to ream Garrett and Allen out for not staying in communication with him. But when he arrived at her apartment and climbed up tot he window, he saw it was empty. Jasper the dog was sleeping quietly on the bed, but the rest of the apartment was unoccupied. She was gone. Where the hell did she go?

Bella sat before her several completed canvases before she thought she'd better find out the restaurant's color scheme and the cuisine before letting the buyer know she was done. She called her agent to have her call the buyer and find out. A million different painting ideas sailed through her mind as she waited for the return call. Thankfully this buyer was fairly easy to get a hold of and responded quickly.

"Southern comfort food but amped up to fine dining is the cuisine, and he said that he's basing the color scheme on your paintings," Angela told her. "Which I'm sure only adds to the pressure, right?" Actually not, since she was already done, and her theme matched the cuisine perfectly. Happy coincidence that Jasper Whitlock was a southern gentleman, or as close to one as she could get anyway.

"Did he say anything else?" Bella asked, realizing that Angela's question to the buyer might imply that she hadn't even started the paintings yet and they were due within a month. While they were done, she may have had to start all over if the color scheme was different.

"Just asked how you're coming along. I told him that you had several finished but realized the colors and content might be all wrong for the restaurant and wanted to make sure you were both on the same page in that regard while you could still fix them," Angela answered.

Bella sighed in relief. "Thanks Ang, you're the best. And thank you for fielding all this for me. The ten percent you get will never be enough, and you won't let me pay you any more."

Her friend scoffed. "Hon, you know I'd do it for free, but yeah the ten percent is kinda nice. On this next deal it should pay off my college loan debt, put a down payment on my new house, and pay for my wedding, y'know?"

"Exactly," Bella agreed. "Wait… wedding? Ben proposed?"

"Yes! I was waiting for the perfect moment to tell you. Looks like this was it." Bella could practically hear Angela smiling. "I know you're just getting settled out there and I really want you as my maid of honor. So we've decided to have a destination wedding. In New York!"

"What? You're getting married here?! Angela, don't do that just for me. I can make the trip back there. You know that it won't be a problem for me."

Angela scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Bella. Ben and I both love the city. We went there a few times during college, remember? We both loved the zoo at Central Park and they have agreed to host our wedding and reception in their amphitheater and dining hall."

"When exactly did he propose? How do you have all this planned already?" Bella asked, suspicious.

"He proposed the day you left," she answered. "I wanted to call you first thing, but I wanted you to get settled a bit first before you felt like you had to deal with Maid of Honor duties."

Bella huffed. "Well, you know New York is the best place for a Bachelorette Party. When is the wedding? I need to start getting everything together. And don't you dare say that I don't have to. I've been waiting for this opportunity since we were kids, Ang. We promised each other and even pinky swore. Don't you dare try and take back the responsibilities just because I'm a few miles away."

"Okay fine, you win. The wedding is set for September 19th, which is close to your birthday, I know, but it was the first date the park had open. Any later than that and we run the risk of it being too cold. You understand, right?"

"Yes of course, Angela. Even if you had it on my birthday. I'd only be honored, not annoyed. You know how I hate my birthday anyway. This'll take all the attention off of me and put it on you. Do you need any help with paying the vendors? I want to help in anyway I can."

"You've got to be the most selfless person I know, Bella," Angela told her. "I mean, you get all kinds of money from this first sale and use most of it to pay off your dad's mortgage, buy your mom a new car and use what was left to fund a move to New York. How are you getting by out there anyway? I know you sold most of your clothes and your beat up old truck to move out there."

"Hey, that Kount's Kustoms guy paid me six grand for that beat up old truck, thank you very much. And I'm getting by very well. I went on a bit of a shopping spree the other day, thought I had spent over two hundred grand but…" She was cut off.

"Two hundred grand?! Bella, have you lost your mind?"

"Yes," she replied. "But I didn't spend a dime, it turns out." Angela was silent as she waited for an explanation. "I guess I have some admirer here that paid for all my stuff. I didn't even know until I got home and looked at the receipts. My card details weren't on them, and when I called the stores, they all told me that my purchases had been 'taken care of' and they weren't supposed to tell me. Just pretend like I thought I was paying myself. Like I'd ever actually spend that much money, Ang. Come on, you know me. I was having so much fun and had every intention of returning everything but the essentials. And maybe that pair of Jimmy Choos.

"And I've been told that if I do return the items, in an attempt to refund the guy who paid for it, he'll see it as a personal insult or something. I swear, it's like I'm in the middle of two feuding Italian families. Though neither of them have Italian names, so I don't know what's going on. Once they found out I'm Italian, they started practically indoctrinating me into their family. It's both awesome and really weird at the same time. I mean, I always thought New Yorkers were more of an 'every man for himself' kind of people, but apparently not."

"So who's your secret admirer? How did you figure out who it was?" Angela asked.

Bella took a deep breath, deciding whether or not to divulge his name. Though, what would Angela do with it? She wasn't the gossiping type. If Bella was talking to Jessica Stanley on the other hand, she could count on it being on the evening news, practically. "I found the guy who'd been following me around all day and got the name out of him. Jasper Whitlock… I know, I know, same as my dog. Believe me the irony of that is not lost on me."

"Wait, you said Jasper Whitlock?" Angela repeated. Bella confirmed the name. "I know that name. Hang on a second." Bella hears paper rustling as Angela searches for where she knows Jasper Whitlock from. "Bella, he's… he's the guy that bought all your art. He's the restaurant owner. Or rather, he's the CEO of the company that bought your stuff and that owns the restaurant."

Confusion was written all over Bella's face. "How could he know who I am, Angela? I thought we were thorough with keeping my identity a secret. I'm not blaming you, I'm just trying to figure this out," she said.

"I have no idea, sweetie. The only name that's ever been listed for you is Destiny. Even on the check that he wrote, which I cashed for you. It always says Destiny. We were so careful, I have no idea. It's… it's possible that it's just a coincidence, right?"

"I'm starting to think that nothing is just a coincidence around here," Bella said cryptically. "I've gotta go. I'm going to try and figure this out. I'll um… I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry Bella. I was so careful. If he does know that you're Destiny, I have no idea how he figured it out." Bella assured her that she didn't blame her for anything. In the unlikely event that it was a coincidence that the man that's pursuing her and the man that bought her art are one in the same, her entire world just shifted on its axis.

She took Jasper for a quick run before returning to the apartment. Both when she went for dinner and when she left for the run, she felt like someone was watching her. She looked around as inconspicuously as she could and never saw anyone looking her way. Not once. But once she got home, she still couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, so after showering and changing, she left the apartment through the hidden exit that led out of the basement and behind the adjacent building. The feeling instantly went away and she was on her own finally. She made a mental note to thank the Super for showing her that hidden exit.

As much as she loved her dog, she couldn't take him absolutely everywhere, so it was nice on occasion to be without him. She decided to walk the few blocks to where she saw the street vendors the other day and just wander around, looking at all the goodies. There was nothing she needed to buy, but it wouldn't hurt to look at a few trinkets. Possibly something to get for Angela now that she knew Ben had finally proposed. And it also gave her some time away from all the paintings that reminded her of the one man she wanted to forget.

Bella needed to devise a plan to let Jasper Whitlock know that she knew exactly who he was, and that she didn't appreciate him manipulating her. Why wouldn't he just come right out and say that he knew she was Destiny? Why the secrecy and cryptic expressions. Was he even truly interested in her or was it all an act? Was he even going to buy her paintings or was he so evil that he just lied to Angela, promising all this money with no intent on actually paying?

Then again, it could truly be a coincidence. When they met, he acted like he had no clue who she was, and didn't give away himself at all. How could he possibly know, was the biggest mystery. Every piece of art, every document, every single aspect of her career as an artist said Destiny on it. Even when she bought materials, she paid in cash, so no paper trail ever came back to her. The art world could be ruthless, and keeping her identity a secret saved her from all of that. She didn't want to be world renowned and have to show up at various affairs, showing off her art. She just wanted to put paint to canvas and have people enjoy it. Nothing more, nothing less. The fact that she got lucky enough to get paid for it was just a bonus.

As she rounded the next corner, she hit what appeared to be a very cold brick wall. When she backed away and looked up, she was looking into the eyes of James, the bartender. And he did not look friendly at all anymore. The red-headed bitch, Victoria sidled up next to him and grinned down at her. "Well hello, Bella," James greeted. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Why do I feel like you planned this?" Bella asked. "You've been following me, haven't you? And watching me."

"Not as much as you might think. Though I'm not the only one whose interest you've piqued, my pretty little thing." He ran a finger down her cheek and it sent an unpleasant chill down her spine.

"She is a pretty little thing," Victoria echoed, running her finger through Bella's hair. "Don't have your guard dog with you tonight."

Bella shivered. "Please don't touch me," she pleaded. She wanted her voice to sound more authoritative, but it came out like a whimpering mouse. James and Victoria only laughed in response. Damn it, where the hell was Jasper Whitlock when she needed saving now? Or anyone? NO one was around. Clearly she'd taken a wrong turn to get to the vendors and was in a dark alleyway. No windows were lit up, no cars were going by, it was completely deserted, save for these two creepsters.

"I know what Jasper has in store for you," James purred into her ear. "And what the Cullens want from you, too. Would you like me to tell you? Or should I leave you be and have them continue to fight over you like you're the prime piece of property in all of New York?" James pulled her tight against him and gripped her hips almost painfully.

"Property? What are you talking about?"

"Jasper wants you for his mate," he whispered. "And the Cullens want to make you their queen, so to speak. Either way, you'll be a vampire." Bella snorted.

"A what? Are you high?" The fact that James and Victoria both kept their serious faces told her that they thought they were being serious. "Vampires? Really?"

"Yes really," James replied. "Want to know how I know?"

"Yes, please enlighten me," Bella answered sarcastically.

"Because I am one," he gritted through his teeth. Then he grabbed her around the waist, lifted her off the ground as if she weighed nothing and tossed her in the air. She saw the roof of the building before she began to fall back down. Something snatched her out of the air before she landed, and it took the wind out of her. Her sight went black and she knew no more.

A/N:

Bit of a cliffie on this one. I usually try not to leave you with big cliffies, especially when my update schedule is so erratic, but I couldn't help it on this one. Up next we'll see what happened to Bella when she didn't land back on the ground. Thank you for reading!