A/N: Finally the deed is done! However, problems are still looming on the horizon. Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 34 – Burning

He had been afraid. So nervous that once he bit down and tasted her blood that he wouldn't be able to stop there. It felt like a lifetime since he had tasted warm gush of human blood, and in human terms it might have been… or at least close to it since his last slip; and yet, with Bella it had been different. His jaws clamped down and Jasper tasted the sweet and coppery liquid fill his mouth as he pushed venom into his mate, and within mere moments he released her and licked her wound to savor a last trickle of blood that ran down her neck.

After he had bit her, he heard an intake of breath, felt her hands clasp his arms as her nails tried to dig into his impenetrable skin. Jasper had done what he needed to do when she was least aware so she wouldn't fret about the when or how. Catching her as she slept, she would not see it coming and would not have to be afraid. Now as she lay there in pain, something he could acutely feel, he whispered loving words to her and prayed her suffering would not last long.

Feeling Jasper's teeth sink into her skin, woke Bella up with a start. The pain was sharp and instant, and then the slow burn started to settle in. It began as just a small burn like touching hot food and then it grew from there until it was all encompassing. Soon it started to spread from her neck up to her face, though her scalp and brain. It moved lower through her shoulders and chest, down into her abdomen and lower, spreading down her arms and legs. The burning took over her whole body. No cell in her body could escape.

Never before had she ever felt such pain or agony. Within moments her whole body was on fire. Or was it minutes, hours, or days. It felt like everything happened in an instant. The fire rushed through her destroying everything in its path, leaving only a shell of the person behind.

She could hear Jasper's soft voice, his whispered words, but she couldn't make them out. It didn't matter. Just hearing his voice, knowing he was there, calmed her. Trying to open her eyes, she squeezed them shut even harder. Everything hurt. She could hear the worry in his tone. It pained her to move, to blink, or to even flinch. Everything. She couldn't do it. Remaining still was her only option… the only thing that would prevent further pain. The urge to reassure him was almost unbearable, but she couldn't give in to it.

Anxiety. Bella could feel it coming from Jasper, magnifying her own. Oh how she wanted to cry out to him, to tell him to hold her, but she dared not fearing the moment she did, the pain would intensify and she didn't think she could handle any more than what she was currently experiencing. Groaning, moaning, twitching… making any kind of sound or movement made everything worse.

And as time progressed, the fire consumed her. Inside she was screaming until she was hoarse, and then she screamed some more. Twisting and turning in agony… trying to keep the movement and sounds internally instead of allowing them to escape into the real world. If she did that, if she let even a grunt manifest, she would scream bloody murder aloud making everything she felt multiply. She would not do that to Jasper or to herself. The worry she felt coming from him strengthened her resolve, and yet, it almost broke her as well.

How much more did she have to endure? How much pain did she have to feel? Those were some of the questions flashing through her mind, and then there were others. Was this suffering worth it? When will it end? Why do I have to feel this much pain and agony? Why? How? When? The questions were never ending, but she knew the answer to all of them. Jasper. She grabbed hold of his image, of the night they just spent in each other's arms, of when he rescued her when she was ten, of the first time she saw him when she moved to Forks, and so many more. They were her lifeline and she would not relinquish them. She would not let the go because if she did, she would lose her resolve… her composure.

The burning continued. The fire was never ending and it seemed to spread even further than her body until she was covered in it. Part of her thought that when this ended, she would be nothing more than a pile of ash for someone to scatter into the wind.

How much time had passed? It seemed as if the inferno was burning brighter with each passing moment. A day? An hour? How much? She was close to losing it and screaming.

Jasper watched over Bella during the entire time she was going through the change. Watching and waiting for the subtle changes that were taking place. Her skin going from a flushed ivory, to a pale ivory that shimmered in the sunlight. The rosiness of her cheeks disappearing as they lost the pink blush that always tinged his mate's face. He watched as the wound on her neck seemed to disappear to the point it was only a pale scar on her neck, highly visible to him and other vampires, but harder to see with normal human eyes. He heard her heartbeat start to accelerate even faster than it had after the initial bite and he knew the end was near. He had been at her side every moment of the last two and a half days and with this last signal, he knew he only had to wait a little longer. The time was drawing near to when he would meet his new and improved mate for the first time.

Pain and fire. Her heart felt like it was going to explode. Briefly she wondered if she was having a heart attack and if this was going to end her life before she finished her change. No, she couldn't let it end like this. She needed to transform into a vampire so she could spend eternity loving Jasper. She needed him and he needed her. Grabbing hold of that thought, the Bella in her head, curled into a tighter ball and tried to push the pain away, tried to settle her heart.

Faster… faster… harder… the heart kept pumping, overworking itself.

And then it all stopped. The pain and fire started to retreat, receding back into where it came from until it was completely gone. No more agony. No more heart beating wildly. Nothing. It was all gone.

"Bella? Bella darlin'?" Jasper whispered knowing this was the moment they had both been waiting for. Before that final heartbeat, he climbed off the bed and stood across the room. Her senses would be magnified and seeing his scars, she might think of him as a threat. Nothing would look the same to her and there would be an adjustment period. "Bella?"

Her eyes popped open and she stared at the ceiling above her. She could see every splinter of wood, every crack, and the dust floating in the air.

"Bella darlin'?"

Hearing someone call to her, Bella turned her head and saw someone standing about ten feet from her and before she knew it, she was on her feet, crouching as if she had been threatened.

Holding his hands up on the air, Jasper gave his mate a lopsided smile and said, "It's me darlin'. It's JW."

"J…W?" Bella studied him closely. The color of his topaz eyes, his smile, and how his hair curled ever so slightly. The hair looked a little different. She could see the different strands and the multitude of colors she had missed before. Instantly she was at his side and wrapping her arms around him, "JW!"

"Easy darlin'. You're a little stronger than me right now and I would rather not have to deal with being broken in two right now," he teased her lifting his hands to her face and cupping her cheeks. Staring her in the eye, he whispered reverently, "You're beautiful."

"So I haven't changed so much that…" Words trailed off as she tried to gather her thoughts. Her mind felt like it was racing and ever present was a burning in her throat, but that seemed secondary to her need to talk to her mate.

Jasper's smile grew and he shook his head, "No. You're the prettiest girl I ever laid eyes on human or vampire and I'm lucky to have you. How're you feelin'?" God how he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her, and then when he did that, he wanted to lay her back on the bed and make love to her until they were both exhausted and sated… although he didn't think that particular feeling would come to pass for at least a century or more. However, there were things that were priority like food. He was kind of surprised she had come to him instead of tearing through the wall to get blood.

"I feel… the same."

"No pain or anything?"

When he mentioned pain, she remembered the burning feeling she just experienced and it made the burning in her throat intensify. Grabbing her throat, she tried to clear it hoping it would help, but it didn't.

Brushing his thumbs over her cheeks, he said, "Let's get you something to drink. Stay close to me darlin' and we'll get y'all fed. Alright?"

Food. The burn increased and Bella could do nothing to answer except nod before following him out the door, and then waiting on him to close it after she exited. She didn't understand how they were going to find her food until he smirked and told her to follow him. The moment he took off at a fast run, she didn't think she would be able to catch up, but she did and found herself laughing with glee as the wind whipped past and the surroundings became a blur. This was thrilling and excitement at its peak. Unfortunately she wasn't paying attention to his sudden stop in front of her and plowed into him, knocking them both to the ground where they rolled in the dirt. "Sorry," she muttered, a smile on her face contradicting her apology.

Chuckling quietly, Jasper shook his head again and brought his finger up to his lips, "Shh." They had already scared the deer off, however, it wasn't a complete loss since he could smell a pack of wolves close by. "Watch me."

Bella followed her mate and did everything he did, and soon she could hear and smell the wolves. It wasn't the most appetizing of smells, but it wasn't horrible either and she felt herself craving their blood since nothing else was around. Observing Jasper as he crouched low and then sprung, he ran and grabbed one of the wolves before sinking his teeth into it neck. The pack was eyeing her mate, growling at him even as they started to back away, and she knew it was her turn. Doing the same thing as he had, she soon sank her own teeth into one of the animals and felt the warm liquid coating her throat, soothing the burn… not completely, however, it was better than it had been.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand when she was done with that wolf, she looked around for another morsel only to find the rest of the pack had left quickly.

"Still hungry?" Jasper chuckled as he offered her his hand to help her to her feet.

"Yah," Bella said as she took the hand and pressed herself against her mate. Although the fire in her throat demanded more blood, another need was also present and need wanted him to take her. Odd since she thought that particular need would not be something she thought about for a year or so.

"Alright then. Close your eyes and concentrate. What do you smell? Hear? Pay attention to everything around you."

She stretched out her senses and could hear heartbeats in the distance. "Something… that way," Bella stated as she pointed north of where they currently were.

"Very good darlin'. Let's go get you fed then. Lead the way," he smiled as this time he followed her to the food source.

They both filled up on the blood of the deer Bella had found and when they had their fill, Jasper raced her back to the cabin… he would have won had it not been for Bella's final push at the end using her newborn strength. And when they arrived, he got her in the house and attacked her lips. No longer could he wait, and from the smell she was omitting, neither could she. Their clothes were shredded and discarded to lie where they landed on the floor as they made their way to the bed; and as soon as they fell upon the mattress, Jasper sunk into her liquid heat, moaning in ecstasy, "Damn." He honestly thought he would have to hold himself back for months before he felt this bliss again.

Grabbing Jasper's shoulders, Bella threw her head back in pleasure. This is what she had wanted, what she had been craving. He filled her and as he moved within her, his rod ignited a different fire within her. Each thrust sent her closer to a precipice and she howled in pleasure, "Faster!" She needed him to move more. Now was not the time for slow and savoring, she wanted him hard and fast and now! They would have time for slow later.

He didn't have to be told a second time, he increased his speed and thrust into her harder. Pulling back until only the tip of his penis remained, he slammed back into her over and over again as his mouth locked on one of her nipples. With one hand holding onto her hip, the other moved over her core and started to rub her clit sending her closer to her climax. No longer did he have to hold himself back afraid that he might hurt her. No longer did he have to worry about her exhaustion level. They had all the time in the world and he could let himself go. Moving his mouth from her breast, he slammed them onto her lips and thrust his tongue into her mouth in time with his hips waging a war with hers that he was sure to win. Harder and harder, faster and faster. The bed was moving from its current location and scooting across the floor, but he didn't care.

Bella ripped her lips away from Jasper's and screamed as her climax sent her over the edge, calling out his name. A moment later he followed her and she felt his come fill her up, but he didn't pull out. She didn't want him to. She loved the way he filled her and she wanted more of him. The first time was only to scratch an itch… it wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her, and judging from the look in his eyes, he felt the same.

Tomorrow they would worry about the future and Forks. Today was all about them.