Cannibalistic Twins

Just as Bella took a step into the hallway she stopped short, making Jasper - still lost in his newfound knowledge - walk right into her.

"Shit!" he said, quickly catching her before she hit the ground. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?" he asked as he set her on her feet.

"I'm fine. At least that time it wasn't me tripping over my own feet," Bella laughed, then turned to Aro. "You said yesterday that you were shielded. Are all the kings?" she asked.

Aro nodded. "We are."

"That sneaky little bitch," Bella muttered under her breath. She felt a whisper of Jasper's curiosity brush against her and shook her head, sending back her own caution. She wasn't entirely sure how to use emotions to say 'I'll tell you later'. She added some of what she hoped would come across as patience. When Jasper nodded she figured she must've gotten it right.

Cool. Bella: one. The world: six-hundred and forty-two.

Well, one was better than zero so maybe things were looking up. Lord knows they couldn't look much further down. She shook that thought away. Yesterday, that may have been true. Today she had an ally, someone offering to stand by her side, and she had hope. That alone was more than many people had.

When Jasper and Bella were back in her suite, he handed her a bag. "I'm not sure what you brought with you but Charlotte sent me with some clothes for you."

"That was nice of her," Bella smiled. When she opened it the first things she saw were a set of cozy pajamas. "This is perfect. I packed toiletries but didn't have time for much more that. I'll be right out," she said as she went into the bathroom to change.

Five minutes later, she was sitting up in bed with a cup of tea courtesy of the man sitting across the room in an armchair. She patted the bed beside her. "I don't bite, Jas," she smiled.

Jasper laughed as he walked over. "I might," he warned as he hopped up beside her.

"I'll take my chances," she rolled her eyes and laughed. "Thanks for the tea, by the way."

"You're welcome," he smiled, then hesitated before saying more.

There were so many fuckin' things they needed to talk about. Whatever happened to Bella in Forks, where she'd been, her pregnancy, Victoria, the Cullens, whoever the sneaky bitch was Bella mentioned - though he had a pretty good idea - and then the whole mate business. Maybe that should be the starting point. A mated pair was just that - a pair. Bella was half of the whole, she deserved to know everything he knew. And it might help them weather whatever was coming if they were on the same page.

"Why can I hear your brain overheating from here?" Bella asked, her voice bemused.

Jasper laughed. "Sorry. It does feel like it's on overload," he said, then took her free hand. "So I know we've got mountains of shit to talk about but there's something I need to tell you first."

"Hang on," Bella said as she set her tea down on the nightstand. "Before we get into whatever has you freaking out, and don't look at me like that," she laughed when she saw the deadpan look he was giving her. "You're obviously nervous about something. But real quick first. What are the laws in your world? Like I know the whole don't tell thing, but what else is there?"

"Can I ask why you wanna know that now?" he asked curiously. That wasn't even on his laundry list of things they needed to worry about.

"Aro said the exposure thing and leaving me human wasn't their only crime. The Cullens, I mean," she explained.

Jasper nodded, not surprised by that news. "I think that probably ties into what I need to tell you. Because there are two basic, fundamental, don't fuck this up kinda laws. One, obviously, is exposure. The other…" Jasper hesitated again because fuck, he did not know how she was gonna take this. When she squeezed his hand with a smile and sent him her trust, he nodded. "The other is not coming between or separating a mated pair," he said quietly.

"Okay," Bella said slowly. "Why does that make you…" she trailed off as her eyes went wide and shock raced through her. "Are you saying… Are we… I mean, is that… Damn, why can't I finish a sentence!" she laughed.

"Yes, Bella, you're my mate," he smiled. "Just like I'm yours," he added quickly. "This is a two-way street kinda bargain."

Bella was frozen for a second or two because damn, there were a shitload of surprises hitting her square in the face in the last twenty-four hours. "Huh. That's, uh…" she trailed off and looked at him with for a moment. "Did you know?" she asked a little suspiciously.

"No," Jasper answered immediately. "Not until about ten minutes ago. I am, however, pretty fuckin' certain that Alice and Edward knew. And maybe Carlisle," he added, thinking about his former coven leader's actions in the past couple years.

Bella took a minute to think over everything she and Jasper had talked about since the family moved away. "You think that's the reason for all the weird stuff? Their weird emotions?" she asked eventually.

"I do," Jasper nodded. "The change in Edward and Alice came just about two years ago, and you moved to Forks about a month later. My best guess is that Alice saw you and I were mates and they hatched a plan to keep me, keep us, from figuring it out."

Bella nodded slowly. "That would explain the two of them being so adamant about us not spending any time together, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, and if Carlisle knew and was on board with their little plot, that would explain him suddenly acting like I was a newborn on this fuckin' diet and I couldn't be trusted," Jasper said with a sigh, trying to shove away those feelings of betrayal, all the hurt his former coven leader caused him by his abrupt change in attitude. "It's also why Edward took the risk of sucking the venom out when James bit you. If you became a vamp we would've known right away what we were to each other. What a fuckin' mess."

As Bella tried to think through what came next, a huge yawn escaped her. "Sorry," she laughed. "I think maybe I need to get some proper sleep for a change. We've got a boatload of worries ahead of us and I want to be prepared, and the first step is not being sleep-deprived. I refuse to let any of those assholes see me in any way unsteady. Can you pretty please knock me out?" she asked with a smile as she scooted under the duvet.

"Yeah," he softly, tucking the duvet around her and brushing the hair from her forehead. He reached over and turned off the lamp, then slowly started sending her some lethargy and calm.

Just as she started dozing off, she murmured quietly into the dark. "Do you think we should maybe ask Peter and Charlotte to come here? It might be good if we had a couple more people on our side."

Jasper thought about it, not at all sure that they would be willing to come. The three of them would do just about anything for each other, but Peter and Charlotte both shared his fear of the Volturi. Maria made sure of that. But as Jasper thought over the past few hours and took into account what Bella said about them treating her well… well, maybe they weren't quite what his sire made them out to be.

Jasper was just about to tell Bella he'd give them a call when he realized sleep had pulled her under.

He smiled and leaned down to gently kiss her forehead. "Sleep well, sweetheart," he whispered, then he very lightly rested his hand on her stomach. "You too, little one."

"Are you outta your fuckin' mind? I love you, brother, but my answer is a very firm no fuckin' way."

Jasper had to bite back a laugh because he understood why Peter was so adamant about not coming to Italy. "I get your concern, Peter, I do. But is it so far-fetched that Maria might've lied to us about the Volturi given that she lied to us about pretty much every other fuckin' thing about our world?"

The line was silent for a minute before Jasper heard a little huff in the background. "Gimme the phone, Peter," Charlotte sighed, then there was a little rustling over the line. "What's goin' on, Jas?" she asked.

Jasper let out a long sigh. "Too fuckin' much, honestly. I'll start with the top three for now. Bella's my mate, she's also pregnant, and the Cullens - at least some of them - are up to no good. I don't know the full story but I got the feeling from Aro that there's a whole slew of shit we're missing. And none of it good."

There was complete silence for about a full minute.

"Whoa," she breathed. "That is, uh…"

"A lot?" Jasper laughed. "It sure is. I feel like I've been in a state of shock for hours now. But everyone I've spoken to here… none of them are the cutthroat, avaricious despots Maria made them out to be. Aro didn't force me to give him my hand, he actually asked questions to get information. Marcus and Aro are willing to let Bella get out of here still human since she's got a baby on board. And Bella said everyone's been real nice to her. Hell, one of them even made her a cup of tea. So when Bella threw out there that maybe we'd be better off having some allies of our own on our side… well, I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. But you know I'll understand if the answer is no. I'd never want y'all to do something that made you uncomfortable just 'cause I'm asking."

And Jasper meant it. Peter and Charlotte had been there for him more times than he could count. Whenever the world brought him to his knees, they were the ones who propped him up 'til he could stand on his own again.

Jasper heard another little rustling on the line. "Hang tight, we're on our way," Peter said softly before hanging up.

Jasper smiled, grateful as hell that he'd somehow lucked into having those two as his best friends in this life, and then set his phone on the nightstand. The morning would surely bring more shit to deal with, so Jasper laid down and settled in to spend a night of peace and quiet beside his mate.

Unfortunately, the peace and quiet didn't last all that long for Jasper.

Not even two hours later his phone vibrated on the nightstand and when he looked at it, he saw Carlisle fucking Cullen's name. He debated ignoring it but figured it might be his best shot to get some information outta the man, so he sighed long and hard and then answered.

"I'm surprised to be hearing from you, Carlisle," he answered. Trying to learn all he could from the man didn't mean he had to be friendly about it. Any love or respect he'd ever felt for his former coven leader had withered and died over the previous two years.

"Jasper," he said shortly. "You need to get yourself to Volterra."

Jasper waited, assuming he would have more to say. When he left it at that, Jasper huffed and shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm gonna need a little more to go on than that."

"Our family has been summoned to meet with the kings to address some issues regarding Bella," he said, stressing the 'our' just to really nail home the point to Jasper that he wasn't part of his family any longer.

"And how do the kings know anything about Bella?" Jasper asked calmly.

"How should I know?" Carlisle said brusquely. "They refused to give me any information over the phone."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that about your family, Carlisle, but you've made no secret of the fact that I'm not a member of your family. So I'm not sure why you're calling me."

"Because it's your fault!" he snapped.

Jasper gritted his teeth to keep from losing his shit, then took a deep slow breath. "What is my fault exactly?"

"You know perfectly well we had to leave Forks because of your inability to control yourself, Jasper. Don't insult me by playing dumb. Or are you so in denial about your limitations that you don't see what a mess you made of our lives?"

"What?" Jasper said incredulously. "First of all, you and I both know I've controlled myself perfectly fine for decades. You may have changed your outlook on me but it didn't have a damn thing to do with my control. Secondly, I don't know what 'limitations' you're talking about but if it has to do with this diet, I'm happy to tell you that I haven't eaten even one fuckin' human since I left, even though I'm living with the 'savages who drink from humans' as Edward called Peter and Charlotte. And lastly, Carlisle, if you're trying to point fingers to the reason we had to leave Forks, I'd suggest looking a little closer to home," he growled, then ended the call.

He wanted to scream and break some shit but he didn't have time. Instead, he sent a quick text to the only person in that whole fuckin' family that he trusted completely.

Break away and gimme a ring as soon as you can.

It was the way they told each other they needed to talk privately, with no vamp ears listening. It wasn't even even a full minute before his phone rang.

"Hey Rose," he answered, smiling in spite of his anger. He missed the woman he still considered a sister. They'd kept in touch over the year or so since Jasper left the family, and hearing her voice always made him smile.

"Jas? What's wrong? Did you know we've been summoned by the kings?" she asked quickly.

"Are you by yourself?" he asked, needing to be sure. At this point he honestly didn't trust any of the Cullens, which - as much as it pained him to admit it - included Emmett and Esme.

"Yeah, everyone's losing their shit about Italy so I slipped out without anyone noticing. Well, by 'everyone' I mean Esme and Emmett. Carlisle's at work organizing a leave of absence and I haven't seen Edward or Alice in a while."

"That's because they're here," he answered, not at all surprised that Carlisle was too big a pussy to call Jasper from the house. While Jasper wasn't sure he trusted that Esme and Emmett didn't know what was happening when it came to Bella, they had always supported him once Carlisle and the wonder twins turned on him. They'd consistently fought in his corner after the disastrous birthday party when Jasper tried to explain everything. Not that Carlisle fuckin' listened.

"Where's here?" Rose asked, her confusion evident in her voice.

"Italy."

There was silence on the line for a few seconds before he heard a growl from her. "They're in Italy? Let me guess, Aro and the brothers know about Bella from reading one of them."

"Got it in one," Jasper smiled. "Listen, I can't explain everything right now, but there's a whole lot that you and I don't know. And honestly, Rose, you're the only one in that family I can say that about with absolute certainty. What I can tell you is that Edward and Alice, and I'm pretty fuckin' sure Carlisle also, have been playing fast and loose with more than one Volturi law. And before you ask - no, I'm not gonna be any less vague until I see you," he said quickly when he heard her try to interrupt. "I'll also tell you now that of everyone else in the family, you're the safest. Bella argued for both of us to the kings in front of Alice, Edward, and all the guard."

Rosalie sucked in a sharp breath. "Bella's there, too? Wait, how did you come to be there?" she asked.

"Peter," Jasper answered, then smiled when Rose just hummed her understanding. She'd always liked Peter and Charlotte. Emmett and Esme had also, and he'd thought Carlisle did until they decided to come visit when Edward was in his early Bella-fixation. Then he'd suddenly acted like they had zero control and wandered around slaughtering people whenever and wherever they liked. Which was bullshit, and Carlisle knew it. While he was more than a little judgy that the two ate humans, he'd never had a real problem with them coming to see Jasper wherever the family was living in all the decades since he and Alice joined the Cullens.

"So how did Bella end up there so soon?" Rose asked. "Carlisle only recently got the call from Aro. And what do you mean she argued for us to everyone?"

"I honestly don't know how she convinced Bella to come, but Alice somehow got her here. There's been some other more pressing issues to deal with. As to how she—"

"More pressing than a death sentence, Jas? Really?" she interrupted in a dry ass voice and he could see her rolling her eyes.

"I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true," he laughed. "Things are honest to god crazy as fuck right now, Rose. And by crazy, I mean the legit, Alice locked up in an asylum kind of crazy."

Rosalie snorted a laugh. "You're such a dick, Jasper. Which is obviously why I love you so much."

Jasper's smile was a mile wide. "I love you, too. For now, just try not to panic. I honestly think you're gonna be just fine. The little bit Aro did share made clear that he knows you and I tried to follow the law but that Carlisle voted against us. And if you're fine… well, I'm almost sure that means Emmett will be fine also. At least fine in a 'we won't send you to your final death' kinda way. If he knew more about some of the other shit goin' on in that house? I don't know what that'll mean," he told her honestly.

"What a mess," Rose sighed after a minute. "Alright, I should go. We're getting ready to head out so I'll guess I'll be seeing your ugly face soon enough."

"Twins, you bitter harpy," he laughed. "You can't call me ugly and claim me as your twin."

"Whatever, we could be those twins where one ate part of the other in the womb or whatever so that one got all the good looks," she laughed.

A sharp crack of laughter escaped Jasper before he could contain it, making Bella startle awake.

"Jas?" she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Was that Bella?" Rose asked incredulously before Jasper could say anything.

"Yeah, you made me wake her up with your ridiculousness," he mock-scolded her. "Look, I love you and I'll see you soon. Try not to let it slip to Carlisle that I'm already here."

"Yeah, alright," Rosalie sighed. "Love you, brother dearest. Tell Bella hey."

And with that, she hung up. Jasper smiled and set his phone down, then got Bella all cozy and tucked back in. "Sorry about that," he whispered.

"You good?" she yawned as her eyes closed.

"Yeah, I'm good," he smiled. "I was talking to Rose. She says hey."

Bella's eyes opened at that and then her nose scrunched up. "I know you told me already that she never actually hated me but… she sure made it look that way."

"I know," Jasper whispered. "The way you were with Edward just reminded her a little too much of how she was in the last bit of her human life. That whole 'he's rich and good-looking so I'm ignoring the rest that's not so great' thing. There was a lot about Edward's personality you didn't seem all that enamored of. But he was a pretty face," Jasper shrugged. He never got it, honestly. He thought Edward looked every inch the pompous asshole he was. "It didn't end well for her," he explained again. "She was hoping to wake you up a little. Snap you out of that Edward-fog that had you overlooking all his faults. I'm sure she'll explain better than I can."

Bella nodded but then yawned again. "Are they coming here?" she asked sleepily.

"They are," he smiled. "I'll tell you everything in the morning, I promise. For now let's get you back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's okay. It was a little loud, but you have such a nice laugh. You should do it more," she murmured as she started to nod off.

Jasper couldn't help himself and leaned down to kiss her forehead again. "Sleep, sweetheart. I'll laugh for you in the morning," he whispered.

Bella drifted back to sleep with a smile on her face.

A/N: Thanks for reading and for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm grateful for each and every one of you:) ~ M. x