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Destiny Awaits	By : Lollydolly Category: Twilight Series > Het > Bella/Jasper Views: 19535 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or make any money from this story.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
An: Massively huge gushing thanks to the fantabulous CellaCullen for making an icon for this story! I’ll stick a link on my profile for those that want to see it. Again, I love you all! And extra cookies to my wonderful Beta ladyofkeegan for turning this around so quickly. On with the story...
Chapter 18
Bella
I was sitting alone in the hotel room feeling like an idiot. Rosalie had spent the last hour telling me about her human life, the reason behind her change, and finding Emmett. Then she’d explained exactly why she’d spent so much time avoiding me.
It turned out that both Edward and Jasper had been right to a certain extent, she was jealous of the future I could have more than my actual humanity, and she had thought I was weak. She told me that I sometimes reminded her of herself, she had never really made her own choices as a human girl, and it had ruined her life, and eventually ended it.
Of course, me being me, I’d ended up crying and Rosalie had thought she’d offended me. Then she’d disappeared. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she’d given up on me and gone back to Forks without me. She poured her heart out, and told me things that must have been incredibly difficult for her to talk about. After all of that, I’d burst into tears when she’d tried to apologise for the way she’d treated me.
If she hadn’t run off I’d have explained that I wasn’t upset, just happy that we’d finally gotten to know each other like I’d been hoping for so long.
What would I do it she didn’t come back? I didn’t know where the theatre was, and even if I did I wouldn’t dare go there alone, especially not dressed like this. Rose had told me it was opening night so we had to make an effort and she’d loaned me a beautiful dress.
When she’d told me that everyone there tonight would be in formal wear I’d almost faked an illness to avoid going, but she’d looked so excited that I’d agreed. Thankfully, the dress she’d picked wasn’t that bad at all, much less fancy than anything Alice would have forced me into anyway. It was very basic but beautiful. A sheath of green silk that fell straight to the floor, held up by thin straps. The best part was that it was long enough to get away with wearing flat shoes.
I stared dejectedly at the door, wishing she’d come back, when someone knocked on it. I hesitated, wondering who could possible need to knock on our door, but eventually decided that I should answer it.
Rosalie was standing on the other side wearing a sheepish smile and holding a huge chocolate sundae. “Sorry.” She said offering it to me.
I took it from her and put it down so I could hug her. “I’m sorry, you didn’t upset me, I was just so glad that things were cleared up.” I laughed, realising we were both as stupid as each other.
She joined in and pushed me back into the room. “Eat your ice-cream, but don’t you dare get any on that dress, I didn’t bring a spare.”
I tucked into my treat thinking about the past week.
Every day since Tuesday morning, flowers had arrived from Edward, and I was sick to death of the smell of them saturating the house. I’d called him again, several times, but he hadn’t answered, and when I’d called Kate, she’d told me he was hunting. Every bunch of flowers had come with a single white card with two lines of text that I assumed had been written by the florist. Forgive me. I love you.
The first card had made me feel guilty, but now I was just irritated, I was only calling him in an effort to make him stop the daily deliveries. Nevertheless, he was avoiding me, and I didn’t understand that, if he wanted me to forgive him, surely he wanted to talk to me.
Slurping a spoonful of chocolate sauce, I thought of how much Emmett would want to try it. “He’s driving me nuts.” I said to myself.
“Who is?” Rose laughed applying makeup that she didn’t need.
“Emmett. He hasn’t given up on pranking me yet. Did he tell you that we put up pictures of him as a medieval lord all over the school?” I waited for her nod. “He loved it; everyone was calling him Lord Cullen! He’s been swaggering about the place all week. So I decided to tell Jess that he liked Lauren, I thought she’d follow him around and annoy him, and she did, but I woke up yesterday and he’d filled my room with balled up newspaper! I was waist high! I nearly broke my neck trying to get the bathroom because I couldn’t see what was on the floor.”
“Have you thought of just not getting him back?” She smirked. “If you lose interest in the game so will he.”
I shook my head. “I’m not giving up, I’ll think of something to do to him that will make him too scared to retaliate.”
I finished my ice cream ignoring that she was laughing about the fact that I thought I could best her husband. “Can I do your make-up?” She asked once she’d calmed herself down.
“Not too much, please.” I begged as I sat down at the vanity with her.
“You look like a vampire today.” She mused. “Why’ve you got these big circles under your eyes?”
“I haven’t been sleeping very well.” I muttered.
“Why’s that?”
“Jasper hasn’t stayed since Monday.” I said without thinking, and then blushed furiously. “I mean, I don’t like sleeping on my own.”
She looked at me shrewdly and pursed her lips. “You can trust me, you know?” she said softly.
I knew I could, and I felt like I owed her something after all the personal things she’d told me tonight. Besides, it might be good to tell someone. “Ok, the thing is... I think... no, I know... I love him.”
“Ok, to clear up what you are saying; you’re in love with Jasper?” Her face was blank and I worried she thought I wasn’t good enough for him, or that she thought I was being stupid. I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded in confirmation.
Rosalie squealed.
I cracked open one eye and found her beaming at me and bouncing on her seat, much like Alice would. “I’m so glad you told me! I knew of course, but it’s nice to be told.”
“You knew? How did you know? Am I that obvious? Oh god, does Jasper know?” I babbled.
Rosalie giggled and put her arm around my shoulders. “I don’t think anyone else has noticed men are oblivious to these things. Esme’s been in an exceptionally good mood recently though, so she might have an idea.”
I remembered Jasper saying Esme was feeling hopeful the day Edward had left, and cringed. “I think you might be right. How can I stop? How do you stop loving someone?”
“Why on earth would you want to? Do you think Jasper’s not good enough for you is that it?” She growled and I leaned away from her.
“Of course I don’t think that. If anything, it’s the other way around! How could I ever hope to compare to Alice?” I choked back a sob as my insecurities got the best of me. “I want to stop loving him because it’s useless, he doesn’t feel the same, and it’s getting hard to hide my feelings around him.”
“What are you talking about? You’re already better than Alice is, you’d never leave him, would you? And I know being around us all the time makes you feel inferior, but you really are beautiful Bella, inside and out.” She stroked my hair laughed off my protests. “And as for him not feeling the same, are you stupid? Edward always said you were so observant.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, look at the way he is with you, you’re like a couple all ready. Whenever you're together you're always touching, holding hands, hugging, sitting as close as you possibly can. He looks at you like you're his whole world.”
“But Rose, he looks at me that way because I make him feel better when he’s missing Alice. Moreover, all the hugging and handholding is usually instigated by me, at school, I’m always the one who moves my chair closer. He just accepts it.”
“If he didn’t like it he wouldn’t let you do it, and I’d be willing to bet that if you didn’t do it he would. He’s better at home now, but it’s obvious he’s missing you.”
“If he’s missing me so much why doesn’t he come and see me? Or call me? It’s Alice he’s missing, maybe he wishes I was there to make him feel better, or distract him, but it isn’t me he really wants.”
“He’s over Alice, Bella. You know he is. She called him when you were in danger and it didn’t bother him. He was far too worried about you. In addition, he probably didn’t come to see you for the same stupid reason that you didn’t come and see him. Or call him.” She smirked at me again and poked me in the side.
“I didn’t call him because I knew he’d come over even if he didn’t want to.” I said petulantly. “I know he doesn’t feel the same because I kissed him. And he didn’t kiss me back.”
“You kissed him?” She squealed, missing the most important part of what I’d said. “When did this happen? I want details!”
“It was the night of Angela's party. I’d had a little bit too much punch and he looked so unbelievably gorgeous that I’d barely been able to function properly all night. When we were going to bed I wanted to fix his hair because it was till all scraped back and he didn’t look right.” I was blushing already, remembering my own stupidity. “So I got on his lap and I had my hands in his hair, and before I knew what I was doing I’d kissed him.”
“And...?” She prompted.
“And nothing. He didn’t kiss me back; he just sat there like a statue. I realised what I was doing, felt awful, and got off him. He said he understood that I was drunk and I went to sleep. In the morning we pretended nothing had happened.”
Rosalie gaped at me. “Maybe you surprised him. Or maybe he didn’t kiss you back because he thought it would be taking advantage.” She shrugged.
“Or maybe he was just disgusted.” I added.
“Of course he wasn’t disgusted. He spent half the night staring at you too. Emmett and I thought there was something wrong with the pair of you when we came out into that hallway; it was as if you were in a trance. There are plenty of possible reasons he didn’t kiss you, but being disgusted definitely isn’t one of them.” I thought she might actually hit me if I dared disagree with her. She was looking at me like I was a naughty child that refused to listen.
I nodded weakly, hoping the conversation was over. The last thing I needed was for her to give me hope, but I couldn’t stop a small part of me believing what she said. Maybe there was a small chance that Jasper might want me too.
Whatever the case, I couldn’t wait to get home. I was looking forward to the ballet, but I was even more excited about staying at the Cullen's tonight. I hadn’t spent any time with Jasper outside of school for days and I felt awful. I couldn’t believe I’d become so attached to him so quickly.
When I wasn’t with him, I was thinking about him. Fantasising about him would be more accurate. Apparently, I had a very vivid imagination, and quite a dirty mind. At school I could hardly concentrate because I was so busy trying not to think about everything I wanted to do to him. The only lesson I have to daydream in was biology, simply because I had the whole desk to myself with no one to look at me when my mind wandered off for a while
As Rosalie twisted my hair up, I glared down at the stupid brace on my hand. I was sure Jasper had felt the ridiculous amount of lust that must have been pouring off me when he’d fastened my shirt. In my mind, I’d been screaming at him to take it off instead and when he’d finished, he’d looked at me so strangely I was sure he knew.
I’d tried my best to smile innocently, but I wasn’t sure it had worked. Only the burning pancakes had saved me from what was sure to have been an awkward conversation.
There were a few things that made what Rosalie had said seem possible. Jasper had drawn a picture of me. On the other hand, he’d explained that he was drawing not me exactly, but the way I looked at him. I didn’t know quite what to think of that. I wished I could borrow his gift for a while and find out how he felt.
There was also the dinner. He’d asked for seconds, and tried to keep up with Jacob. Why had he done that? There was no need to do it; he didn’t even need to eat everything that had been on his first plate to look human. I quickly squashed the thought that he’d been competing with Jake for my attention.
I’d started fantasising about him again at the table, which was awful. All I’d done was tap his leg to get his attention and make sure he was ok, and the next thing I knew I was imagining running my foot up his leg.
Later he’d asked me about my feelings for Jacob, and he hadn’t seemed jealous, only interested. It was a lost cause; I’d never be able to work out how he felt.
“All done.” Rose said, pulling me to stand in front of the mirror with her. We looked good.
________________________________________
Jasper
I buried the deer carcases under a tree and sat down to wait for Emmett to finish. I could hear him not far away, enjoying himself as he hunted. I scowled as I felt his joy flicking at me.
I hadn’t seen Bella since three o’clock yesterday, well over twenty-four hours ago. It was the longest I’d gone without seeing her in a month and I wasn’t coping very well. I switched between depressed and irritated every few minutes and thought longingly of when Rosalie would bring her back. I had about another six hours to go.
Tonight she was sleeping in my bed, with me, unless she actually asked me to leave. It had been too long. I’d gone home after school on Tuesday because she hadn’t asked me to stay, and Esme had looked livid when I’d walked through the door with Emmett. She’d actually asked me why I was there, as if I didn’t live there anymore.
And to top it all off, Bella hadn’t asked me back since. I wondered why. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and she hadn’t acted any differently around me at school, but she didn’t want me at the house. I tried to keep busy at home to keep my mind off her, but that hadn’t worked.
I’d played games with Emmett until we needed new controllers and I’d submitted to Esme's cooking lessons with good grace, I knew she was teaching me to cook for Bella. Rosalie had pestered me to let her tinker with my bike and I’d even given in to that so I’d have something to worry about for a while.
No one seemed to suspect anything was wrong until I ran out of things to do and ended up asking Carlisle if I could borrow a few medical textbooks. I’d come up with the less than brilliant excuse that I was thinking of going to medical school this time around. My control had improved greatly, but we both knew that there was no way I could be around fresh blood for very long without snapping.
Being Carlisle though, he’d let me get away with my lies and his precious books. I was grateful that Emmett had been bored without his wife and decided to drag me hunting. We were a little further from home than we usually bothered to travel for a quick hunt, and I’d mostly been kept occupied for the last hour, but I was done now. I didn’t play with my food the way he did.
So now I was back to thinking about her again. I had thought, briefly, about calling Alice to see if she could see anything in the future for Bella and I, but it didn’t seem right to ask her about it.
“C’mon Jazz, I asked you to come hunting, not to sit on a rock and brood.” Emmett moaned slumping beside me. He was filthy, which wasn’t unusual for him. “I miss Rosie, but you don’t see me sitting around like my life’s over do you?”
“What do you mean?” I asked him carefully. Did he suspect that I had feelings for Bella?
“I mean, you miss her right? You do have a thing for Bella! Well, she’ll be back soon, so buck up.” He rolled his eyes at me and grinned.
“I’m not that obvious am I?” If Emmett of all people had managed to see it, surely Bella knew. That was probably why she didn’t want me staying over.
“Not really, but with the picture you drew, which by the way, I’ve seen you staring at every time I walk past your room, and the way you’ve been alternately moping about and trying to keep busy, it wasn’t hard to come to this conclusion.”
“D’you think Bella knows?”
“Not a chance. She barely even believed Edward wanted her for ages, even though he told her all the time. I think you’re in the clear. Stop worrying about it.” I supposed he was probably right, Bella didn’t have a very good opinion of herself, so it was unlikely she thought I loved her.
“What should I do?” I knew asking Emmett was probably a mistake. I didn’t think he knew how to be subtle about anything.
“Why don’t you just bang her a few times?” Yep, mistake. “That’ll get her right out of your system.”
“Because I love her.” I told him dejectedly. If only it were as simple as a bit of lust.
“You love her?” He beamed. “Dude, that's great.” He shoved my shoulder, and I could feel his genuine happiness.
“You have to keep this to yourself Emmett. You can’t tell anyone, not even Rosalie. Ok?”
He groaned. “If Rosie ever finds out, you better not tell her that I already knew then, ok? She would kill me if she thought I was keeping secrets from her.” We shook hands in agreement.
“Deal.” I smiled; glad to finally be able to tell someone how I was feeling.
“So, how far have you got with her?” He waggled his eyebrows and settled back against a tree, probably hoping for a sex-filled story.
“Nowhere.” I told him, and watched as his face dropped.
“You’ve spent the night with her how many times? And you’ve done nothing!?! I don’t believe you.” He exclaimed. “I’ve seen you holding hands and stuff. What about when we went to that party, she was practically drooling over you, well until you made her cry.” He rolled his eyes.
“I didn’t make her cry. I didn’t do anything to her at all; in fact, I only danced with her once.”
“You did, she said it was because you sang to her.” I folded his arms and stared me down like he expected me to argue.
I didn’t remember her crying when I’d sung to her. However, Emmett had swept her away from me and Edward had needed to talk to me, so I’d been distracted. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and the song wasn’t really that sad, it just fit. I’d wanted so desperately to tell her I loved her, but I couldn’t so I’d sung it to her instead, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
“I don’t know what I did to make her cry.” I told him. “What did she say?”
“Well after I offered to hit you for her.” He laughed. “She told me that you hadn’t upset her and that she was just emotional, but it was something you did, I know it.”
“She kissed me that night you know.” I said casually, knowing Emmett would appreciate this bit of knowledge.
“And...? What happened?” He said eagerly, leaning forward.
“And nothing. I was so surprised, I didn’t kiss her back, and then she was feeling so guilty and embarrassed she started crying. She’d had too much to drink.” I spoilt it for him with the truth.
“You’re actually more of an idiot than I thought.” He laughed.
“What?”
“Well, firstly, humans have lowered inhibitions when they’re drunk, which means Bella probably wanted to kiss you anyway, the punch just gave her the courage to do it. Secondly, how would you feel if you kissed her and she didn’t kiss you back?”
“Awful.” I answered without thinking.
“So maybe Bella felt so bad not because she’d kissed you, but because you didn’t return it.” He shook his head. “Think about it, could her emotions mean anything different?”
I mulled it over. Shame and Guilt. The guilt was easy, she was still technically with Edward, kissing his brother was bound to make her feel bad. Was it possible that she had been ashamed because she thought she’d done something I didn’t want? I’d seen her drink four cups of the punch, and it wasn’t strong, she hadn’t been drunk, just a little giddy.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” I answered him vaguely when I felt his impatience. “I haven’t been able to read her very well recently, her emotions shift about so much, and sometimes I can’t feel hers because mine are so strong.”
“You do realise that as soon as Esme figures out you like her she’ll start matchmaking right? It really would be better for you to take matters into your own hands.” He sniggered.
“Esme already has a fair idea of what’s going on. Haven’t you seen the way she looks at me every time I come home? That's because she wants me to be with Bella. I want to be with Bella. I think she’s getting a bit sick of me hanging around all the time.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe she doesn’t want you to feel like you have to spend every minute with her? She might be waiting for you to go over there, or invite her over here. You really haven’t a clue have you. I don’t know how Alice put up with you for so long.” He laughed, and then gulped. “Shit! Sorry man, I wasn’t thinking.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I soothed his guilt quickly. “Alice hurt me, but Bella fixed me. Alice left because we weren’t right for each other, and she knew there was someone out there who would be right for her. I’m glad she did. Think how much worse it would be if I’d fallen in love with Bella while I was still with Alice, and I would have done eventually. She’s the one for me Emmett.”
“You think she’s your mate? This calls for a plan of some sort. You have to tell her, man. You need to know if she feels the same. And Jasper, I’ve got a pretty good idea of what you’re worried about, and you don’t need to be. Even if she doesn’t feel the same, she’ll still be your friend.”
I hugged him. I don’t think I’d ever hugged him before. He surprised me by hugging me back.
“Right, let’s put operation ‘Make Bella Fall in Love with Jasper’ into action. We’ll call it the MBFLJ for short.” He winked. “Let’s go and surprise them in Seattle. If we leave now we’ll get there roughly when the Ballet ends and we can take them to a hotel instead of them having to drive back tonight.”
I thought about it. I’d get to see Bella several hours earlier than if we stayed here. That made the choice obvious. I leapt up. “Ok, but remember you said you’d keep this to yourself. Not a word. No innuendos or anything, understand?”
“Fine.” He said balefully. “You spoil all my fun.”
We ran back to the house, Emmett falling behind quickly.
I waited for him in the living room. “Oh, let’s take the bike!” He shouted.
“I’m not riding all the way to Seattle with you on the back.”
“Think it through Jazz. If you take the bike, you can ride to the hotel with Bella. Don’t you want her all pressed up against you?” He grinned suggestively.
I’d had Bella on the bike with me once before, and I had to admit it was an experience I’d like to repeat. I agreed and sent him upstairs to put a clean shirt on while I wrote a quick note for Esme, who’d be worried if no one came home tonight. I knew she’d be ecstatic when she found out I’d be spending the night with Bella again.
______________________________________
Bella
The theatre was huge, far more impressive than I’d imagined, and we’d been treated like royalty from the moment we’d arrived in Edward’s Vanquish. I understood now why Rosalie had wanted to take it, it screamed money and ensured that we were treated in the way that she was used to.
I was also pleased to note that most of the people entering were dressed similarly to us. I didn’t stand out at all. We had a good giggle about the odd man or woman that had gone overboard and turned up in a taffeta ball gown or a top hat and tails.
Then there were people on the other end of the spectrum, students that were frowned upon by the ushers for daring to arrive in jeans. I blushed just thinking about what I would probably have worn without Rosalie's guidance.
I picked up a programme while Rose ordered me a drink for the interval and we were guided to a box. A box! We had a whole box to ourselves. I remember going to a theatre once when I was about seven and watching a woman sitting up on the balcony instead of watching the performance. I’d thought she was a princess and that one day, I’d be one too so that I could sit up there.
I glanced at Rose as we waited for the curtain to rise and she seemed just as excited as me.
“I haven’t been to a ballet since I was human.” She whispered.
“Why not?” I couldn’t believe that she couldn’t find the time or the money to see one.
“At first, it would have been too hard to be around so many humans.” She told me. “Then I found Emmett and we were fairly busy for a decade or so. And I suppose it never occurred to me to come after that, no one else really likes it, and it’s not something I’d like to do on my own.”
“We’ll have to do it again then.” I offered, smiling. I was glad we’d found a common interest.
An usher entered our box with a tray bearing two glasses of champagne and set it down between us, disappearing without a sound. I looked askance at Rosalie, but she only smiled and looked pointedly at the curtain, which had begun to rise as the music drifted up towards us.
_________________________________________
Jasper
“Explain again why we’re stopping.” Emmett whined as I pulled onto the forecourt of a gas station.
“For the last time, we’re almost out of gas. If you’d like to make it to Seattle in time to surprise them, I need to fill up. Make yourself useful and go inside and pay.” I snapped. The closer we got, the more impatient I became, knowing I was less than an hour away from Bella was torture.
I was about to get back on the bike when my phone rang. I panicked immediately. It was Alice. She would only be calling me if there were a problem. I flipped the phone open and looked around for Emmett. He was still waiting at the counter inside.
“Yes?”
“Jasper, you need to get to Seattle as fast as you can.” She rushed.
“I’m half way there. What’s going to happen?” Bella was in Seattle. There was something wrong with Bella. I had to fight with myself to listen to what Alice had to say instead of jumping on the bike.
“Victoria, Laurent, and another I don’t recognise are going to ambush Bella and Rosalie outside the theatre.” She spoke only just slowly enough for me to understand. “I’ll call them and tell them to wait inside, which will buy you some time, but you need to move it. If you’re fast, there will be no casualties on our side.”
I dropped the phone on the tarmac and mounted the bike, feeling Emmett jump on as I pulled away. “What was that about? Were you trying to leave me so you could have them both to yourself?” He laughed.
I was shaking with fear and rage. I would not lose her now.
“Victoria.” I spat. “Laurent and another. Going after Bella and Rosalie.”
Emmett's emotions matched mine perfectly as I pushed the bike as fast as it would go and weaved in and out of the traffic.
_____________________________
Bella
The curtain fell and Rosalie and I were on our feet clapping and whistling along with the crowd below us. The performance had been fantastic; I’d enjoyed it so much I’d even forgotten to be jealous of the grace the dancers possessed.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Rose stick her hand down the front of her dress and whip out a cell phone. She frowned at the screen and put it to her ear.
“What?” She snarled, and I figured it was someone she didn’t like very much. I imagined she would have answered the phone to me that way a few weeks ago.
She nodded once and held the phone out to me. “It’s Alice.” She spat. “She wants to talk to you.”
“Hello?” I asked confused.
“Make sure Rose is still listening, this is important.” She told me. I glanced up and saw the curious expression on her face.
“She is.” I informed her.
“Stay calm. Do exactly as I say and everything will be fine.” I started to worry. There was nothing like being told to stay calm to make it impossible. “Victoria, Laurent, and a friend are waiting outside. Victoria wants Bella as revenge for James death. Jasper and Emmett will be with you very soon.”
Rosalie held her hand out for the phone as I struggled not to freak out. I couldn’t believe this was happening again. It had taken both Jasper and Emmett to kill James, this would be three against three, and I didn’t like those odds. And it was all my fault. Again. I was going to put my family, and the man I loved in danger. Again.
“No.” I said. “I’ll give myself up.”
Rosalie looked like she might knock me out as she whispered furiously with Alice and then handed me the phone again.
“That’s the stupidest idea you’ve ever had.” Alice growled. “For one thing, Rose won’t let you do that, and for another, do you honestly think that if you went out there and let them kill you that the others wouldn’t fight them anyway? You will do exactly as I say Isabella Swan. You will stay inside the building to buy yourselves some time and when they come in after you, which they will, you must keep Victoria talking. If you do that, Jasper and Emmett will arrive in time and everything will be fine. There are no other options that lead to a good outcome. Now give the phone back to Rose and sit down.”
I slumped back into my seat. Alice had never been angry with me before. I knew that what she saw wasn’t set in stone. What would happen they decided to come inside sooner than she’d seen, or if Jasper and Emmett got stuck in traffic, or if I couldn’t keep Victoria talking for long enough?
There was too much that could go wrong, but she’d said that this was the only plan with a good outcome. Did that mean that if we didn’t do this exactly right one of us would die?
Rose was still on the phone behind me as I watched the crowd trickling out of the room. How long until we were alone?
Rose sat down beside me, her face tight.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered.
“Don’t be. Alice said it will be fine, and Alice is always right.” She said firmly taking my hand. The room was almost empty. “She told me that the third vampire is young, a newborn. Newborns are unpredictable and volatile and they are faster and stronger than older vampires are. It is especially important that you don’t make any sudden movements, and for god sake don’t cut yourself. Emmett and Jasper are close now, and they know how to fight. Jasper has dealt with newborns before so if we can keep them talking for long enough there should be no problems.”
I concentrated on breathing. There was no one but us left; even the staff had cleared out. It wouldn’t be long before they realised we were still inside and came looking for us.
It was horribly quiet, and the noise of our breathing seemed magnified. I almost jumped out of my skin when Rosalie moved and her dress rustled.
Then the inevitable happen. A door in the stalls creeks open and Rosalie and I tensed. Victoria came through first, as catlike as the last time I’d seen her. I repressed a shudder.
She looked like she’d made a basic effort to fit in, her clothes from what I could see from here, were smart and clean, and her hair was pulled back from her face. Her eyes scanned the lower part of the room and I kept as still as possible.
Laurent followed her, taller and broader than I remembered, and much more frightening. The third man was pale with brown hair, from this distance I couldn’t make out his features, not that it mattered, he’d be a lot closer soon. I knew he must be the young one I was supposed to be careful of. There had been no need for Rosalie to tell me to be careful. I remembered perfectly the way Edward had told me to behave last time I’d met strange vampires.
Victoria’s head snapped up and her gaze met mine. My heart stopped then kicked in again and beat wildly. Rosalie pulled me out of my seat and further back towards the door as Victoria appeared in front of us. The men swiftly followed, landing either side of her.
“Hello little Bella.” She purred. “Long time, no see.”
I swallowed. “Victoria. Laurent. I hope you left the Denali's well.” I was amazed at the polite tone of my voice, carefully hiding my fear.
“Quite well, yes.” Laurent answered, an amused smile playing across his mouth.
“This is not the time for pleasantries.” Victoria straightened up. “I suppose you’d like to know why we’re here.”
I bit my tongue to stop myself from telling her I already knew. Alice said to keep her talking. “You mean you didn’t come to see the show?” Rosalie sneered sarcastically from beside me.
“I’ve come for you, Bella.” She looked at me, ignoring Rose completely. “You see, your mate made a big mistake when he killed mine. It will be quite poetic, don’t you think? A mate for a mate. Your Edward took away mine, so I’m going to take away his.”
“I have no mate.” I said carefully.
I watched something flash over her face as she faltered.
Rosalie spoke up again. “In fact, it wasn’t even Edward that killed James.” She seemed to be enjoying the confusion on Victoria's face.
A pale blur shot towards me, I felt Rosalie move, then there was a crash below us, and I was alone on the balcony with Laurent and Victoria.
I lurched to look down at them and saw them rolling about on the floor, they moved too quickly for me to see what was happening and I prayed the others would get here soon. He was faster and stronger than her and I didn’t know how long she would last.
“Much better.” I spun back to face Victoria. “Now the chatty bitch is gone Laurent and I can take our time with you. Tell me Bella, how long did it take for my James to die?”
“I d-don’t kn-know.” I stuttered, trying to keep looking down at Rosalie without turning my back on the other two vampires. “I was a-almost unconscious.”
She laughed at me, and the sound was both beautiful and terrifying. “Aww, did he hurt you before your precious Edward got to you? I don’t know what happened, you see. The last time I spoke to him, he said he had lured you to him. Tell me what he did to you. I want to know.”
I shrugged trying not to give way to the fear I felt whenever I thought about that day. “He threw me around a little, and then he bit me.”
“Don’t lie to me. If he’d bitten you, you wouldn’t still be a pathetic human.” She snarled, and I shivered.
I held up my trembling hand so she could see the scar and tried to block out the horrifying noises coming from below us.
Her eyes widened almost comically, as did Laurent’s. “What happened to him?” She whispered, and for the first time I felt a small twinge of sympathy for her.
I couldn’t answer. I knew that as soon as she had all the information she wanted, I’d be dead, and then the three of them would almost certainly finish off Rosalie.
“Tell me.” She growled taking a fluid step closer.
“He, was... they killed him.” I mumbled, closing my eyes. I didn’t want her face to be the last thing I saw before I died.
I heard her snarl and the creek of the boards as she sprung, and I felt a breeze whip past my face, but no pain. I wondered if she’d killed me instantly, and this was death. But I could still hear the snarling from below, louder and more feral than before.
I opened my eyes just in time to see Emmett crash through the open door at the back of the box. He looked between me and Laurent and I understood that Jasper must have taken Victoria. My heart swelled with a mixture of hope and fear.
I remembered Rosalie fighting with the newborn and grabbed Emmett. “Help Rosalie.” I shouted, trying to push him to the side. He looked at Laurent again, his face torn with indecision. “Please. She’ll die! I’ll be fine.”
He was gone so quickly that I almost didn’t let go of him in time and stumbled towards the low wall of the balcony. Two strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me back. “We wouldn’t want to waste all that delicious blood, would we?” Laurent whispered into my ear.
“You could run.” Alice had told me everything would be fine. Somehow, I could convince Laurent to leave me. “If you kill me they will hunt you down. You know they will.”
As if to punctuate my shaky statement something white smacked into Laurent’s leg and fell to the ground by our feet.
Both of us looked towards it, and my stomach lurched as I recognised it as a severed hand. Laurent’s arms fell away from me. I didn’t check to see if he’d gone, I couldn’t take my eyes of the twitching limb.
It was a woman’s hand, and I prayed it belonged to Victoria and not Rose. The fingers twitched and wriggled, and then started to drag the rest of the hand and a few inches of arm along the floor. I climbed up onto one of the seats away from it.
There was less snarling and snapping now, and more of the terrible screeching I remembered from the ballet studio. Chunks of flesh were flying. They were moving too fast for me to see who was winning. All I could tell was that the group furthest from me had three people in it, so I knew Jasper and Victoria were closest.
I glanced down at the hand again. Could it be reattached? It was still ‘alive’ for want of a better word. If it belonged to Rose, she would probably want it back, and if not, I knew it needed to be burnt. Gingerly, I picked it up at the wrist.
The fingers jerked and tried to reach for me, but in this position, they could do no harm. Clear liquid dripped slowly from the torn end. I swallowed, trying not to gag and decided to make my way downstairs.
My legs were shaking and I was still terrified, visions of Emmett, Rosalie and most of all Jasper, hurt or worse, filled my head. I slipped and fell several times on the stairs in my haste to reach them. Out here, I couldn’t hear what was going on any longer, and though the silence was a relief, it was also unsettling. I followed signs for the doors to the stalls and hurried down more steps. Clutching the arm tightly, I pushed open the door and found more silence.
My heart thudded. I stumbled further into the room and almost collapsed with relief as I saw Emmett and Rosalie kissing furiously as they checked each other for injuries. But there was no sign of Jasper.
A horrible ache started in my chest as my eyes scanned the room, finding only pale clumps and shreds of clothing. He couldn’t possibly be dead.
My head spun and my vision clouded, but I welcomed the darkness. Then something snapped me right back to reality. The most beautiful sound I’d ever heard came from the balcony above me. “She’s gone.” Jasper called. His voice sounded broken, but it was still the most welcome sound in the world.
“Jasper?” I yelled. I’d meant to tell him I was down here, or ask him who he’d lost to make him laugh, but I could only speak his name.
He landed on the ground right in front of me and stared at me for a second. The next thing I knew I was on the floor being crushed in a hug far too tight, but I didn’t care in the least. He could crush me completely as long as he was ok.
I think Rosalie and Emmett pulled him off me before I scrambled to my feet and launched myself it him. “You’re ok.” I squeaked breathing in his scent and holding him as tightly as I could. I knew he was speaking too, but it was too fast for me to make any sense of.
“I’m fine too, Bella.” Emmett laughed. “Thanks for asking”
I pulled back the slightest bit to see that Emmett and Rosalie were both smiling at us. And they were both whole. Rosalie’s dress was wrecked and her hair was a mess for the first time I’d ever seen, but other than that, they were ok.
“I had an arm.” I muttered looking at the floor around our feet.
Emmett doubled up with laughter. “I thought it might be Rosalie's.” I defended. He just laughed harder, even Rose was grinning.
Jasper let go of me, but I kept hold of him. “Are you hurt?” He said.
“I’m fine. Laurent ran away.”
Jasper spun around out of my grasp and faced Emmett. “You left her! How could you leave her up there with him?”
“My mate was in danger.” Emmett answered quietly; the intensity of his gaze was shocking considering he’d been laughing seconds ago. “Wouldn’t you have done the same?”
I tucked myself into Jasper’s side again, as he stared back at his brother, I felt like I’d fall over if I couldn’t touch him. “I told him to leave me. Rosalie needed help.” I told him firmly. “Don’t argue with him. We’re all ok, so we must have done everything right.”
“I did not need help!” Rose groused making us all chuckle.
She and Emmett went off to collect up the pieces leaving us alone at the edge of the room. I watched them weaving in and out of the rows of seats for a minute.
Jasper pulled my arms from around his waist and stood me in front of him. His eyes scanned me slowly. “None of them even touched me.” I pouted, wanting to be back in his arms again.
I looked him over carefully. He looked fine until I reached his neck. On the left, where his neck met his shoulder was a mark just like the one on my hand. It had almost closed and was very nearly the same colour as the rest of his skin, but it was still seeping the same clear liquid that had come from the hand.
Without thinking, I reached up to touch it and he hissed as my fingers made contact. “I’m sorry.” I whimpered snatching my hand away. “You’re hurt because of me.”
He gripped my wrist and tugged me into his arms again. “That mark, will be the single scar I am proud to bear.” He whispered against the top of my head. “I’d get a thousand more to keep you safe, and I’d take them gladly.”
It didn’t make any difference to me whether he was proud of it or not. The fact remained that he was hurt, because yet again he’d had to fight for me. And it could have been so much worse.
“Stop it Bella. Did you ask for this? Did you want Victoria to come for you? Did you ask me to fight on your behalf? Did you ask Rosalie or Emmett to? No? Then how can any of this possibly be your fault?”
“Because if it wasn’t for me you’d still be at home, enjoying yourself and you wouldn’t be hurt.”
“Bella, if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be curled up in a ball crying over Alice. If it wasn’t for you- Christ Bella, I’d rather be ripped to pieces than lose you.” He growled and scooped my up into his arms. He carried me over to Emmett and they had a quick conversation that went completely over my head.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d said. My chest burned with the warmth his words had created, but I needed to make him promise that if something like this happened again, he wouldn’t get himself killed. I couldn’t imagine life without him. I knew there would be no life for me without him. I’d rather be ripped to pieces.
Before I knew it, we were in an alley somewhere and Jasper was setting me down. He grabbed hold of the bottom of my dress and tore it straight up the side almost to my hip.
“What are you doing?” I gasped. “That was Rose’s, she’ll kill you.”
“How do you expect to ride the bike in that dress?” He asked, getting astride his bike that I hadn’t even noticed. “Hop on. We’re going to a hotel. Emmett and Rose will meet us there later.”
______________________________
I stood in the shower making the water as hot as I could stand it. I hoped I could wash the night away.
Jasper hadn’t spoken to me since I’d got on the bike, other than to tell me to take a shower. He must be angry with me. Maybe he’d realised that I was right, and that all this really was my fault.
I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror. I was a mess as usual. Bruised, pale, with dark rings under my eyes. I laughed at myself for believing earlier that I had the slightest chance with Jasper. How stupid of me.
I kicked the ruined dress across the floor and listened carefully to see if the others had arrived. I could hear nothing, and I wondered if even Jasper had left.
I dried off quickly but remembered I had no clothes, the things I’d worn to travel here were in a bag in the car, and the dress was useless. I poked my head out of the bathroom door and was relieved to see Jasper still sprawled on the bed.
“Jasper, could you see if there are any robes in the closet. My clothes are in the car.” While he was looking, I quickly put my underwear back on and waited.
“Nothing. You’ll have to wear my shirt.” He muttered.
That was no bad thing in my opinion. I opened the door a few inches and he shoved his shirt through the gap. It smelled like him. It only fell to mid thigh and I had to roll the sleeves over a few times, but it was probably the nicest thing I’d ever worn.
When I came out of the bathroom Jasper was sitting at the vanity, and I had to concentrate very hard not to ogle his shirtless back in the dim glow of the bedside lamp.
I knew if I let my eyes wander towards him at all, I wouldn’t be able to stop looking. I got into the bed quickly and pulled the blanket up over my legs.
I waited for him to speak for five minutes before I cracked.
“Jasper? Are you mad at me?”
“No Bella.” He sighed. “Of course I’m not mad at you.”
I risked a quick glance at him. Just long enough to take in the way he was hunched over the desk, but not long enough to get distracted.
“Aren’t you coming to bed?” I asked timidly.
His voice was flat, emotionless when he replied. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Oh.” What did that mean? “Ok.” There was definitely something wrong. I moved down the bed to put my head on the pillow and pulled the blankets up to my chin but I was still cold. I couldn’t shake off the fear that had surrounded me in the theatre, or the coldness in Jasper’s voice.
My throat tightened and my eyes burned as I struggled not to cry. Across the room, Jasper growled and thumped his hand against the desk. I flinched.
“What’s wrong Bella?” He said, softly now.
“I need you.” I begged as the first tear spilled onto my cheek.
He stood up and walked slowly towards the bed, staring at the floor. As he came level with the lamp I saw I thin white scar that ran over his shoulder and under his arm, and I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped. I pictured the limbs I’d seen scattered about the room tonight and drew the conclusion that Jasper had lost his arm at some point in his life.
He refused to meet my gaze so I moved back in the bed and lifted the sheet; he slipped in quickly, pulling it up to his chin as I had.
Beneath the covers, I put my hand on his shoulder and traced the faintly raised skin of the scar. “What happened to you Jasper?” I whispered, not expecting an answer.
He closed his eyes tightly. “How much do you know about my past?” He asked quietly.
“Very little. Edward never mentioned it, and Alice only told me that you’d had a very different life before you joined the Cullen's, so I shouldn’t be surprised if I noticed a few scars.” I told him. “You don’t have to tell me. If it’s hard for you, I don’t need to know.”
“You should know. I should have told you before; you should know what’s holding you while you sleep.” He began. As he told me the story of the southern vampires, his human life and his change, his voice became more and more detached.
I was horrified by everything he’d gone through. I couldn’t imagine a life with so much horror, and everything had been worse for him as he’d felt the fear and pain of everyone else around him. If I ever met this Peter and Charlotte, I’d thank them in some way for saving him.
When he told me about meeting Alice, I’d started crying again. It was like getting to a happy ending in a book and then finding out it wasn’t for real on the next page. I understood now why Jasper had fallen apart so completely when she’d left him.
He picked up the lamp and brought it close the skin of his chest as he pulled down the sheet. There were so many scars his skin looked mottled. There must have been thousands of almost-white crescents marking him.
“So you see.” He said quietly. “I don’t look like an angel at all. I look like the monster I am.”
He put the lamp down and sat up. I put my hand on his back, though I couldn’t see any scars there, I could feel them. “You’re not a monster to me. You’re a man who would die to protect his family.”
“I’m not a man.” He smiled sadly. “I may not be quite a monster anymore but I’ll never be a man again. I killed a lot of people Bella. People with families, lives, and dreams. Men and women who looked into my face and saw death coming for them.”
“That wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know any better. Now you do.” I tugged him to lie down again and traced the only scar I could still see, the one that ringed his arm.
“You forgive me, don’t you?” He said with wonder.
“There’s nothing to forgive you for. You didn’t do those things to me, and I didn’t know you then. I only know who you are now. A man with a battle scar to be proud of.” I smiled up at him and carefully kissed his newest wound. I still wished he hadn’t got it, but I understood now why it meant so much to him.
He rolled me onto his chest and kissed the top of my head. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You never do what you’re supposed to.” He laughed.
I tried not to think about the way my bare legs moved against his jeans, or the fact that nothing separated my chest from his but a thin shirt, and snuggled against him. “What exactly was I supposed to do?”
“You were supposed to run.” He sighed.
“Never. I murmured sleepily. I’d been told to run before. “I promise.”
I had never been in a better position than this, and I was glad I was too tired to think about it much. I knew exactly where my mind would take this situation. Instead, I breathed in the comforting smell of him and felt the last of the tension leave my body, just in time for the door to crash open.
Jasper sat up, dragging me with him and I turned to face the door. Emmett and Rosalie were staring at us wide eyed. “That was fast.” The said in unison.
I shook my head frantically at Rosalie, knowing she’d got the wrong idea, and feeling pretty pissed that she’d clearly told Emmett what I’d told her.
She caught on quickly and moved across the room to sit at the vanity.
Emmett wasn’t quite as observant. “Dude.” He laughed.
“Bella had to borrow my shirt.” Jasper said calmly. I prayed he hadn’t caught on to what they’d said. “Her clothes are in the car.”
“Right. Sorry.” Emmett said, not looking sorry at all and nodding exaggeratedly.
“Would you like me to get them Bella?” Rose asked.
I shook my head quickly. “I’m fine.” I may never take off this shirt.
“Well, everything’s sorted.” Emmett informed us kicking the door shut and dropping onto the bed beside us as Jasper settled back. “Victoria and the other one are no more.” He said dramatically.
“Alice called again and said there’s no need to look for Laurent, he’ll be boarding a plane to Russia within an hour.” Rose laughed. “I think we scared him off.”
“I told him you’d kill him if he hurt me.” I said triumphantly. “And then Victoria’s arm hit him in the leg and he ran off. If I hadn’t been so scared it might have been quite funny.”
Jasper held me a little tighter and pulled up the blankets. I fell asleep surrounded by the only arms I wanted, with the quiet hum of my family talking around me.
An: So after the last chapter, I was surprised at how few people wanted to kill me for not getting our favourite couple together yet. After another ten thousand words, with no kisses, how many of you have changed your minds?
Press the button and let me know. Creative death threats welcome x
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Destiny Awaits