Chapter Three

Previously…
Bella’s head jerked up at hearing my voice and turned to look at me while clambering up on shaking legs.  She stood there for a long moment, her eyes so wide it was nearly comical.  It was comical at least to me.  Tears welled in her beautiful eyes and all the mirth left my body.

She crossed the room to stand just in front of me, trembling like a newly born colt as her hand reached out hesitantly to caress my cheek.  I nearly purred in satisfaction at the feeling of her warm, divine fingers tracing the planes of my face as if she were trying to justify to herself that I was, in fact, real. 

A tear slid down her cheek as her bottom lip quivered, then the most beautiful sound left those petal pink lips. 

My name. 

“J-Jasper?”  

Kiss Me. Bite Me. Love Me.

Chapter Three
~ Bella’s Point of View ~

Rooted to the carpet where I stood, I reached out a timid hand and brushed across icy marble skin… he was real.  He wasn’t a figment of my imagination and I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about that just yet.  Sure I was ecstatic to see him standing there in the freezing flesh but then the hurt and anger set in. 

Now I could understand why Charlotte had, in her own roundabout way, refused to tell me who our visitors were this morning…

Darting into the bathroom after her, I asked again.  “Charlotte, what do you mean “again?”  She said nothing at first, only smiled and I could almost see the insanity creeping in again.  What could have happened to her?  She clapped her hands together, then waggled her finger at me disapprovingly while her adorable face scrunched up.

“Ah ah ah, we’s not supposed to tell.  It would ruin the parade.”  she whispered, her eyes darting about the room in search of listeners.  It was a funny thing to watch but also sad because though she might be off her rocker she had every reason to watch the walls.  The walls here seemed to live and breathe a life of their own and I have witnessed it with my own eyes. 

Shaking my head in defeat, I conceded to just shut up and take my bath.  Whoever or whatever was coming would be here this afternoon…. 
Hot tears pelted down my cheeks as I dared to do what I swore to never do again… I said one of their names.  “J-Jasper.” 

His answer smile was not what I would have expected, it was sad, heartbreaking almost and it threatened to suck all the air from the room.  “Bella…”  he whispered, almost like he was praying to a goddess instead of the awkward woman I knew myself to be.  He looked like he would sob along with me until a chipper voice startled both of us from our strange mood. 

“Hello Bella..”  I think my heart stopped beating altogether as her dainty frame came into view, shoving Jasper to the side with a hard nudge to the rips.  “Don’t be a Bella hog, Jasper.”  she scolded playfully and pinned me once again to the floor with a perfect white smile.  “Learn to share.” 

My head started to spin as the theme song for the Twilight Zone started to filter through my brain.  I wanted to laugh, scream and cry but I couldn’t even manage to gape in her presence.  She hadn’t changed a bit in the last eight years.  Yes she had, like Jasper, changed certain things pertaining to her appearance, but her face remained forever unchanging. 

“Alice,”  I managed to finally sob, throwing my arms around her like all the years of abandonment had never happened.  Her thin arms slid around me as she rocked me back in forth like an infant.  Her body was trembling nearly as bad as mine was and I was certain, though I couldn’t see her face, that she would also be crying if she could. 

“Oh Bella, what have we done to you?”  She whispered quietly as she continued to stroke my hair while I buried my face into her cool neck. 

It could have been minutes or hours we stayed like that, but all to soon I heard the peaceful treble of Jasper soft voice.  “Alice, we really should explain before Peter arrives.” 

She nodded against my head before pulling back and leading me by the hand to sit on one of the insanely expensive couches Peter kept in here.  Vampires and money, I snorted to myself earning myself a raised brow from Jasper and Alice.  Charlotte seemed immune to the whole thing and kept blissfully ignoring us in favor of decorating one of her newly crafted china dolls. 

Taking a deep breath I seated myself, with Alice at my side and Jasper sitting directly across from me.  It was strange to see him this way, he in the past had never seemed to hold any real interest in me at all, but now, the way his eyes burned through me made had me shifting in my seat nervously. 

Alice’s icy digits patting my arm brought me from my thoughts and I turned slightly to face her.  She looked serious and it made me more than wary to hear whatever it was she had to say.  “Right,”  she started jerkily, and it was hard for me to imagine her being as nervous as she clearly was.  “Well, I guess I should start by saying I’m not who you think I am.” 

Of all the things I had imagined her to say. Out of all the times I had fantasized about the day we would all meet up again, that was the last thing I would have ever thought her to say.  “Pardon?”  I asked confused and slightly shocked.  I must not have heard her right. 

“It’s true, Bella.”  Alice continued.  “Well… I mean that, while we were Cullens for a time, we-” she cut off, pointing to Jasper.  “we didn’t seek them out for the reasons we told you.” 

Completely flabbergasted, I shook my head.  “What does that mean?”

Smiling, she continued… “Bella, most of the things you have been told about Jasper and I are false.  For instance, Jasper and I are not married.” 

“What?”  I shouted, then winced at my tone, it even hurt my ears.  But… I just couldn’t wrap my head around the concept.  Alice and Jasper, not married.  It was mind boggling. 

“Please Bella,” Alice pleaded, and I nodded for her to go on. “And though what I told you about the insane asylum was true, I had never resided in the United States until Peter called for my help.”

My head still spinning, I turned to Jasper, “And you?”  I questioned. 

He nodded.  “While I am in fact from the United States and Texas I was born a little earlier than I led on.  I did fight in the Confederate Army and I did work for Maria, though it wasn’t quiet as horrific as I made it sound.  I was never her slave as much as she was mine, at Peter’s request, of course.” 

“Holy Shit!” 

“Well said!”  Charlotte barked, waving her doll in the air as she saluted the use of my language while Jasper and Alice chuckled. 

“So let me get this straight,”  I said, grabbing at my throbbing temples to sooth away the headache that was forming at all this information.  “Both of you work for Peter and for some reason he wanted you both infiltrate the Cullens?” 

“Yes.”  Jasper said quietly, his eyes darting from my face as if he had a hard time looking me in the eye. 

When it became apparent that no one felt like elaborating I turned to Alice with a scathing glare and asked, “Why?”

Her face scrunched up in a pitiful display as she rubbed her hands together nervously.  “We’re… not supposed to say just yet.” 

My face twisted up in anger.  Alice knew first hand how I felt about this and here she was, just like before, keeping me in the dark.  At my look her eyes went wide and she held up her hands in a defensive manner.  “Please Bella, don’t be angry! I… I would tell you if I could, but it’s not time yet!  Please believe me, I’ll tell you everything when I can.”

A laugh bubbled up in my throat then, that probably made me sound just as cracked as Charlotte.  “Believe you?”  I asked incredulously.  “Why should I believe anything you have to say? You’ve both have done nothing but lie to me since the day I stepped foot into that house in Forks.”

“We did what we had to do,”  she whispered softly, bowing her head as her body trembled with silent sobs. 
“Why? Because you were paid to? That makes me feel so much better.”  I remarked dryly with a snort. 

“NO!” Jasper shouted as he shot up out of his chair, startling me back against the couch.  Pacing the room like a caged lion he started to mutter to himself.  It was one of the times I wished like Hell that I had vampiric senses, I really wanted to know what he was saying.  Finally he turned to me, his face relayed nothing but sincerity and affection.  “I may have had my orders Bella, but I tell you now, that I’m not the kind of man that follows them blindly. I wanted to be there.” 

Taking all of this in was more challenging than trying to dance at prom with that cast on my leg.  Sighing I turned to Alice, not really understanding why she hadn’t said something similar but all the same I wanted to know if he was telling the truth.  “Is this true.”

Although I wasn’t speaking to him, they both nodded.  Sighing past my now fully developed headache, I had to ask. “What about my birthday?” 

“A ruse,”  Jasper chimed in, coming to kneel at my feet and grasp one of my hands in both of his.  “We had good reason Bella, but I can’t tell you why, not yet.” 

Feeling the sting of betrayal welling up again I looked to him harshly.  “Did Edward have something to do with it?”  I asked my voice trembling with anxiety as I waited for his answer. 

He face seemed pained somehow before he lowered it in shame.  “Yes, partly.”  Then with determination burning in his eyes, he lowered his mouth to the top of my hand, cool lips ghosting across my knuckles, before he raised his ocher eyes to mine.  “I could never hurt you, My Lady.  It would kill me to do so.” 

This time I think all the air did leave the room.  Had I been standing, I was sure to have hit the deck.  To me it seemed like he was pledging fealty to me, like he was my faithful servant and I really didn’t know what to do, so in true Bella fashion… I bolted. 

Or at least I would have if the I hadn’t been so damn dizzy that I tripped over the edge of the Persian that sent me spiraling straight towards the hardwood floor.  Of course, with three vampires in the room, I never actually smacked the ground.  Looking up from heavily glazed eyes I saw that it was the Jasper who had caught me.  I should have been grateful he caught me, I should have felt special, but in truth… I really didn’t want him touching me right now. 

To my great displeasure, Jasper had something else in mind, as he threw his arm under my thighs and hefted me up in a bridal carry.  Moaning from the speed he used, I begged.  “Jasper, put me down.” 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Bella.”  He replied with a chuckle, his voice sounded very amused with a strong undertone of desire. 

Shocked… that’s what I was.  It’s so strong, I thought to myself. If Jasper was projecting, Charlotte and Alice showed no outward sign.  It wafted off him like a musk of pheromones, thickly coiling itself around me. It smelled wonderful, but felt… forced.  I didn’t like it. 

Alice gasped, her face twisted up in horror as she flew to us and frantically tugged on the arm supporting my legs.  “Put her down, Jas. He’s here.”

As soon as the words escaped her lips the front door slammed open and Charlotte’s head shot up from her workstation. Jasper became like a living statue as a low growl rumbled just to my left.  I was unsure I wanted to see what was standing there, but I realized a moment later that only one man on this earth could strike fear like this in Alice.  Sure enough, when I turned my head, Peter was standing propped against the doorjamb.  “I believe my Lady gave you an order, servant.”

Jasper spluttered for a few seconds before he hastily approached Peter and placed me in his arms before lowering himself to the floor on one knee.  “Forgive me, My Lord?”  He bit out sarcastically. 

Feeling much better in the comforts of Peter’s arms, I snuggled into his chest and breathed in his smoky, clove scent, trying to tramp down the urge to vomit.  Offhandedly I thought that when I felt better I would have to have a talk with all these vampires about “Bella and motion sickness”. 

As if he heard my thoughts, Peter chuckled.  “Perhaps, my little Yuuki (1). Now sleep.” 

I wanted so badly to protest his notions of treating me like an infant, but just the same I snuggled deeper into his designer shirt and shut my eyes.  Maybe a nap doesn’t sound so bad after all.
~ Kiss Me. Bite Me. Love Me. ~

~* Peter’s Point of View  *~

After putting Isabella to bed I returned to the drawing room to find Jasper sitting in the club chair, cradling his head in his hands while Alice tried to sooth him like a baby.  Pathetic

“And just what did you think you were doing, servant?”  I asked in a cold tone.  I knew very well what he was doing, but as my hands were tied at the moment I couldn’t likely kill him without serious repercussions later.  I consider myself a strong vampire, but there are things that even I would rather not be on the receiving end of.  

Jasper’s head shot up and pinned me with a hateful glare, “You forget, Sir, that I have never been your servant.  I answer to only one, and you aren’t it.” 

Chuckling at his passion and loyalty, I waved him off but decided to remind him of a very useful fact.  “That may be, but as you are also aware until your Master’s return, you serve me.”

I knew that would piss him off, and he did not disappoint. With a growl he rose to his feet pushing past Alice who was begging him not to start a fight.  “Yessss,“ I crooned in his head “Start a fight! Unleash your jealous wrath!”  I taunted him, and like a good little vampire, he snarled. 

Coming to stand nose to nose, he glowered.  “You may be my superior.  You may be able to kill me easily.  And I may be a man who covets what another has, but do not think that anything I have done since my making has been in your name!” 

Waving him off again with a smirk and a shrug of my shoulders, he relaxed, right before I swung him into the wall.  Charlotte jumped in fright, slinking to the corner of the room to cower from my wrath.  “Do you think I’m some foolish boy, Jasper?  Do you think I don’t know all of your little secrets?  What would she do, if she knew the depths of your little obsession, hmm?”  I laughed.  “Do you think she would take it in kind, to know you depraved thoughts or what you do at night in your bed while you think of her?  Well?” 

“ENOUGH!”  He roared, looking to be on the brink of tears.  “I don’t care what you tell her, she would never have me destroyed.” 

“Well see about that.”  At my snarl, he tensed again, knowing I could remove his head before he could blink and bowed his head.  “Now, can I trust you to behave?”

“You have my word.”  He whispered.

“Good,”  I replied with a smile and released him.  “Alice, see to it that he does.” 

She smiled brightly at me, racing over to kneel at my feet and kissed my hand.  “Yes, Master.” 

“Good girl.” 

Authors Notes: 
Well there you have it 3 chapters in and already, things are getting heavy.  I’m gonna go ahead and tell you now that the Cullens will not have an overly large part in this story, but the will make cameo appearances later on.  As for Edward; he is not the big bad in this… more like a misguided moron.

Alright, so tell me what you all think so far.  I know some of you are going WTF right now and I warn you, you might be this way throughout.  I’m just kinda goin’ with the flow. 

(1) Yuuki - means Gentle Princess in Japanese.  (more will be explained later)