Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Blood And Steel

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 12:

Jasper Whitlock did not understand how a simple katana sword sliced through a lock made of a solid metal he had never seen before. He didn’t understand how the blade planted itself into the metal floor as if Bella had just thrown a garden shovel into the dirt.

He didn’t understand how Bella Swan hit him in the jaw with enough force to throw him to the other side of his cell.

He did understand that he liked what he saw.

“Five seconds? That’s not a lot of time to plead for one’s life darlin.” Jasper pointed out to the woman who now had her katana in her hand. The tip of the blade was gently touching the bottom of his chin, barely poking into his throat.

“That’s more time than most of your victims have had in the past, I would imagine,” she pointed out.

“You do make a fair point. Still pissed about that little incident where you cut your finger and I tried to drain you of every sweet smelling drop of blood in your hot little body?”

“You could say that.” Bella admitted, her tone eerily calm after her initial outburst of anger.

“Completely understandable. On the other hand, when I caught your little act in the desert, all covered in blood and venom along with your new friends I didn’t call your ex who is desperately searching for you. I didn’t call anyone except the one man I figured would rat me out.”

“Yeah? Why did you do that?” Bella asked, pressing the tip of her sword into Jaspers throat a bit more. Jasper backed his head up as much as he could to the wall. A part of him thought he could kill her with that sword in a second; another part was not so sure. By the look on her face he decided to play it safe.

“How else would I get to see you Bella? I’ve wanted to talk to you for a while. I saw you in the desert and figured you were hanging out with a whole new crowd. Since I am betting this crowd has a lot of hangouts like this one, you would have been hard to find. So instead I let them find me.”

“You should be dead. If I had been there you would be.”

“Told you so.” A voice from one cell over called out.

“Who is that?” Bella asked.

“That’s Peter. Say hi to Bella Peter.”

“Hi Bella.”

Bella didn’t answer. She did tip her sword up, motioning for Jasper to stand up.

“With these lights you are weaker than I am.” Bella pointed out with a cold glare.

“Darlin I admit I’m not as strong in this fancy artificial daylight and I can’t break whatever kind of steel your government lab rats have come up with but I am still a vampire. You got a mighty sharp sword but you are still only human. Still the girl that trips over her own two feet. You still don’t want none of me. You going to kill me then do it. But don’t talk shit you can’t back up.”

“It’s dark outside. You first.” Bella told him. Jasper stood and walked in front of her out of the cell.

“We going somewhere?” Jasper asked, grinning.

“Can I come?” Peter asked.

“Shut up Peter!” A female voice Bella did not recognize told him.

“Sorry. I thought we agreed this was Jasper’s fault?” Peter whined to her.

“You still need to shut up. I’m pissed at you too.”

Ignoring the banter, Bella poked the tip of her sword into Jasper’s back.

“Go to the elevator. You try anything before we get to the top and I slice you in half. Understand?” Bella asked quietly.

“Sure. Any reason why you are letting me go?”

“Letting you go? No Jasper. You attacked me. You scared me. You will find I no longer scare so easily. But still… you and I have unfinished business.”

“I did help fight Victoria’s army. Taught your little puppies how to fight her big bad newborns, in case you don’t remember?” Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow as they stepped into the elevator.

“Yes. I remember when I was a slave to your brother you did your part to help keep the Cullen’s family asset from being killed. Thanks for that. Still you attacked me. You gave me nightmares. You and a lot of other vampires.” Bella calmly explained.

“So?” Jasper continued.

“So I want the nightmares to stop. I think I will start with you.”

On sublevel 5 Winter continued pondering Garrett’s fate. The lights were flickering in the room. Summer was speaking to her. It was anybody’s guess what Summer was saying. At least that was Hawk’s take on the situation. He believed in ghosts and had seen what Winter’s sister could do. He believe Winter’s talents for seeing through walls and tossing things by looking at them was actually her sister like Winter claimed. He sat back curious to see what the two came up with.

“Connolly?” Vivian’s voice popped into all their coms.

“Kinda busy waitin to see if Winter is gonna kill this vampire or not Viv. I’ll talk to you when the show is over.” Connolly told her.

“Whatever sir. Just thought you might be interested in knowing your girlfriend just let that Jasper vampire out of his cell and the two are heading to the surface. It’s also night time above ground if you were wondering. Call me when you have time. Sorry to interrupt.”

Everyone looked at Connolly including Winter and Garrett.

“You really need to make a decision Winter. Kill me or let me live but someone should go up top and check on things. I recommend all of us.” Garrett told her.

Winter said nothing but did close her eyes and drop her sword. With that move the team was in motion, running towards the emergency exit stairs heading to the surface.

Bella and Jasper reached the surface.

Jasper walked towards the front past the soldiers on guard duty. They found nothing strange about this. At Dugway soldiers learned not to ask questions, especially about items or people who came from the underground area.

The two strolled out onto the grounds and kept walking past the parking lot. Past the parking lot the white sands looked like a white ocean lit up by the moonlight.

They stepped onto the sand and Bella stopped. Jasper walked ten yards further and turned around.

“So what is it going to be Bella? You going to shoot me? Chop me up? How are you going to get rid of this nightmare? Because I have to tell you girl, out here in the moonlight, I’m starting to feel kinda nightmarish.”

“Why are you here Jasper?” Bella asked.

“I told you. I wanted to see you.”

“You haven’t told me why.” Bella pointed out.

“I have some things to tell you. Things about the Cullens. Things about the Volturi. I can give you all kinds of information. Same as Garrett.”

“Who the fuck is Garrett?” Bella asked, momentarily forgetting about the vampire Jason and Winter had gone to meet with. Her entire focus was on the one in front of her.

Bella did however, see the team surround her and Jasper. But her eyes never left his.

“Good job Bella. You remembered. Never take your eyes off your enemy.”

“Team stand bye. We all got locks? Ty?” Connolly whispered.

“I can put a bullet in one of his hillbilly ear and out the other Jay. Say the word.” Ty told him peering down his scope from the roof of the barracks.

“Stay back.” Mina told Connolly. “Nobody makes a move.”

“Mina…”

“She knows what she is doing.” Mina told him.

Connolly sighed.

“Keep target locked on but do not interfere. Stand bye.”

“Sir?”

“Stand by Webb.”

Mina walked up to Bella who continued to stare at Jasper. She whispered in her ear.

“Control your emotions.”

Bella nodded.

“Remember your form.”

Bella nodded once more.

“Takes his nuts off the first chance you get.”

Bella smiled.

Mina walked back and stood by Connolly and Winter. Winter moved forward until Mina’s hand stopped her.

“Leave her. She needs to do this.”

“And if she can’t?” Winter whispered.

“Then we kill the fucker.” Mina said with a smirk.

Bella dropped her coat to the ground. She unstrapped the holster from her denim clad right leg. The moonlight lit up her blade.

She dropped it to the ground.

“How are we going to do this Jasper? The way vampires have always fought. You told me you had never lost a fight. Care to go a round with me?” Bella asked.

“That’s not very sporting. If it looks like I am going to hurt you they will kill me.”

“No they won’t. The man in charge? He knows I will never forgive him if he or any of his men interfere. Isn’t that right Jason?”

Jason looked at Mina who nodded.

“Yeah. I guess that would be right… never?”

“Never.” Bella confirmed.

“Then yeah. I guess that would be right.”

“Bullshit if you ask me. Why did she let him out in the first place?”

“Shut up Vivian!” Connolly shouted causing all the team to wince from the sound.

“You ready little girl?” Jasper asked.

“Yep.” Bella told him, eyes locked. The two began circling each other.

“If I win, if you say stop or I kill you, me and my friends walk if we want?”

“Yep,” she confirmed.

“And if you win?” Jasper asked.

“After I’m done with you my friend Winter and I are going to sub level 6 and killing your two friends. We may kill the one standing next to my boyfriend.”

“I like those stakes. Playing for blood.”

“Is there anything else that matters?” Bella asked.

“Not in this world. Seems it all comes down to blood at some point.”

Jasper struck. He moved so quickly the team could not see him. His fist shot towards Bella’s nose. Killing her would be a problem. Not killing her would be bad as well. Jasper had not expected this response from her. He hoped she could live through the beating he would have to deliver.

Jasper was surprised when his fist connected with nothing but air. A tap on his shoulder spun him around only to have a tiny fist once again knock him to the ground. This time he rose quickly and attempted a sidekick.

Bella dropped under and struck his knee with a kick. She continued with a strike to his chest as he fell.

Jasper rolled to gain space. He stood on what he knew was a knee with broken ligaments waiting to heal. He needed blood.

Jasper half expected another strike. Instead he saw Bella standing with her body at a slight angle. He noticed her posture. She was strong and fast but there was something else.

Jasper realized what it was.

Her eyes. Jasper always believed the eyes were the window to the soul. He expected her soul to be tired. He expected sadness, fear, depression, anger.

All he saw was determination. He had never seen that before in Bella’s eyes.

“You are too predictable. Maria taught you to fight vampires. Vampires are predictable. They have no discipline do they? Just out of control monsters with a lust for blood.” Bella told him.

“And you?”

“I just have a lust for blood. I’m in complete control. Care to try again?” Bella asked.

Jasper charged. He feinted a kick and flew into the air, his fist making contact with Bella’s jaw. She rolled on her back but hopped up quickly. Jasper could smell the blood pouring from her mouth.

So she could be hurt. Her lip was bloodied and open.

He charged her before she could recover. Instead of attacking Bella fell onto her back. Jasper swung his fist towards her face only to be blocked by her forearm.

He swung again and she blocked again.

Jasper was confused when he felt her legs wrapping around his back. She wasn’t attacking but she didn’t appear worried. He had her. He was on top, in control. Still he could see a blood stained grin on her face.

Another strike but this one was not blocked. Instead Bella moved to the side and grabbed his forearm. He tried to jerk back but her legs were wrapped too tightly around his waist.

Jasper stood up trying to bring the woman with him. Instead her grip held him bending him at the waist while her shoulders and head stayed on the ground. Jasper heard a pop and knew his shoulder had just been dislocated. He soon found this wasn’t his immediate problem. Faster than he could react, Bella’s legs wrapped around his head. She twisted her body and Jasper fell to the ground, Bella at his side with a vicious grip on his arm with hers and his head with her legs.

“Good girl. Triangle choke. You teach her that in the desert?” Mina asked Connolly.

“I prefer to call it an Anaconda but yeah. She is about to snap his neck. I guess vampires don’t practice Judo much,” he told her,grinning.

“I know you didn’t do it to her. You let her do it to you?” Webb asked.

“Yep.” Connolly told him.

“Lucky bastard. Damn that’s hot.” Dante piped in.

“Yeah definitely headin to the bunk after this one. Hey Winter you should join her out there.” Hawk suggested.

“You’re supposed to be team muscle Hawk. Don’t make me walk over there and turn you into the team pussy.” Winter replied.

“Fair enough.” Hawk responded.

Jasper did not hear the exchanges around him. His hearing was momentarily blocked out by the pain in his shoulder and the twisting of his neck. She wouldn’t be able to take his head like this but if he…

He felt the snap and nothing else. Jasper knew he was fucked.

She had broken his neck by simply twisting her waist and thighs.

“You done Jasper?” Bella asked and then spit blood in his face. They were very close.

“Yes. You won. I can’t move.”

“Say it louder!”

“You fucking won!” Jasper yelled.

“How does my blood smell now? I told you vampires were predictable. One style. That’s it. You have to adapt. That’s the problem with never aging. You never have to learn to adapt.”

“I think you’ve proven your point.” Can you let me go? I can’t move. You snapped my fucking neck.” Jasper pointed out.

“So? That makes you less dangerous?”

“Until he can heal he won’t have any feeling in his body Bella.” Garrett offered.

“Shut up or you are next.” Bella told him in return.

“I sort of want to be.” Garrett admitted. Connolly glared at him.

“Just because Winter hasn’t killed you yet doesn’t mean I won’t. Watch it.” he warned Garrett.

Bella released her grip and rolled to her feet quickly. Her hand reached out and her katana flew through the night air. It reached her hands where she caught it, continuing the downward swing.

The team held their breath, expecting a quick beheading. Jasper was already on the ground. His head wouldn’t fall.

Bella’s stroke ended at Jasper’s hairline

“What’s wrong darlin? No southern accent or cocky fucking grin now?” she asked, her blade barely touching the flesh on his neck.

“Fresh out I’m afraid.” Jasper whispered.

“Good. No more bullshit. You know I can kill you. I can do it with my hands, I can do it with a gun and I can do it with this shiny pretty sword in my hands. But I want to know something. No games. Your friend’s lives depend on it. Why did you come looking for me? Really?”

“My friend, my brother down there. The only real friend I have ever had, he… he gets feelings sometimes. It’s a gift of his. He told me it ran in the family when he was human. He gets hunches. His hunches, they are about 99% accurate.”

“And he had a hunch to find me, huh?” Bella asked.

“No. He had a feeling. A deep dark feeling that something bad was going down soon. He knew Aro would be involved. That’s it. But he knew it was more than the Volturi taking out the Cullens. It would be real bad. End of the world bad.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Bella asked, suddenly very intrigued. Her eyes caught Chris’s eyes and she noted the interest.

“Aro wanted you. He wants you. He must need you for some reason. If the end of the world was coming I figured you would be in the middle of it. So I followed one of my own hunches. I acted like I was looking for you for Carlisle. I wanted to find you for myself. I knew you would be the key. I suppose my belief in Peter’s hunches have led me to believe in fate.

When I saw you and your friends in the desert I knew I was right. You were more than human.”

“I am human. My heart beats. I hurt. I bleed. I’m just a little stronger than you now. Not a fucking monster.”

“I just wanted to make sure me and my friends were on the right side. Way I see it, the world is going to come down to choosin sides. I’d like to be on the right one.”

“Then perhaps you should have asked more politely.” Bella raised her sword back up and prepared to cut his head off.

Until she saw the team around her falling to their knees. Her eyes went immediately to Connolly and Winter. They looked relaxed. Way to relaxed.

Bella knew what Jasper was doing but she didn’t know why. They would wake once he was dead.

“Stop it.”

“Sadness, lethargy. All emotions. I can make anyone or any group feel this way. The question is can you stop it?”

Bella gazed at the family around her and reached out with her mind. She could feel what Jasper was doing to those around her.

Her mind connected with Jason and Winter. They stood and shook their heads as if coming out of a fog.

“How many more can you save?” Jasper asked.

Bella peered around her and connected to Webb. He shook his head and pointed his rifle at the vampire on the ground, not amused by his games.

“What about the sniper on top of the building?” Jasper whispered.

Bella saw Ty was not peering through his scope anymore. Instead he was snoring. She tried to reach out to him but the strain was too much.

“Yeah. You’re a shield. You can protect others from the Jane and Alecs of the world. But not everybody. Not yet. A gift is like a muscle Bella. You have to use it to make it stronger. You need someone gifted to practice with. You know this. You still need me.”

“I can find enough vampires to practice on that I can kill.” Bella pointed out.

“Yeah I suppose you can. Look I admit I should have not acted like a jerk. It’s pretty much got me here laying on the ground like a kids doll. I admit I have made mistakes in my life. I fought for Maria. I turned and killed people who didn’t deserve that. I attacked you. I fell in love with Alice. I have made some pretty fucking bad decisions in my life. But I have also stood with you. I saved you from James and I helped protect you from that newborn army and it sure as hell wasn’t for Edward or Carlisle.”

Bella said nothing. She noted the team were all standing and had surrounded her, guns at the ready, aimed at Jasper’s head.

“Even if you decide to kill me please don’t hurt my friends. I got them into this. They don’t deserve it. Garrett knows them. He can tell you. They aren’t bad people.”

“They aren’t people.” Bella whispered.

“Yeah. We all were once and then we became vampires. But at heart we are all people. All of us Bella. I said my peace. Kill me if you want to.”

Jasper closed his eyes and waited. The loss of feeling in his body gave him a sense of weightlessness leading to a sense of peace.

He waited for death.

Instead he felt his head tossed up. Opening his eyes he saw his body being held up by Garrett. Garrett twisted Jasper’s neck back so the vertebrae were roughly aligned. He then bit his own wrist and held it to Jasper’s mouth.

After a minute Garrett pulled his wrist away and laid Jasper on the ground. Ten minutes later sensations returned to Jasper’s body.

“They are letting Charlotte and Peter out of their cells and showing them to rooms. Let me take you to yours. The humans need their sleep.” Garrett informed him.

“She is going to let us stay?” Jasper asked, now noticing the team was gone.

“Yes. And if you fuck us over I’m fucked as well. I like it here. You better be on the level Jasper.”

“You know me Garrett. I’m not Carlisle. What you see is what you get. I say I’m with you then I’m with you.”

Garrett nodded.

“Come with me. The cowboy wants to speak to you and Peter about this feeling Peter has.” Garrett told him.

“Cowboy? Which one?”

“The older one. Chris is his name. I believe he also wants to talk to you about helping with Bella’s gift. Hurry along.”

On sub level 3, Connolly showed Bella to her quarters. When she walked in she noticed his gear and clothes were here as well.

“I thought you were showing me my bunk, not yours.” Bella said, teasing him.

“One and the same darling. I missed you. You didn’t really think I was going to sleep without you, did you?”

“What about professional conduct and all that…?”

“All that shit? Hell like Jack says this is the most professional, unprofessional team ever put together. Can’t keep a secret here in our little family. May as well drop the pretenses. If you want your own room I’ll take you to one and sleep on the floor by your bedside. But I’m not going to be away from you anymore than I have to. I missed you.”

“Right here is fine. I don’t want to be away from you either.” Bella raised herself up and gently kissed Jason.

Then she jerked back from the sting caused by the cut on her lip.

“Yeah we probably need to get that looked at. Let me show you to our spacious bathroom and I can tend to it. You are healing pretty quick. Maybe we will out your blade under the mattress and you can be healed by morning.”

“I wish. It took two weeks for my knuckles to heal up completely after Coronado.”

“True. That’s all right. It’s just a busted lip. Your may have a bit of a cut on the inside of your cheek. You did good. You scared the fuck out of me but you did good.”

Bella didn’t ask Jason if he knew why she had to do it alone. That was what she loved about him. He already knew why.

“I think I’m going to be a giant bruise in the morning. That fucker hits hard. Blocking his blows from the guard position wasn’t easy,” Bella admitted.

“Yeah but damn did you sucker him in and then close the trap. I’ll admit it got me… a bit excited.”

“That right?” Bella grinned and placed her hand on the bulge quickly growing in Connolly’s jeans. She began rubbing him through the denim of his jeans. Jason’s hand shot between her legs and squeezed.

“Two can play at that game. I’ve waited a week for you. I had to watch you use moves I taught you to take down a vampire at night. Can I please get you naked in bed already?”

“Yeah. Better take care of my lip first though.” Bella reminded him.

“Naked first. Lip second. Besides I kinda like the look. It’s hot.”

“Blood usually is.” Bella admitted and ripped his jeans opened. The two attacked each other, ripping clothes off as they stumbled back onto the bed.

Connolly was under her but not for long. They both screamed when he thrust inside her. The yelling, groaning and moaning lasted for the next two hours.

To the agitation of Hawk who supposed Bella didn’t realize and Connolly didn’t care that the air vents of all the rooms were connected.

Winter did her best to drown out the sounds as well. She was nearly asleep when her phone lit up.

It was Leah.

“Hey. Everything okay? Cullens around?”

“Hey Win. No Cullens. Just wanted… I mean you said I could call you at any time. If it’s late where you are I can…”

“No! No it’s not late. I mean it is but from the sound of it I won’t be getting to sleep any time soon.” Winter admitted listening to the screams of pleasure Bella was letting out.

“So what’s up in Forks?” Winter asked.

“I just needed to talk to you. I… I’m not gay.”

“Okay. I never said you were. Come to think of it I never said I was. What the hell is going on Leah?”

“You aren’t gay?”

“No I am. I just don’t remember telling you that. I liked being around you but I don’t expect anything. Did I weird you out? It’s the hair right? Too short? Or maybe… I don’t know. Whatever I did, I didn’t mean to make your uncomfortable.” Winter told her, a bit disappointed but not surprised.

“No, you don’t understand. How are you doing? Because I’m not doing so well. When can you come back? I want… to hang out.”

“Leah You know what I do. You want the truth? I miss you. I haven’t felt myself since I left Forks. But this is my life.”

“How soon can you come back? Can I come to you? Just for a little while?”

“Uh… believe it or not this place is turning into vampire central. I can’t explain over the phone.”

“Are you okay?!”

“Of course I’m okay Leah.” Winter chuckled, secretly happy with Leah’s reaction. Bella was her friend but she had never had anyone besides Chris interested in her safety. Bella and Mina expected Winter to be in danger with them. The entire team did. Leah was worried.

“Leah can I ask why you are so concerned? Like you said you aren’t gay and we only have known each other for a week. Why do we feel so…” Winter couldn’t explain it without scaring Leah away.

“Connected?” Leah asked.

“Leah are you feeling some sort of attraction to me that is making you uncomfortable? Because I don’t understand what is going on with us.” Winter asked. Fuck it. Like with Mina she felt life was too short. May as well get to the heart of the matter.

“Winter just try to get back as soon as you can. I’ve got some things to explain to you. An explanation for what this is. I think. I mean I can’t explain it because…”

“You’re not gay.” Winter finished.

“No. But I think you are beautiful. Be careful. Call me tomorrow. Please?”

“Yeah. Yeah I can do that Leah.” Winter said quietly stunned at Leah’s statement. Beautiful? Winter had never seen a more beautiful woman than Leah Clearwater.

The call ended and Winter lay down on her back.

She closed her eyes and smiled. The noise from Connolly and Bella’s room no longer bothered her. She was in her own world and didn’t even notice.

The next morning the team now including four vampires sat in a larger conference room and watched video feed of Volturi castle.

“So you want to take them out?” Jasper asked for the third time.

“Yep. Especially if this lead vampire has something to do with your friend’s feelin.” Connolly confirmed for him.

Again.

“Yeah but you want to take them out in one assault. You can’t do it.” Jasper told them.

“Why the hell not?” Webb asked.

“Tell him Garrett.” Peter said.

“The Volturi castle goes very deep. Almost as many levels and rooms underground as this place. There are multiple escape points. Many, many gifted vampires who would simply hunker down and wait for your men. The narrowness of the tunnels and corridors would make using UV lights difficult and place your team in an awkward position. Plus the Volturi are disciplined. Much more disciplined than Maria’s army. They are the closest thing to a military force the vampire world has. You go in there and it will be suicide. Sure you could blow the outer walls but that is mostly for show. You will have to overwhelm them with men and I’m not sure how many casualties it would cause. Perhaps hundreds.”

“Great.” Connolly whispered.

“Or Bella and I go in and slice them to pieces.” Winter suggested.

“No you won’t. You aren’t invincible. This isn’t some fucking video game where you put in a cheat code and go into god mode. We have lost enough.” Hawk told her. “We go in as a team.”

That brought silence to the room. It was probably the most meaningful thing Hawk had said since the team had been together.

“What’s on your mind hillbilly?” Ty asked, noticing the frown on Jasper’s face.

“Could you rewind video of the last two months of surveillance on the castle and leave the image on the screen. Say at one hundred times speed in reverse?”

“Why? You can’t… Oh. I guess you can see it can’t you?” Connolly asked. He nodded to Clive who took the remote and began the surveillance back. Ten minutes later it was over.

“Something is wrong with this picture.” Charlotte observed. Jasper felt it too.

“Wrong? What is right about it? You see how many people have gone in there and not come out? How the hell do these fuckers get away with it? What do they do with the bodies?” Dante asked. That was when the vampires in the room understood what was missing.

“Where the hell was the smoke?” Garrett asked no one in particular.

“Explain?” Bella requested/ordered.

“The Volturi feed weekly. They do not keep human pets. They bring in groups and slaughter them. As long as I can remember you could always tell the Volturi had just fed if you saw smoke rising from a vent on the north side of the castle. Great billowing smoke from their furnace. It was where they burned the bodies.” Peter said.

“So what?” Jack asked.

“So what the fuck are they doing with the bodies if they aren’t burning them?” Connolly answered him. Bella and Winter met Chris’s eyes. They had to find out. The three just knew it. It was important.

“No two ways about it. We need inside that castle.” King observed.

“Yeah but I don’t really like the suicide part of suicide mission. We gotta be tricky about this.” Ty noted. “What about it LT? You know all about tricky.”

“We can’t go in because they will burrow in like ticks and not come out, slaughtering us in choke points.” Connolly said, more to himself. “So if we can’t get into the castle with the Volturi in it, then we need to pull them out. We need to kill them somewhere else.”

“They would never leave the security of that palace without a good reason. When they go out on missions, they go out in groups of four or five always leaving the majority to defend the castle.” Garrett pointed out.

“Right. Unless it was really important. If we baited them into coming out we could pick them off at a time and place of our choosing and not theirs. We could also have our own back up. We could pull a San Jacinto. Lead them by the nose and cut it off. After that we can lead an actual tour of the castle if we wanted. Go over it with every forensic tool we have. Find out where those bodies are.”

“What kind of bait do you think would make Aro that stupid?” Charlotte asked.

The room quieted quickly as everyone realized the answer.

“That would be me.” Bella said quietly.

“What do you think Bella? Your call.” Jason told her.

“Hell yes we are going to do it. Better yet we can use the Cullens and then take them out at the same time. I just have to show back up on the radar. They will be there in a second, Especially if Jasper calls and lets them know. Right Jasper?”

“Right Bella. But how are you going to get the Cullens to help you lure the Volturi to Forks?”

“Who the fuck said we were going to ask them? We only need one. I’m assuming you don’t give a fuck about your wife since you are with us so you shouldn’t have a problem if we just start killing till one of them gets smart and decides to cooperate.” Jason pointed out. Jasper looked at the other three vampires.

“It could work.” Garrett said quietly.

“Hell yes it could work. Bella shows up, Cullens show up. We make one of them call Aro and taunt him. Start shit and let them know where Bella is. Aro would bring his army. At least his most powerful vampires. If he only sends a few we dust them until he decides to attack in force.” Winter said, seeing the plan come together in her head. “And the wolves will help. We set them up and knock them down. I’m not sure what the hell San Jacinto is but it could work.”

“You sure about this Bella?” Connolly asked, ignoring Winter’s obvious ignorance on Texas and US military history.

“Yep. I think it’s time you met my Dad, Jason.” Bella told him, smiling at the thought of seeing Charlie once again with a genuine human she loved.

“Judging by the sounds from the air vents that conversation should have happened a while back.” Webb dryly observed. Bella did not comment but her cheeks did turn a bright shade of red.

Connolly decided now would be a good time to end the meeting.

“Great. It’s settled. Let’s pack up. Time for me to meet the Dad.”

And also introduce himself to Edward Cullen.