BPOV

I barged into mine and Char's suite in the foulest of moods and proceeded to fall face-first into the couch cushions with a loud groan. I was angry and frustrated that I hadn't been allowed to be a part of a mission that I should have been in charge of. I didn't feel like it made me a good Captain when I wasn't able to do the same tasks that I was asking of others. In fact, I felt pretty shitty about it. The whole point of being a leader was to make the hard choices and take the harder missions so others wouldn't have to. Now though, I just felt like a failure. It just made me more angry at the whole situation to know that I didn't choose this outcome for myself.

It didn't take long for someone to find me wallowing in my own self-pity, but it wasn't the person that I expected.

"Knock, knock" came Peter's voice from the doorway. He didn't sound at all worried about what state he'd find me in, or what welcome awaited him if I were to lash out. Instead, he seemed fairly chipper, if not a little concerned. Hopefully that concern was over his own well-being and not over me.

"Did The Major not leave enough food in your bowl?" I ask snarkily, still angry.

"Ouch" he huffs out sardonically, "didn't mean to get your panties in a twist."

"Don't for one minute think that you had any effect whatsoever on my panties." I respond, smiling slightly at my own joke, and pushing myself into a seated position looking at Peter with all the attitude I can muster.

He ignores me and moves further into my suite and plants himself in one of the armchairs. Once comfortable, he looks at me and asks, "You do realize that when you were in the Military as a human that the higher in rank you got, the less likely you were to see any action, right?"

"I remember" I respond acidly, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

"It's simple really." Peter responds unconcerned. "This place is run the same way. If you haven't noticed, Caius, Aro, and Marcus are the highest rankin' members of the Volturi, right?"

"Obviously." My attitude may have added a bit more snark in the reply than I had intended, but the point was made regardless. I was curious as to where he was going with this, but I didn't need him to know I was curious.

"That was a rhetorical question." Peter responds nonchalantly. "When do you think the last time they truly saw any real action on the battlefield was? Again, rhetorical. I know it's been a while. Pay attention. That being said, no army can run properly without its higher rankin' officers stayin' behind and coordinatin' the best plans and potential problems that those on the front lines can't see. We need strong leaders like you and Jasper to lead this campaign against the Romanian's by managin' it from the sidelines until you're needed. The rest is what you have all of us lackys for."

I let out a heavy sigh and try my best to keep my composure. "I see your point, Peter I really do. However, there's absolutely nothing within me that would be alright with sending others on missions I could do myself. That's not a good leader in my opinion."

"And that right there is exactly my point." He says with more conviction. "You said it yourself 'missions that you could do yourself' that means that you are absolutely willin' to do it yourself and that is what makes the difference between a good leader and a shitty one. Trust me. I've had the pleasure of dealin' with both. You make a good leader and your subordinates respect you because you are willin' to do the harder missions yourself."

"So you're saying that I should be happy about staying behind?" I ask with a hint of attitude in my voice.

"No" Peter scoffs "absolutely not. You're not stayin' behind. You'll be in Romania same as the rest of us. In fact, you're gonna help our Major reintegrate himself into Army life. It's been a bit for him and the poor man may be a bit slow on the uptake."

"We're vampires, Peter." I remind him "We remember everything."

"Well," He says waving his hands around like he's batting the thoughts away "that's neither here nor there. Either way, he's gonna need your help before this is over."

I ignore that comment for the moment, I was sure it would be on my mind later, but I had other problems right now. "I said I'd let Jane do it, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

"No one's askin' you to be happy about it. It's war. No one's happy during a war. What I am askin' you to do is to be patient. I have zero doubt in my mind that you will need to jump into the fray in some capacity or another. Just" he takes a deep breath and sighs resigned "let it happen."

I groan aloud and the sound is immediately followed by "Fine. Fine, fine, fine. Fine."

"Thank you." Peter says mouth curving up in the ghost of a smile. Now that I have a minute to really look at him, I'm impressed by what I see. He's tall, broad-shouldered and slightly lanky, has beautiful ruby-red eyes and short, messy, light brown hair, and I can't help but find him attractive. One of his most prominent features is his scarring from the Southern Wars. However, it doesn't take away from his attractiveness. Instead, it only seems to add to it.

The Southern Wars were no joke and I have an immense amount of respect for anyone that can live through that hell and come out as happy-go-lucky and sane as Peter. He doesn't seem to let anything get to him and I admire that.

"Like what you see?" My staring did not go unnoticed it seems and I think I would have blushed if I were still able.

"Well, honestly I was just thinking about how much you've been through in your life and how genuinely honored I am to have you here giving me advice. It's nice to have someone give you a different perspective on things." I reply actively deflecting the insinuation.

"Uh huh, sure" Peter replies with a cat-ate-the-canary grin "you were just thinking about how attractive you found me and how you wanted to jump my bones."

I burst out laughing and replied with a snarky "You caught me."

"I knew it! The ladies just can't resist me." He responds suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows just to reiterate his point.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me, Peter had managed to erase my bad mood entirely, which I didn't expect, but really appreciated. We talked for a few more hours after that. The discussion topics were endless; how we became vampires, what we had done in the Military as humans, what rankings we had earned in both Vampire and Human Armies, what we both did for fun, and what it was like to work with Jasper and Char. It was easy to talk to Peter and we had a good camaraderie between us by the time he left to go find Jasper and hopefully, convince him that they both needed to go to the Blood Room tonight to let off a bit of steam before we left to go back to Romania.

I was curious about where Char had gotten off to after the meeting because she hadn't come looking for me for awhile, but I also knew that she was a grown ass woman and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, so I wasn't worried. Instead, I took the rare opportunity that I had of being alone to my advantage. I grabbed a fantasy novel that I had been reading before I had originally left for Romania off of the bookcase in the living room, headed towards the claw-footed bathtub, grabbed the lavender scented bubble bath, and proceeded to indulge in some self-care before the festivities tonight.

This was precisely what I had been needing.

Two hours later, I was finally stepping out of my relaxing bath when there was a commotion in the living room area. Wrapping a towel around myself, I made my way out of my room and was greeted with the sight of Char rummaging through multiple packages that she had unceremoniously dropped onto the couch and onto the floor.

"What are you doing?" I asked confused, but amused.

"I went to visit Heidi while you came up here to sulk-"

"I do not sulk." I interrupted childishly.

"-and she had all of the pieces to our 1920's outfits for the Blood Room made already." Char continued unimpeded. "We chatted for a bit before she also gave me suits for Jasper and Peter. Apparently she thinks that we'd know where to find them."

"Anyone knows where to find them, Char." I respond moving forward into the room and picking up packages off the floor. "That's one of the wonderful things about being a vampire. Your sense of smell, which means that one could, in theory, follow their scents to their room. However, this is the Volturi Castle, and usually when someone new enters, everyone is usually informed of where that person would be staying."

Char just looks at me with a bit of a smirk before saying, "True, but I don't think Heidi really puts that much thought into it, do you?"

"As brilliant as she can be, she's also a bit of an airhead, so no." I reply honestly.

"Besides," Char says a little more shyly. "I wouldn't mind seeing Peter again."

"And the truth comes out." I accuse, smiling at her. Defiance and discomfort fighting over being the dominant emotion on her face.

"Alright fine!" she secedes angrily "I agreed to drop theirs off. So what?"

"So nothing." I reply honestly. "The Whitlocks seem like good men and if you're interested in one of them, then go for it."

"But what about you? Us?" Char asks concerned. "We've been together so long."

"Charlotte" I reply standing before her and grabbing her hands. As I look into her eyes, I can see that she doesn't want this to affect our relationship in any way. I continue, trying to put her mind at ease, "you and I have something that no one else can touch. I love you with all my heart and just want to see you happy. If you think Peter will make you happy, even temporarily, then I'm not going to stand in the way of that."

"I know you just want to see me happy, but I don't want you to be left alone." Char responds.

"I won't be alone. He just needs to understand that if he gets involved with you, nothing between the two of us will change, Char." I reiterate. "I won't lose you, in any form of the word and if he can accept that, then more power to him."

The only thing Char can do to show me how she feels in that moment is kiss me. It's not a passionate kiss, but instead one of love, respect, and understanding. I melt a little into it and return it with enthusiasm. I know in my heart that nothing between us will change, but if we are to have Mates in the future, then they need to know, and we need to know, that we'll still be there for eachother.

Char breaks off the kiss and squeals excitedly as she gathers the packages for the Whitlocks. "Be back soon!" She says excitedly before rushing out the door and off to see Jasper and Peter.

All I can do is just chuckle at her antics as I gather up the packages Heidi made for me and take them to my room. Once inside, I open the boxes and lay everything out in front of me. It looks like Heidi made me a two-tone dress from silk that I was thrilled to try on. The top part of the dress was a low-cut black number that had thick shoulder straps, but left the arms bare. The bodice was gathered right at the waist and had a giant gold diamond pattern right at the stomach. The black top continued to fall to right at my hips, where the gold asymmetrical skirt began. The skirt came up to right above my knees in the front and draped to just past my knees in the back. I loved it.

Heidi had managed to find me some black T-strap shoes to wear with it, as well as a long pearl necklace that I could drape however long, or in however many layers, as I saw fit. The look was finished off with a small black fascinator, with three black roses and black lace, to go in my hair.

I knew with a look like this, that I couldn't just let my hair hang loose, so with a heavy sigh, I headed back into my bathroom to start the arduous process of finger-waving and pinning my hair up into some semblance of 20's fashion. Luckily, as vampires, we didn't need makeup, so I completely ignored that part of making me look like I just walked out of a 20's fashion magazine.

Char came back when I was about halfway done with my hair. She looked like she had been on Cloud 9 the entire time she had been gone. The smile on her face was contagious and I couldn't help but be happy for her.

"I take it things went well?" I inquired.

"You could say that." Char answers timidly. "They've both agreed to come tonight, so I guess what I said managed to convince them."

"I'm glad." I said smiling brightly at Char and turning back into my room to continue taming my hair. "I'm happy for you. And to be honest, I kind of can't wait to see how Jasper looks in whatever Heidi's put him in."

Char perks up from looking at her packages in the living room and says, "Oh really? Have your eyes on Jasper, do you?"

I laugh from my bathroom. "Absolutely not!" I deny vehemently "I'm just excited to get to know him a little better. In a more friendly capacity than we met last time."

"Uh huh" Char hums from the other room, clearly not believing a word I'm saying "sure. Keep telling yourself that Bells."

"I'm serious!" I nearly holler at her. "The only interest I have in Major Jasper Whitlock is in a military capacity. If I get to know him better, then that's great and I will consider him a friend if it comes to it. However, I do not have any romantic interest."

Char comes into my bathroom fully dressed, steals my brush to brush her own hair, and looks at me in the mirror. "You're doing an awfully good job of lying to yourself."

"That outfit is so cute!" I say excitedly and successfully changing the subject. "Heidi did an amazing job."

She was wearing a baby blue dress that had a large rose ruffle on the left shoulder strap. The bodice of the dress had cobalt blue lace accents to give it a more exciting and less one-dimensional look. There was a thick bow that gathered up the fabric at her hips and was tied, and draped, at her left hip. The asymmetrical skirt came down to a point below her knees on the sides and was above her knees in the middle. A pair of silver T-straps and a long silver chain with a giant teardrop pearl that rested just below her sternum completed the look.

"I see you decided on being difficult with your hair." Char responds, acknowledging my three-quarters done mane.

"Just because you can get away with throwing your hair in a bun, doesn't mean we all have that luxury." I retort.

She sighs, shakes her head, and moves forward into the bathroom to help me. "Why do you insist on always being difficult?"

"I'm not difficult." I reply stubbornly, "I just know what I want and will go to extreme measures to see that I get what I want."

"Stubborn." Char responds as she finishes the last of the pins. "Now, let's hope no one attacks the castle tonight. Your hair alone could be its own weapon."

"Ha ha" I respond curtly.

Once we're both dressed, we make our way down to the Blood Room so we can make sure everything is set up for the evening. Walking back in there after so long felt a little like coming home. No one had bothered to come in here at all since the Guard left for Romania and it showed. This place needed a good sprucing. As our Staff for the evening started to arrive, we dusted, cleaned the floors, wiped down tables and chairs, made sure our stereo equipment was running the way it should, made sure the lighting was working the way we had set it up to, and cleaned the glasses and mugs that we would be using for the evening. We double-checked stock levels on all of our lab-treated blood/liquor mixes, we made sure that our wine and champagne selection was still good, and we did checks on all of the beer that we have on tap. Everything was looking good, so we left the Bartenders to their duties for the evening and headed up to the DJ stand.

Normally, we would have one of our more experienced Guard members run the bar and another be the DJ for the evening, but since Sigrid and Alexi were in Romania, we needed someone else to step up to the plate. Luckily for us, we had several members of the Guard that would be relieving our members in Romania soon, and this would be a good test for them.

Alexander and Collins would be taking over Bartender duties, Barnes would be our DJ for the evening, and some of the newer newborns would be using this opportunity to work on their dexterity by serving drinks to patrons. Unconventional, but it works.

Thomas Barnes, who had been a part of the Volturi for about two years now, was an excellent choice for back-up DJ when Alexi wasn't here. He was very knowledgeable about different styles of music and was always out to have a good time. I'm not sure what he was planning to do about our Progressive Metal situation, but I was willing to let him show me.

It wasn't long before 8 p.m. was upon us. Char and I walked up to the doors, took a deep breath, turned to Barnes to begin his set, and we threw open the heavy metal doors and let the crowd trickle in.

Opening the club to the first few notes of Metallica, Barnes kept the music up all night. He played Crimson Glory, Opeth, Liquid Tension Experiment, Evergrey, Amorphis, Black Sabbath, and more bands than I had ever heard of.

About an hour after the club opened, Char and I were seeing to our hostess duties and making sure that all of the guests that had come out tonight were enjoying themselves. We spotted Marcus off on one side of the dancefloor and laughed as he gave the Guard members that surrounded him a lesson on Proper Metal Headbanging. Apparently, he had been reading up on the way to do it before he came down here tonight and thought he'd share his newfound knowledge with anyone willing to listen. It was quite the sight from someone over a millenia old. Caius and Aro, it seemed had decided to forgo this evening's activities.

We left Marcus to it and wandered over to the bar where we could get a couple of drinks ourselves. As we were waiting for Alexander or Collins to be free to take our order, I felt a tap on my right shoulder.

"What's a pretty Dame like you doin' in a Speakeasy like this?" I hear drawled smoothly in my ear.

I turn around and face my assailant and say "That's a good look for you Jasper."

He was wearing a white collared shirt with pearl buttons and had a pair of dark grey pinstripe pants on with nice black shoes. On his head he was wearing a fedora and he had a jacket on to match the pants.

"Thank ya ma'am. You look amazin' if I do say so myself." He continues to drawl almost obscenely.

"Thank you very much. I didn't think that you would come tonight." I divulged, slightly turned on by the accent, if I were being honest. "This doesn't seem to be your scene."

"I was coerced." Jasper says pointing to a high table where Peter and Char were talking animatedly about something I couldn't quite make out over the music.

"Ah." I stated understanding a bit more now, "So Peter dragged you here against your will then?"

"I'll admit, at first I didn't want to come, because let's face it, you're right. It's not my scene at all." He chuckles a bit before continuing, "However, after seeing you here, I am very glad I came."

"Why is that?" I ask confused.

"Because I get to see you outside of your normal Guard duties." Jasper replies honestly. "It's nice for me to actually get the chance to know the real Bella."

"Well," I state boldly, "let's grab a table and we can get to know each other better over a drink or two."

I finally got Alexander's attention and ordered two vodkas and just as I was about to ask Jasper for his order, he just added two more. "I hope those aren't both for you." I told Jasper.

"No. One's for Peter. He just looks too busy to get it himself." Jasper responds.

I look over at Peter and Char and they are still discussing something as we head over to their table. "Hate to interrupt" I nearly shout to be heard over the music "but we brought drinks!"

"Char and I were just discussing the Romania mission and what our cover story could be." Peter told us as we put our drinks down. "Do y'all have any thoughts?"

"My only thought is that I don't wanna spend the evenin' talkin' 'bout work, Pete. So I'm gonna escort miss Bella over to another table." Jasper announced.

"Alright" I looked over at him in surprise, "I guess I'm going with Jasper then." I told Char. "I'll meet up with you later, yeah?"

"Sure Bella." Char says looking at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Have fun!"

I roll my eyes at her as I walk away from the table and head over to a booth Jasper has procured for us. I notice that he's taken off his jacket and underneath he actually put on "Suspenders?"

"They were apparently a fashion statement in the 20's. Although I'm kinda glad I missed out on this particular statement." He defends, stretching one side of the suspenders and letting them snap back onto his chest. "Besides, I didn't really have a choice, did I?"

"No I guess not." I laugh at his annoyed expression. I take a sip of my drink and relax a bit. "So, you have me here, drink in my hand. What do you want to know?"

"Well, ya went over your history with me last night, but that doesn't tell me who ya really are. It just tells me what all you've been through and how ya came to be here. What I want to know is; who is the real Bella?"

"Starting off with the easy questions first, I see." I state amused.

Jasper laughs and says, "Oh yes. Almost as easy as 'what is your motivation?' or 'why do ya do the things that ya do?'"

"I'm glad you see the conundrum here."

"Alright fine I concede. Let's start with an easier one then, if it makes ya happy." He says grinning at me. "When did ya realize that ya liked vodka?"

The rest of the night passed in a blur of laughter and storytelling as Jasper and I learned more about each other on a more personal level. One that we were never able to do before and I was a bit saddened by that. I learned that he loved horseback riding and having a purpose in his life. I also learned that he hated the color mustard-yellow and he couldn't stand the snow. He learned that I actually loved to dance and that I enjoyed getting myself into all sorts of shenanigans. He also took it in stride that I hated to have to rely on others and I was extremely impatient.

All in all it was a really great night and I honestly dreaded having to leave Jasper's presence to go get ready for the day ahead. I knew that we had to leave to go train our recruits soon, and even though he would be helping with that training, a part of me didn't want to move. It was only when the lights of the bar came on at 4 a.m. that we realized how late it had gotten.

Being the gentleman that he was, Jasper offered to escort me back to my room, and once I saw that Barnes, Alexander, Collins, Jasper, and I were the only ones left in the bar, I took him up on the offer. Char must have found her way back to our suite at some point during the evening. She'd be thrilled that it seemed Jasper and I got along so well.

I told Jasper as much on our walk back to my room and he just chuckled before asking "Was there ever any doubt?"

"There shouldn't have been, but there was a bit."

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"I was afraid that you would expect me to be the same timid wallflower that you first met all those years ago. The same one who let everyone walk all over her and didn't complain. Instead, it seems that you get me; the sarcastic, nerdy, cold-hearted, human-eating, Captain of the Volturi Guard."

"And I wouldn't have you any other way." Jasper remarks with sincerity. I don't know if it was his gift being let loose on me, or if it was just the way he said it, but I believed him.

We continued our walk in companionable silence, not needing to fill up the air with words. Instead, we were both lost in our own thoughts and yet still enjoyed each other's company. It was nice just walking side by side with Jasper. Not that I needed it in the castle, but he made me feel safe. Better still, he made me feel like I was his only priority and that was a first.

My thoughts lingered on Jasper. I knew that I was in for a world of potential emotional pain because I was beginning to feel like I had never met a man like him before, which said a lot about my history and relationships when it came to men. Even with Char, my love language was giving. I would see to her emotional health and her needs well before my own. Which was never a good thing in any relationship, but I just wanted to make the other people in my life happy. Nomatter if I was the cost or not.

Plus, I also had the privilege of being in the military and that meant that I got the chance to know quite a few Alpha Male types, which meant that I got the chance to know how they would act around people. Dominant, demanding, and self-centered were usually the type. Nothing really changed much from Human to Vampire. I still met the same types and, even if they were interested, I knew that I didn't want to be around men who I felt were toxic.

Jasper was nothing like that. He was the perfect Southern Gentleman, but obviously still knew how to handle himself. The scars that he wore prominently on his skin were proof of that, hell he even had more than Peter. The sheer amount of Alpha Male just rolled off of him in waves. He wasn't adding his gift into the mix on this one, but he didn't have to force it. Instead, it was similar in the way the same vibe would roll off of Caius or Marcus. It was just a part of who he was. As soon as he stepped in a room, he would have everyone's attention without saying a word.

A part of my brain held onto that realization and I knew I would need to test that little theory tomorrow before I put too much stock into it, but that's how it seemed at that moment. The more prominent part of my brain was just marveling at him in general. I didn't understand how someone so kind and sincere could have such a hellish reputation. Granted, that hell was going to serve me better with these ridiculous Romanians than the Southern Gentleman that I was seeing now, but I still couldn't wrap my head around it. Hopefully, Jasper will want to stick around a bit longer after this whole thing is over. As much as I've learned about him tonight, I certainly wouldn't mind learning more.

Before either of us knew it, we had made it back to my door. Jasper broke the silence with a gentle, "Back at your door, safe and sound, ma'am."

I chuckled a bit before thanking him with "Not that I need it in here, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Jasper just looks down, takes his right hand to rub at the back of his neck, and shrugs a bit before saying "I guess I'll see you in a few hours then?"

"Absolutely." I reply smiling at him. "I'll be there with bells on."

He just grins and replys with "I'll hold you to that."

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, Jasper. I had a great time." I state enthusiastically. As much as this night had not started of as a date, by the end of it it certainly felt like one.

"I did, too." He replies a bit shyly. "Would it be possible to do this again sometime?"

"I see no reason why not." I state sincerely. "In fact, I think that would be a great idea. Maybe when we get back from Romania?"

His face falls a little and...is that...disappointment I feel? "Right." He states taking a deep breath. "I guess I'll let you get ready for the rest of your day then. Night Bella."

He starts walking down the hallway and I can see him shake his head a bit at himself before I reply with, "Night Jasper."