This was originally submitted for Fandom for Texas this past fall as a Jasper-centric 3-shot.

AlexisDanaan was my awesome beta for this story.

RPFanGirl originally thought of this idea and I just sort of put my spin on it. Thanks hun for pre-reading.

DarkNNerdy helped to preread this story as well.

I don't own the characters, that belongs to SM. I did however create the story.

WARNING - Rated M for language and violence.

Chapter 3

Thirteen months later -

"Jasper, the lead singer of the band mentioned that he has been getting a string of stalkers," Bella whispered to me during the sound check. "They have gotten worse over the past months, somebody has been crank calling his girlfriend and sending threatening letters to their house. He thinks it might be one of the many fans that follow them when they tour. I didn't pry but something must have given him that idea."

"Alright, I'll have G work the bar tonight and I'll mingle amongst the crowd to see if I can catch any hint of deviousness. Does he know about the side business?" I asked.

"I don't think so, I just mentioned that you've had military training and you might be able to help so don't be surprised if he talks to you after they're done with practice."

"Thanks, with the tickets sold tonight, I think we'll have another packed house," I mentioned and she nodded as we sat watching the band. "Garrett and Peter just arrived, they're in the back."

She nodded and whispered a greeting to both of them knowing that they would hear.

It had been a year since she arrived in Austin and became the manager of Zombie. Our side business was booming and she helped us tremendously by making sure the club ran smoothly while we were out on assignment. She was not only a good manager but she got along with my brother and Garrett. It wasn't a surprise to see the four of us hang out, even on Mondays when the club was closed.

Bella and I quickly become the best of friends when she moved out here. We both found it easy to talk and just enjoy each other's company. Lately, our friendship had been slowly transitioning though to something more meaningful to us both.

Last month, the two of us traveled to Volterra so she could meet the leaders. Both Felix and Heidi had met her during their visits to Austin and word got around that the brothers were interested in meeting her as well. It was during that visit that Marcus informed us that we had a really strong bond with each other. The brothers asked Bella her intentions since she knew our secret and she surprised me by asking me right there if I'd be willing to change her. I didn't hesitate with my answer since we both felt the beginnings of a more romantic relationship. The kings agreed that I change her and because they trusted me, there wasn't a time-table set. It was an unspoken understanding that they knew I'd keep my word and it would be done.

My attention was drawn to Peter and Garrett as they came out of the back office and sat down next to us to watch the band practice. I explained to them what Bella had told me about their lead singer's plight and they both agreed to pay special attention to the crowd and their body language tonight.

"I'll back you up at the bar, G," Bella said after I was done with my explanation. "That way, when you have that assignment at midnight, I can smoothly take over."

"Sounds good, B. You're doing really good as a bartender now," Garrett replied with a smile. He liked Bella from the very beginning and even asked her to the movies but as it turned out, as they got to know each other, they became more like siblings than anything else.

Bella grinned. "Thank you, I couldn't have done it without y'all," she drawled out and laughed. "Once I become a vampire and get my control, I'll be able to spin the bottles and make a show out of it," she added quietly.

All of us laughed, partly due to what she said and partly because we've all been teasing her that she's picked up a slight drawl in her time here.

"Well, little lady, we'll be more than happy to show you once you've gotten that control down," Peter replied. He leaned over to Bella and whispered against her ear so the conversation wouldn't be heard by the band who were heading our way, though Garret and I both could hear him clearly. "Hey, you remember that lady who showed up with the black eye? Well, she just wired some money late last night and I have scheduled a special meeting with her druggie husband at the end of the week."

Bella reached over and grabbed his hand. "Thanks Peter, she was a neighbor of mine and I always thought she was hiding something whenever I saw her at the apartment complex. I am glad she stopped by the club a few nights ago when she did."

"Yeah, I talked to her for a while when she stepped outside for a smoke. She said he always left his anger in places where it wasn't easily seen. This was the first time he left a noticeable mark on her and she was fucking terrified."

"Oh no!" she exclaimed in a whisper shout, grasping her hand over Peter's. "What about her kids? Is she out of the apartment?"

"Yeah, she took them and is temporarily staying at a hotel. Since school is out, she said she let it be known to friends and family that she was taking the kids on a road trip to visit her mother out in Colorado Springs. She was hoping that something can be done soon while she was out of town so she wouldn't be implicated. She doubts he'll do anything like follow her, at least, not right away which is why she wanted to get the situation expedited."

At that point, the lead singer came to our table and introduced the four of us to his band. As the band walked away outside to have a smoke, he quickly sat down and talked to us about his stalker situation. He also admitted that he had heard, through word of mouth, that there was someone who hung out at Zombie that would be able to permanently take care of his situation. He explained that his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child and the stress of knowing about these letters from an 'overzealous' fan was worrying the two of them. He tried to get the police involved but they weren't willing to do much since there was nothing to go by.

I asked him what he meant by that and he speculated that each letter was mailed in seemingly random spots but he knew that they were postmarked from towns that were near the tour stops. He also mentioned that some of the letters he had seen included details on his outfits or the songs played. He was scared and I sent him a very low dosage of reassurance as I explained that the four of us acted as messengers to the contact he was interested in getting a hold of. We would pass the word along to see if his situation could be resolved and got his personal email address and promised to forward that over. Peter jumped in and mentioned that if the contact was interested in this job, they would get a hold of him as quickly as possible. That was the standard speech we have been using of late for our potential clients so we could add a layer of anonymity. He thanked us profusely and as soon as the band left, Peter locked the doors so we wouldn't be interrupted.

I pulled out my laptop to re-arrange the assignments now that Peter had a fast-track job for the end of the week. Both our businesses were still booming, especially the side business, and we haven't had to go out and hunt on our own yet because our schedule was always booked. We had all been paid well for each of our meals which always made us laugh. It had been so busy that Garrett had taken permanent residence here in Texas now. We still required some Volturi members to come out and assist when we were overbooked, but they were always happy and willing to visit and participate.

"Bella," I looked up at her and motioned for her to come over. I showed her the calendar for the next few months and where there were gaps in the schedule in case she wanted to do her change then. During my absence as I got her acclimated to the vampire life and then past her newborn stage, Garrett was going to take over along with Demetri and Gianna. The plan was that after a couple months here, we were going to go to Volterra so she could acclimate with other vampires and also be trained to fight. That was something she said she wanted to learn after meeting some of the guards.

She looked over my shoulder before pointing to the month of August. "How about then? That is almost two months from now. That will give me enough time to finalize things and get them in order," she replied. She was nervous but excited at the same time.

"That would work, you sure about this?" I asked.

She nodded and looked first at me and then to Peter and Garrett. "Yeah, you've been more than family to me the past year and I have never felt more welcomed. All three of you have been genuine and I appreciate that you never pretended to be something you weren't." I watched as she went up to hug Garrett and then Peter before she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek.

"Oh, so tonight there is supposed to be a huge bachelorette party coming in. They called to reserve a couple large tables near the stage," she mentioned after sitting back down. "I think we can get them seated in Pam's area since she seems to do a bang-up job with the larger parties."

"Yeah, then it is a good thing we'll have two bartenders tonight," Garrett replied. "Peter, might get lucky tonight." Garrett slapped Peter's shoulders and laughed.

We all laughed as Peter straightened up and flexed his muscles. He was definitely enjoying his bachelorhood.

"I can't do too much, I've got to be in Montana for the teacher that uses his students to run drugs for him. I've to get there before school starts in the morning so as soon as the club closes, I'm heading to the airport," he mentioned. I could feel he was disappointed in not being able to hook up tonight.

"Sounds good to me," I said and nodded. "We'll close up shop." I continued to work on my computer answering emails and updating our schedules. "Hey, it looks like while Bella and I are busy in August, the Kings might make an appearance."

"No shit? They want in on the schedule?" Peter asked and I showed him the email.

"Sure looks like it," I replied. "They were curious when Bella and I were there last month and I am also sure they want to check in on the status of things while they're here." I looked at Bella and she nodded. "Caius says in his email that the plan is for them to make an appearance at the Cullens first before they come down here."

"The Cullens won't ask about the business, will they?" Bella asked with concern. During our visit to Volterra, Bella and the three Volturi Kings connected, she considered them her uncles while they in turn doted after her and really made her feel welcome.

I pulled her chair closer to me and held her hand. "That is why they want to visit them first. With Caius' ability, he'll be able to keep Edward and Alice at bay."

It was only known in inner circles that Caius had a gift. He was able to camouflage his mind from others, producing false feelings and thoughts. It was something that he was even able to fool Aro for a long time, so long that even Carlisle wasn't aware of the gift. This would give him an advantage while visiting the Cullens so our business association would not be revealed.

"So he'll feed false information to them to placate them?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes, he'll most likely take charge of the visit and being that he has a reputation of being a hard ass, I'm sure the duo won't search too much. He'll also keep his innermost thoughts to himself while feeding them false 'official' dealings that would certainly bore or disgust the Cullens."

"Good, we don't need them meddling," she said emphatically. "Last thing we need is for them to all come down here and butt into our lives."

Peter laughed loud. "Oh fuck no! I'll work on some remote assignments if that were the case. We don't need to hear them talk about morals and stuff like that."

"Yeah, as much as I respect Carlisle, I don't think we'd see eye to eye on our business dealings and we don't need to be treated like disobedient children either," Garrett said, shaking his head.

"Alright, so we'll get the lowdown after they come out here. The two of us will be at the Dripping Springs house so we'll figure out if we all meet there or elsewhere," I said and looked at Bella. "A lot of this is up in the air because we won't know what your feeding schedule will be like."

"No, I understand," she said with a small smile. "I could be crazy Bella or a calm one. I just hope I'll be able to be a part of the team eventually."

"Jasper, I think we've created ourselves a criminal here," Peter drawled out before reaching over and ruffling her hair.

"Hey, for the record, I think I had criminal tendencies before I met y'all," she said and stuck her tongue at him. "There were so many times that I would pass by the rat poison at the store and was close to buying some so I could mix it in his coffee."

I reached over and squeezed her hand. I knew that even though it had been over a year since I helped her get rid of her problem, she was still healing from the emotional turmoil that she had to deal with. It was that reason that our friendship was now slowly started to evolve into the beginnings of a romance. It wasn't that she didn't want to pursue a relationship, it was the fact that she felt so broken that she needed the time to move past and feel like herself once again. The two of us still haven't been intimate sexually yet but our lust for each other continued to grow as well as a our feelings of love.

She patted my hand and sent her appreciation to me as well as her ever growing affection.

"Alright, let's get to business." I shut down the computer knowing some of the waitstaff were due to arrive in a few minutes.

Six months later -

I took Bella's hand and led her to the abandoned ancient catacombs that was in an alleyway. We arrived at Volterra a month ago and she was progressing wonderfully. Her control was really good and I figured within the next few months, I could take us back to Texas and we can slowly integrate her into the business.

"Okay Bella, I can feel you're hungry, I'm going to go back out there and lure those men your way," I whispered against her ear. I didn't have to but I wanted to feel her close against me.

"The ones that were groping all those women?" she whispered back.

I nodded and tapped my ear as we both could hear the men were outside building now. I let her study her intended victims from afar. We could hear the feminine cries of 'help' coming from the alley way and I whispered to her that the women were absolutely frightened. There was desire coming from the men and it was the closest human equivalent to bloodlust. I drank in the emotions for a couple seconds.

"I'll make it quick but remember, I'm thirsty too," I said and kissed her temple.

She reached up and touched my face. "I'll just take one. I fed four days ago," she said proudly.

"Yes, you did and your control is still strong." I smiled at her and gave her a quick peck on the lips before running back out of the catacombs and into the alleyway.

As I reached the two men, I could see they were roughly dragging two young females along the empty cobbled road. I sent lethargy to the four and as soon as they fell into a slumber, I quickly ran the females down the street to a lit section of the street that was across from a police station. I sat them on the bench. When I got back to the men, I carried both of them over my shoulder and ran back to where Bella was.

"Sorry, they got even more rough with the girls so I had to put them all asleep before I could take the women to a safer area," I explained.

"Can you wake them up?" she asked quietly as I could feel her hunger growing. I nodded and sent them both a dose of what would almost feel like an adrenaline rush. We watched in the dark shadows as the men woke up and started to scramble about in confusion. I slowly sent them some fear and they started to shake and run around looking for an exit but not seeing one because it was so dark.

I was still holding her hand when I turned to her and gave her a slight nod.

Bella leaped at one of the men and tackled him to the ground as a snarl escaped her lips. The other man's heart accelerated at the noise just as I reached him and pulled his head back. I bent down and drank as I watched Bella latch her mouth onto her victim's neck and start drinking. Our growls filled the ancient stone room as we drank greedily. Since her change, I have had to go back to hunting and teach her to how to do it conspicuously. I also made sure she was well fed so that her odds of having bloodlust issues would be reduced.

She was quickly learning to hide in the shadows and lure her meals to her. It also didn't hurt that she took some lessons from Heidi in the art of baiting for humans.

I kept in constant touch with Peter and Garrett who have been telling me that business was booming and we needed to consider another plane due to all the requests we were getting. Demetri and Gianna were doing great at the club. Demetri acted as a bouncer so it was usually Garrett and Peter behind the bar now. Gianna was the acting club manager and together with their rich European accent and charm, they had become popular amongst our regulars.

Bella sighed in relief as she finished draining the man and together we dragged the bodies out of the catacombs.

"I'll get that," Felix's deep voice almost echoed in the quiet night.

"Thanks Felix, I didn't know you were here," Bella mentioned as she handed the body over to the Volturi Guard.

"Ah, Ms. Swan, this is one of my favorite hangouts and I like to roam the streets here even when I am not ready to feed yet," he said pried what looked to be a manhole cover on the street. To humans that is what they assumed it would be but for us vampires, we knew that was an incinerator that is used to destroy our meals. It was something the Volturi installed in various cities around Volterra.

Felix and I tossed the bodies into the hole and then he closed it up. The three of us walked in a near human pace as we headed back to the castle. I knew that Bella hated to walk at such a slow speed but seeing how we both were, she had no choice but to follow. She wrapped her arm around me as we walked back.

"Are you going back to Texas soon?" Felix asked.

"Planning to within the next few months, why are you coming along?" I asked.

"I want to, I have some time off coming so yeah, if you two don't mind a third wheel."

Bella reached her free hand and grabbed Felix's for a quick squeeze. "We don't mind, would we, Jasper?"

I shook my head, "Fly with us, Garrett will need some wandering off time seeing how he's been in one place nonstop for nearly a year now."

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks guys."

Three months later -

We had been back in Texas a month now and Bella's control has been continuously improving. All of us have been helping her with hunting since we were only giving her the simpler assignments with one of us coming along to help her construct the crime scene. Since I was back on a normal rotation, I would go with her to hunt just to keep watch over her. She had a tendency to lose herself to her meal leaving her slightly disoriented after she was finished which wasn't an unusual occurrence for young vampires. Garrett, Peter and I all made sure that she disposed of the body afterwards and we made sure she didn't make too much noise that would alert nosy humans.

Lately, when she was sated of her thirst, we'd take her to one of our jobs so she could watch us in action especially how we planted the scene afterwards. I could feel she was intimidated because some of the assignments did require us to drain our victims just to the point of death, making sure they didn't have venom and then 'killing' them through some other means - making it look like a suicide, fiery car crashes or a mugging gone bad. Those were things that she could be assigned to as she matured in her vampire years. In the meantime, she was an eager student and because each assignment presented an opportunity for her to learn, we held regular meetings, albeit informal ones, where we'd go over our week's assignments.

As far as a romance, we were growing strong in that area. During her change, she lost a few of her memories and even though she knew we were dating, we still had to start back at square one. The trip back to Volterra provided opportunities to grow our relationship and we ended up marking each other during a trip to the French countryside. That was something I had never imagined would happen since it was never done before with my past relationships.

Before we headed back to Texas, the Volturi announced that they were going to have a branch located in North America. Immediately, Felix and Heidi both volunteered to relocate here. The Volturi 'consulate' was actually located in Denver but so far, Heidi and Felix haven't found a suitable building yet there yet so one was being built. Until that was complete, they stayed out in Texas with us and frequently were added into the assignment rotation.

The Volturi were excited to have a Western Hemisphere branch to make sure the laws were followed. While I never questioned the kings and neither did the members of the guard, it was speculated that much of the reasoning behind it was to make sure certain covens were being watched, specifically, the Cullens. During the Royal visit when Bella was going through the early weeks of her new life, it was discovered that Edward had found a human girl as a soul mate. She knew about what the Cullens were and because of that, the Volturi wanted to make sure this time they adhered to the laws and not let a human slip by again.

It was debated to have the offices located in Texas but in the end, we figured once word got around that the Volturi had facilities in the States, the Cullens would either move further away from them or attempt to get into their good graces. I wasn't sure how well received that would be but none of us wanted to take the chance that they show up here and interfere with our lives and our business. That piece was the past for Bella and me and we didn't have any desire to confront them again.

As I held Bella up atop Mount Bonnell and we took in the the nighttime view of Austin, I couldn't help but think back how this idea all started. It was nothing more than a joke during a poker game that had now become a great business venture that was still growing strong. Word of mouth was a great way to get customers and our offshore accounts were flowing. Soon we would be adding a full fledged assassin into the team and all of us couldn't wait.

NOTES:

So there you go, a 3 shot of Jasper. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to all who contributed to Fandom for Texas - it felt good to contribute to this one.

XOXO sushi