At the beginning of Eclipse, while Edward and Bella were in Jacksonville, the fight escalated and both Jacob and Alice got killed. Jasper is left bereft. Yet when protecting Bella from the pack, in the woods, he discovers surprising passion for her. Does Bella love him back? And of course Edward brings on the drama. BxJaz

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Heads bowed, solemn, watching the white headstone endlessly. Were they hoping the headstone would pop out, and history would undo itself? Would simply watching, and sobbing, bring her back?

Alice Cullen
Beloved wife
sister, daughter, friend

There were no dates. Nothing. Everything was unknown. She didn't remember her past, and now she had no future.

The fine, black ashes were buried here, behind the house, far from Forks Cemetery. Jacob Black had been buried there. The Cullens noticed, sometimes, that Bella wandered off, and they knew she was going to the cemetery to visit Jacob. He had been her friend, too, even if he had caused Alice's death. They said nothing, and pretending they didn't know. And so they stood there, not moving, for days, mourning her.

She was gone.

"Jasper! No!"

Alice leapt in front of the tall, blond vampire and took the full brunt of Jacob's claws in her chest. A endless, tortured scream tore out of her as his claws ripped her, shredding...

Jasper furiously attacking Jacob, ripping his throat open, face twisted in despair, but it was too late. She had fallen backwards into the flames and was gone.

Jasper crouched on the ground, head buried in hands, messy golden hair tangled in his long fingers. His eyes were black, very black, but he didn't care. He didn't care. There was nothing left.

Edward holding Jasper back, preventing him from leaping at the fire. Jasper's face was wild, snarling. "NO! She can't- she's not-"

Carlisle looked up sadly, letting a small pile of fine, black ashes drip through his fingers. "Jasper..." his face was compassionate, "I'm sorry."

"NO!" Jasper roared, fighting for a second more, trying to rip Edward's arm off him, then suddenly went limp, legs collapsing on the ground, and he whispered, so silently that only a vampire could have heard, "No..."

She was gone. Forever.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

JASPER

Three months, one week, and four days.

What was I counting? The amount of time I had survived with her gone? No, because I had not survived. I was dead.

I was laying on the ground, my cheek pressing against the cool wood. I wished I could have slipped into unconsciousness, but I couldn't. I couldn't.

"Jasper." The cool, insensitive voice brought me back to the agony of reality, and I looked up. Edward.

I felt sympathy, pity, and pain emanating from him. "Jasper," he said softly, "you need to hunt."

I looked down. "No." I didn't know why I was denying it.

He looked down as well. "I'm sorry- I know how hard it is for you. It happened to me too, you know." Yes. When he thought Bella was dead, when he knew it was his fault...

He winced at my thoughts, but kept going as if he hadn't heard anything. "I just- I can't let that happen. What I thought happened before. And with you not in control of yourself... it isn't safe..." he trailed off, and I realized what he was saying.

"I'm dangerous for Bella." My voice was without inflection.

"Jas-" he broke off, looking up. Then his face cleared in horror. "No!"

I heard Bella's soft voice. "Let me talk to him." I gritted my teeth. She was right outside my room... I had to keep control, I had to...

"No, Bella," Edward commanded furiously. "He hasn't hunted in months... it's not safe..."

I could imagine her chin lifting. "He wouldn't hurt me. And-" she hesitated, "if he lost control... you'd be there."

Edward clenched his teeth, but moved aside. Bella stepped into the room, and her scent washed over me.

I tightened my fists, fighting to stay still. She was so tempting, so human, soft and vulnerable... She blushed as she met my gaze, and my eyes zeroed in on the pooling blood in her cheeks...

No, no, you can't do this, Jasper. I repeated the mantra so it filled my head.

Sinking my teeth into her neck... her soft, pale skin giving way into my sharp ivories. Blood spurting out, and my tongue darting from between my lips to lick it up... And her soft brown eyes turning cold, empty in death...

Suddenly, I recoiled from the image. That could never happen. Bella was... so alive, I could never hurt her. Could never cut that off. So many people loved her... Edward, Alice...

I started to sway, back and forth, inches away from lunging at her and tearing her apart, yet something in me was revolted at that idea. Back... she can't die, she's part of the family, my sister. Forth, I want to kill her, her beautiful blood... I tore at my hair in agony.

Her eyes tightened, and I could feel remorse gushing out from her, a wave that threatened to overwhelm me. Forth... "I'm- I'm sorry-" she choked, and backed away out the doorway.

As the door closed, I moaned in relief. Edward's eyes were tight with tension. He looked away from me as he murmured... "That's what it is for me every day."

I looked up in horror. "How do you-"

He met my eyes, expression intense. "Because I love her."

That was why I couldn't kill her, because she was so much more than another human. She was my sister, a part of the family, and it would kill Edward if he lost her. Even if Alice was gone, my meaning of life, I still cared, in part, for the rest of my family... I couldn't cause them pain... Back... I kept my lips tightly together as I sprung out the window, thinking to Edward, I'm going to hunt. I won't put her in danger.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blood.

Thick, red, mountain lion blood, gushing around my mouth as I sunk my teeth into the limp, furry body. I sucked, relishing the release, the drug-like rush I got as I swallowed, like I was finally getting my fix after a long withdrawal.

Oh, it was nothing like human blood... my mouth watered at the thought... yet after three months-- three months, one week, and five days-- it was bliss.

Sinking my teeth into her neck... her soft, pale skin giving way into my sharp ivories. Blood spurting out, and my tongue darting from between my lips to lick it up...

The mountain lion suddenly seemed repulsive in comparison to the memory of Bella's blood. The taste rushed up in my mouth, the wonderful scent attacking my nostrils...

I whirled around. It wasn't in my imagination. It was real.

"Bella!" I choked out, clasping my hand over my mouth and nose. No, no... Her mouth was slightly open, stunned and frightened... soft, red lips, thick with blood, how simple it would be, no one was watching...

Beautiful, tempting crimson stained her cheeks, and she looked down. "They were talking... Victoria's been spotted in these woods, and Edward forgot to tell you... I wanted to warn you..." she trailed off softly.

"Do they know you're here?" I let out from between my clenched teeth, voice cracked with restraint.

Her blush deepened. Stop blushing, I longed to scream out at her, but I would have to open my mouth to do that, and breath in... "Edward didn't want us to go to you. He said you could take care of yourself, but..."

I almost sighed, exasperated at her overwhelming concern and worry for all of us, but slightly touched that I was included in that concern. "I'm fine. I can take Victoria easily." I rolled up my sleeve, showing her countless battle scars, thin crescent that dotted and criss-crossed across my skin. "I've fought before, remember, more than any of them."

She cringed at the sight. Somehow, inexplicably, I longed to comfort her.

And in that second, a flame-colored blur leapt from behind me and knocked her down, against the ground.

Victoria.

The female vampire's red eyes gleamed with hate and madness, as she breathed, "Isabella." Her slender, white hands reached up and curved, ever so gently, around Bella's neck.

And the world stopped.

All I could see was Bella's terrified eyes, looking up at Victoria, and the waves of panic coming from her... and some strange emotion from me...

And there was only one thought in my mind. Not her.

I leaped, tearing Victoria off her, and throwing her into a tree. Bella collapsed onto the ground as Victoria let go. I didn't look, didn't check, couldn't force myself to see... yet I heard her faltering heartbeat, slowing, missing a beat...

Victoria snarled, and my attention whipped back to her. She sprang, and I coiled, ducking, then whipped around, catching her neck, and ripping it off.

She let out a strangled scream as I flung her head far into the forest, and continued to rip apart her body in mad fury.

Then a soft moan brought my attention back to Bella.

Beat... silence... beat... silence... silence... nothing.

"No!" I instantly went to Bella's side, lifting her head. Her eyes were blank, and she wasn't breathing. "No-" I choked. Why was it so painful to have this human girl die? Was it because it was my fault, because she wouldn't be in this forest if not for me, because I didn't defend her well enough? Because she was my sister? All I knew was that the tiny sliver of life that had survived when Alice died was dying now with this little, insignificant girl.

I had to keep trying. I put my lips on hers, attempting to ignore how strange, how-- yes, strange, nothing else-- it felt to have them touching, breathing for her. Then I put my hands on her chest and began to pump, hoping against hope...

Suddenly, her heartbeat stuttered, starting up again, and she began to cough. Her eyelids fluttered and recognition returned to them.

I moaned in relief, strange exhilaration, almost adrenaline rushing through my dead veins. "J-Jasper?" she croaked. Her saying my name broke the barrier, and I broke down, letting the unknown feeling out. Almost without knowing what I was doing, I pulled her face up ferociously, brought my lips to hers, and kissed her fiercely.

It was so wonderful, so much more than kissing the cold lips of Alice, or Maria before her. The soft, warm satiny skin that gave in to my lips, the sound of her heartbeat speeding up, and oh, the emotions... It was bliss.

And then she pulled away, shock and confusion emanating. She stared at me, brown eyes indecipherable. "I- I'm sorry," I let out. What was I doing? Bella belonged to Edward... and I belonged to Alice, even if she was dead...

But the feeling of her lips...

I picked her up, and ran back to the house, trying to prevent myself from thinking, from considering my conflicted emotions. Lust, horror, regret, wonder, passion...

And the feeling of her warm body in my arms.

Um yeah... Jasper is really sexy. Anyone agree? :( For some reason, though, my imagination Jasper is always black-haired. He doesn't seem right blond. Oh well.

This is going to be a kinda short story, I just wanted to do this cause I need some Jasper. Yeah, I love BxE, but seriously. Tell me your impressions. Did I get Jasper right?