Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters.

Jaspers POV

Something strange has been going on in the Cullen house. Not to say it was ever normal, but things have been quiet, very quiet. Bella has been around less and less, to the point where I'm lying here thinking I'm not sure when I saw her last. The family feelings have been saying I'm too unstable around her. I mean the thing that happened at her birthday, it was terrible, I never meant..
Sighing I roll over on the sofa, a movement I've been becoming familiar with.

I hear Alice coming and lay still for her inquisition. 'How are you feeling?' she asks flitting down to my side. 'Strange,' I say rubbing at my temples once again to wade off the dizzy spells her high pitched voice has been giving me.

'You do look strange,' she says running her hand along my head, 'and your temperatures still rising.' Looking sad and far off, she disappears to find Carlisle.
I resent whatever is happening to my body. You'd think dying would be enough to wade off sickness, of any degree. Pushing off the blanket that's been suffocating me I place my feet on the cold marble floor. I need to see her.

Outside the Swan house I wince at the way Bella handles everything with her injured arm. Rain is starting to fall from the sky in tiny bursts and I shiver momentarily. Charlie enters the kitchen and I pull myself against the wall, no urge to start a shoot out so early in the morning. She lays the food down gently and favours her arm as she pulls her jacket on. I hear her call goodbye. As soon as she's within reach I pull her out of sight, sensing a mix of surprise and confusion. Realising the close proximity I'd accidentally forced I shoot back a few metres into the trees. 'Bella,' I steady my voice as I observe her through the pine leaves.

'I need to..can you come with me?' my awkwardly formal voice trips over itself to ask her the question. She glances at the house and pulls her coat closed.

'Y-yes,' Bella seems unsure if her feet will work as she stumbles towards me, blushing at her lack of coordination. Gesturing the direction, we walk until we're far enough away from the house.

'Bella, I wanted to apologise,' the wind blows in between us and I feel tense.
I judge her expression as she looks at me, a small smile tugs at her lips.
'It's fine,' she says the wind blowing the pressure off my shoulders. 'I'm fine,' she says. 'You know...that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me.'

I smirk and try to think back over our meetings, but the general consensus was one of blood driven distraction, maybe she's right. Though standing here now I see a clear, quirky Bella. Clumsy, and forgiving me for nearly taking her life. Seeing black spots in front of my vision I sway a bit misstepping on the forest ground. Her hands find mine steadying me, her whole body invading the controlled space around me. Her emotions flood into mine and yet none of them speak fear. Her eyes fix on mine, 'Jasper, what's wrong?' just as I hear a familiar footfall.

Feeling a rough tug on my arm I fall back into the tree causing the spots to multiply. I scrunch my eyes closed trying to relieve the pain in my head. Bella yelps as I'm thrown backwards and I hear Edward between us, 'I'm sorry Bella, we didn't know he'd left.'

Her softs hands being taken from mine make sensations run up my arms. Glaring up I wait for him to turn, 'I wasn't going to hurt her.' He turns at this and looks down at me reading my thoughts.
'Jasper we know your sorry, but you can't be around Bella.' He avoids my face, 'We need her safe.'
Bella slaps him against the chest, 'Edward!' she says through gritted teeth coming round to my side of him. 'Jasper wasn't going to hurt me. He wouldn't have come here if he thought he would.' She waves her arms around animatedly as she speaks.

I stare at those dark brown eyes that trust me and wonder if I could stand to that. I had hurt her before, indirectly and unintentionally I had been the catalyst. Coming here had been a spontaneous decision, I hadn't thought it through. Feeling uncertain, nauseated and now like I might be losing my mind, I stand up as fast as I can. She instinctively reaches to steady me and Edward pulls us apart, I grab his arm to stop him. He acts too quickly, doesn't think about how fragile she is.

He clenches his hand around my wrist and warns me not to make this into something.
'I'm not letting you near her,' he presses his fingers into my arm and the pain seethes up to my neck. Noticing the glint of pain in my eyes he pulls his hand away in confusion and I stagger back clutching the place his fingers have indented. My breath comes short and Bella is by my side in an instant pulling my hand away to inspect the damage. Her eyes say it all, the bruises are enormous, lacing up my arm and appearing in groups by the second. I cry out at the unusual feeling of pain that's causing me to hold my breath.

'Edward, I need to fix this. So can you go?' she says not looking up at him. I can feel her worry course over me as she carefully holds my arm.
Edward steps towards her back but rethinking it looks at me. The warning in his eyes says it all.
Before he can try and argue a pointless battle he runs, probably not far enough to be unable to stop me killing her. But whatever pull her blood had had before, the blinding pain now was keeping me well out of those thoughts.

AN: reviews tell me you want more ^^ who to get rid of first?