Jasper didn't mean it. I know he didn't. The look in his eyes when he realised what he was about to do...he had no control over it. I don't blame him; I never did and I never will. The same can't be said for Edward.

Jacob had been over. It was five o'clock on the nose practically and raining. It had been all weekend. Perfect hunting conditions, according to Edward, and so the Cullen family were all out doing just that. I wasn't expecting to see him again until school the next morning, as he never came over the night after a hunt. He didn't like being around me when he had so much blood in his system; it was too dangerous apparently. Everything was too dangerous in the book of Edward, if it had anything to do with me and anything more strenuous than breathing.

That's what I like about Jake so much. Although he is so much stronger than I am, even though he regards me as fragile, he never lets it show in his treatment of me. He lets me live. At the moment it happened we were considering new paint jobs for the bikes and I was, oddly enough, think about the petulant frown Edward gained whenever they came up in conversation. Unexpectedly Jake sat bolt upright. He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose in obvious distain.

"He's coming." He said with disgust and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as he kissed the top of my head and left through the back door, quivers passing through his body while he did so. Boys, honestly. Well, Werewolves, but the principal is the same. I sat for a moment in complete still and silence, closing my eyes and savouring the moment.

I opened them expecting Edward to be standing in front of me with that crooked grin of his I love so much. He wasn't. Victoria was.

"Hello, Isabella." She hissed and I couldn't help it, I screamed. Loudly. She stepped forward with perfect elegance and I leapt up from my chair. One of my legs was caught and I tripped. She laughed a tinkling laugh, which on anyone else would have sounded beautiful. It made me feel ill right now.

"Let's make this fun, then. You go ahead. Run. I'll count to twenty, shall I? Adrenaline always makes the blood taste so much sweeter. Ready?" She laughed again and I knew it was hopeless, but I couldn't give up. I couldn't just stand there and wait for her to kill me.

So, I ran. As fast as my human legs could carry me. I ran with one destination in mind; Edward's house. Later I was told I had been going in the complete and utter wrong direction, but at the time it felt like I was doing something right, I had made a decision and I was sticking by it. What I hadn't planned on was running into anybody.

Impact...hurt. That's all I can say of it really. Except that, in comparison, it felt like running into a wall. If said wall was made of titanium. Twice. Needless to say I fell backwards and my attempts to catch myself ended in my arm catching on a branch, slicing open the skin. I don't know why, but until it was well past too late, it didn't click.

"Jasper!" I cried, hysterical with temporary relief. "Oh, Jasper, it's Victoria- she's after me!"

Nothing happened for the longest second I have ever encountered. Then, he began to turn. Very slowly, to face me. His eyes were blood red. Just like Victoria's. In a beat as long as a breath, a look of pain flashed across his eyes. Then he had me pinned by the shoulders, his teeth bared at my neck.

And the funniest thing is this; I didn't cry out. Not until his teeth pushed down, breaking the skin and injecting me with the burning venom. Then I did gasp, but only once. He didn't care about the venom however, as he began to suck my life blood out through the tap vein of my neck.

I felt weak almost instantly, credit where credit is due, Jasper Hale is good at what he does. I remember thinking that, then thinking that maybe the venom made you go insane first too, and for some unknown reason I had this mad urge to giggle too. I didn't though, there was no energy left to.

Towards the end, which really was only about a minute after the start, everything grew very hazy and far away. I couldn't keep my eyes open...my eyelids just felt...so heavy. The ground felt so comfortable and I stopped really caring what Jasper was doing because he was nice and cool and so was the rain, and I felt too warm.

Then there was a snarling noise, like a bear made of steel and it seemed too far away to concern me until his chilled skin was no longer against mine and I could hear distant crashes of thunder, or of mountains tumbling down.

I just wanted them to stop, to shut up and let me rest, I felt so sleepy. But, without Jasper in contact with me the venom surged back to the wound with a vengeance. I couldn't help screaming, it felt like I was on fire. The feeling was familiar, dread filled me. I was being changed. Edward wasn't here.

Then as if he realised what I'd thought Edward was there. I didn't have to open my eyes to know it was him.

"My Bella, I'm so sorry." He sounded like he was crying, but that wasn't possible. Wrenching my eyes open, the light burning them I saw his face through a red mist. I reached up a shaking and stroked down his cheek, his stone cold cheek.

"'S ok..." I whispered. I felt him scoop me up easily and I curled into his coolness before a fresh wave of flames coursed through me and finally blackness enveloped me in it's forgetful embrace.