Careless in Crisis
Angela walked up Jessica's driveway and onto the front porch, she knew Jess wouldn't like Bella and Rosalie tagging along but Jasper had seemed anxious and she didn't want to worry him, no matter how much Jess disliked it. Reaching the front door she rang the bell. Jess was there in less than five seconds, and when she locked the door behind her and turned to the car her mood didn't change at all. Angela sighed relief, Jessica made a face at her that spoke volumes about her dislike of company, but Angela shrugged as if to say that her boyfriends' cousin and twin tagging along was something she couldn't help. Jess hugged her and smiled, and then they left for Port Angeles.
Rosalie and Bella chatted animatedly between themselves, Jessica and Angela tried on dresses, and they all made conversation over lunch. Afterwards they split up into pairs and went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up in an hour. As Angela and Jessica rounded the corner towards the used bookstore, Jessica stopped and doubled back. "Jess! Where are you going?" Angela yelled at her.
"I'm just heading back around the corner to the jewellery store for a second, I know you wanted to look at the books, I'll meet you back here in ten," she yelled back, walking off and waving as she went. Angela sighed and walked to the bookstore, only to find it was closed. She sighed and stalked off to find Jess, but as she crossed the street to turn the corner she heard shouting from the alley nearby. There was a shrill scream and she thought Jess might have hurt herself. She ran for the alley.
As she approached she heard men's laughter and as she peered around the corner a young woman no older than twenty two lay on the ground breathing heavily and holding a wound on her head. Her clothes had been torn and one of the men advanced on her. Angela stepped slightly into the alley and the men turned to face her. The woman pulled herself up and ran in the other direction, making it out of the alley in only a matter of seconds. Angela gulped. "Ah, sorry," she said and she turned, running the other way. But the men were faster, and as their hands grabbed her from behind she heard them laugh, something hard came down on her head and everything went black.
* * * * *
If it was even possible Jasper's skin went paler and his heart grew colder. He breathed deeply out of human habit and swallowed forcibly several times before he could even whisper one word into the phone he was holding in his hand.
"She's gone missing?" he said coldly, attracting attention from his brothers as they played their racing game on the x-box. Within seconds Edward was whispering details of Angela's disappearance to Emmett, who was growing angrier and angrier about each word.
Emmett had liked Angela from the first moment they had met, he found her an excellent audience for his jokes, and an excellent person to get them from. Even though he had never said it, Jasper could feel that Emmett regarded him as more of a brother now that Angela had come into his life. The change was indescribable in Emmett's feelings, and he and Jasper both enjoyed the new found bond between them, needless to say Emmett enjoyed his new punching bag.
Jasper growled into the phone, then clicked it shut pacing around the room restlessly. Angela had gone missing in the ten minutes she had been left alone near the bookstore. Rosalie and Bella had looked all over, but they couldn't distinguish her sent from the stench of human blood reeking from the alley. He paced again, slamming his fist into the wall and spinning to kick the bookcase. Emmett jumped on him and held his hands behind his back, Edward held his shoulders and just looked at him, he was so calm he began to infect Jasper, as if he was the empath.
"Jasper Hale! You will be fixing that wall this weekend I hope you know, and you can build me a new bookcase. Do you know how long it took me to mix the paint for that wall, well you will once you've done it and you will also be washing every single car we own. You should know better," Esme yelled walking into the room and surveying the damage. She looked over at the boys and noticed their positions, her eyes widened and she crossed her arms over her chest. "What did you do now?"
Jasper breathed deeply again and looked away, face crumpling and eyes swimming. He knew he couldn't cry, but this is where he'd be sobbing if his genetics could let him. He had failed Angela, he had always known he was the weak one, he knew the others thought as well, but Angela had always seen him as the strong one, her protector and someone she trusted her life to. He had failed.
"Don't be ridiculous," Edward said coldly as he turned from Esme, who was now on the phone to Carlisle and Angela's parents. "We haven't lost yet, don't do what I did Jasper, don't give up on yourself, its as good as giving up on Ange. You have to look for her, come to the alley with me, if anyone can, you can find her scent." Jasper looked up and nodded, but his expression remained the same. Emmett patted him on the back and they ran.
