Jasper's POV

When I got home I was tempted to take my frustrations out on Edward's piano. It was just sitting there, covered by a white sheet, an innocent bystander in all of this. But I needed so badly to destroy something and it was there. It would be fitting.

Although I was the catalyst for Bella's pain, I knew I wasn't the only one to blame. Edward had to shoulder some too. I offered to leave Forks after the attack to give both Edward and Bella peace of mind. He said no, he'd handle it. From the looks of things he didn't handle it well. I knew the depths of his emotions and hers for each other better than they did. He thought she'd move on, I hoped he'd be right. He was wrong. Alice told him he'd be wrong. Who bets against a psychic? The idiot. It's his fault as much as its mine.

I was honestly considering it when a vibration in my pocket caught my attention. I pulled out my phone and flicked it open.

"Leave the piano out of it!" Alice said, her laughter like wind chimes.

I felt the tension begin to ebb at the sound of her voice.

"Alice," I breathed.

"How is she?"

I flinched.

"Jasper?"

"I've never seen anything like it Alice, never felt anything like it. She's as bad as Edward, maybe worse. She doesn't even look like Bella." I proceeded to explain to Alice everything that transpired yesterday and last night and she listened without interruption.

When I was finished she asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," I told her honestly. "I want to talk to her, but I don't even know if she'd want to see me after everything."

"Well you didn't go all that way just to spy did you?" Alice asked rhetorically.

"Should I talk to her alone or with supervision?"

She quiet a moment and then said, "Alone."

"Okay," then added as an after thought, "Can you see what Edward's up to?"

"No, he's not making decisions at the moment."

I considered that with a grim sense of satisfaction.

"Jasper?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"I have to go, Rosalie wants to take a hunting trip before she and Emmett go to the airport."

"Alright," I sighed. "I love you Alice."

"I love you too Jasper. Goodbye." She hung up.

I froze. There was something strange going on with Alice. I should call her back and demand to know what's wrong. I should fly back and hold her close and soothe away her worries. But I won't. I can't. I have a job to do and I have to do it. If I was in any kind of danger, or she was, she'd have come right out and said it. Whatever was on her mind could wait. If it couldn't, she'd have told me, right?

I was too much a coward to face Bella today so I ended up in a tree in view of her bedroom window again. I watched her curl up in a ball and drift off to sleep. Her sleeping patterns were much the same as the night before. She may be able to mute her emotions in the day but they continued to wreak havoc on her unconscious. It was too much. I couldn't stand it. I launched myself from my perch and grabbed the window ledge. Praying that it wouldn't squeak and wake her, I pushed on the glass and the window opened.

Her emotions were worse inside the room, and once again the force of them took me off guard. I stumbled and grabbed the bookshelf for support. This was ridiculous. All the years I spent at war and not one creature felt so much pain that I was actually made clumsy by it. Had I gone soft or was she really suffering that much? I quickly realized I didn't want the answer to either question.

I immediately set to work creating an atmosphere of peace and calm, determined that she would have a night of good sleep. But I was surprised. Her emotions fought against me, they didn't want to be chased away. I hesitated, gauging the depths of her sleep. Physical contact did make my gift stronger. I could touch her lightly enough that she'd never know. Slowly I walked toward her hand outstretched.

Bella's POV

My eyes snapped open. That was strange. I hadn't even gotten to the worst part of the dream and I was waking up? I would have felt relief at not being forced to feel experience the nightmare for the umpteenth time except I heard the window pain rattle. Wind. It had to be wind. Then a soft thud up against the bookcase. I opened an eye and glance toward the door. It was shut.

There was someone in my room. It wasn't Charlie. I felt fear raise its ugly head as if I were still trapped in my nightmares. Only unlike my nightmares I couldn't find my voice to scream. I closed my eye and shifted so my arm dangled over the side of my bed. My fingers searched for and found the smooth wooden handle of the concealed weapon I never thought I would have to use that certainly wasn't Charlie approved. My fingers clutched at tightly.

I waited. Please let me be imagining this, I pleaded silently, please not again…

There was a light pressure on my shoulder and I found my voice. I screamed. I rolled over. I swung. There was a clunk and a crack as the Louisville Slugger connected with the intruders skull. Still screaming I pulled the bat back and swung again but this time a pale hand latched on to it. Out of surprise at the hand restraining the bat I stopped screaming.

I froze as I caught sight of the honey blonde locks, now in a wild disarray, around a excruciating beautiful, albeit shocked, pale face. His tawny eyes locked on mine and then he glanced toward the door. With a yank he tore the baseball bat from my grasp and darted backwards into the closet.

There was a knock on the door.

"Bella, honey, are you okay?" Charlie voice thick with sleep and worry came from right outside.

I didn't answer. I couldn't take my eyes off the closet. The door opened. I forced my head to turn away, towards him.

"Bella?"

"I'm okay." I muttered.

"What was that bang?"

My mind came up with the lie quicker than it normally did. "I bumped my clock radio to the floor."

His eyes flicked to my clock which was sitting on my bedside table where it belonged.

"I already picked it up," I told him.

He nodded his head. I stared at him. He looked like he wanted to say something but I shook my head and smiled. He sighed and left.

I looked back at the closet.

"Jasper?" I whispered. I had to be imagining this.

Then he stepped out.

I stared at him silently refusing to let myself hope. Best case scenario: I was dreaming… a nice vacation from the nightmares. Worst case scenario: I was hallucinating and somewhere there was a padded cell with my name on it.

He still held the bat which I now realized had a split in the middle. Apparently hallucinations are hard enough to break quality sporting goods. Good to know. He was quiet just watching me as I watched him. I certainly wasn't going to speak first.

"Bella…"

I closed my eyes as the first wave of pain hit me. I forgot how beautiful their voices were, although I guess I hadn't been trying to remember them.

"You're not real," I found myself whispering.

"Yes. I am." He reached up ran a hand through his hair.

A second wave of pain hit me and hot tears burned my eye but I forbade them to fall. How dare he contradict me. Haven't I suffered enough? My own hallucination had to argue with me?

He took a step toward me then stopped. He looked down at the bat and smirked.

"I don't know whether to be shocked by the fact that you, of all people, own a baseball bat, or proud that you have a plan of defense incase of attack and are willing to act on it."

I felt myself flinch at the word "attack" and couldn't find it in myself to laugh at what I knew was supposed to be a joke, or even remember why it should have been funny in the first place. His face fell at the sight of my grimace and it became too much. A third wave of pain hit me and the tears boiled over.