A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter. You guys are great. I am going to give some shout outs and some story recommendations at the end of the chapter. Y'all really need to check out these stories. They are great!

Thanks so much to my wonderful, conscientious and creative beta, Closettwiligter1. Without her, this story would be a major fail.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but am still looking for my own personal Jasper-delight.

Warning: This story is going to be taking a slight turn (at the end of the chapter and much more in the next chapter) into the adult content area. It is getting a little intense here, folks. I'm just sayin' . . .

BPOV

We left as soon as we heard Charlie start snoring. Jasper threw me and my bag on his back and carried me through the woods to the Cullen home. It was almost too much. It reminded me of the many times that I had traveled that way with Edward.

I didn't need to think about Edward. I needed to focus on getting out of town and away from the people I loved so that they would not become collateral damage in Victoria's vendetta against Edward.

"Are you okay with me being this close?" I asked Jasper a few minutes into my ride.

"Yes, I'm puzzled by the fact that your scent has not bothered me at all," he answered matter-of-factly. "I will need to hunt though before we get on the road."

Fear gripped me as I realized that he would be leaving me alone to hunt. My whole body tensed.

"It's okay, Bella. I won't be gone long."

"Sorry to be such a scaredy cat." I said, burying my heard in Jasper's back to hide my embarrassment.

I breathed in and was hit with the smell of cloves, sweet and spicy. I had always been drawn to Edward's scent and wondered why I had never noticed Jasper's before. It was absolutely intoxicating.

"It is completely understandable. But you are not a scaredy cat. You are the bravest person I know. I have never met another human who could go through what you have been through and still be standing."

I wanted to contradict him, but couldn't. I wasn't sure if that was because of my embarrassment at his praise or the fact that my head was still swirling from his scent.

Before I could figure out the conundrum, we arrived at the house. Jasper went into the garage and drove out Emmet's jeep. He threw my bag in the back.

"Hop in. We'll stop for me to hunt on the other side of river."

Jasper was true to his word. He was gone for exactly eight minutes and fifty-two seconds. He left me with the keys so that I could escape in the jeep if something happened. I spent the eight minutes and fifty-two seconds tapping my fingers on the dash and watching the clock on the console.

"All right. Let's roll, Miss Swan," Jasper said a bit sarcastically, as we changed spots so that he could drive.

Somehow, despite the perilous situation I found myself in, I felt safe with Jasper. I knew that Victoria was out there somewhere plotting my death, but I was calm, and I didn't think that Jasper was using his gift.

I sat staring out the window in the darkness, thinking. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask, but didn't know how to ask them without the conversation turning to Edward. I was not ready to talk about him.

"Why did you leave?" I asked quietly and continued staring blankly out the window.

"I just didn't feel like I belonged any more. I felt like I had let everyone down. I let myself down." He said without any emotion in his voice. After a pause, he continued more emphatically, "I couldn't trust myself not to hurt you or someone else after your birthday. I didn't want to put the family through any more of my shit."

"What about Alice? How could you leave her?" I asked, turning to see his reaction to my question.

"That was the hardest part. Alice has always been there for me. She offered to come with me, but I needed to figure this out alone. I needed to find, deep within, what it was that was making it impossible for me to control my thirst."

He turned to look at me directly. "I couldn't do that with Alice and the others around," he said, pausing as if to consider whether he should continue.

Somehow, I knew what he was thinking and finished his thought for him. "Alice and the others were part of the problem, weren't they?"

A look of immense sadness gripped his face, and his shoulders slumped slightly. "You have always been very perceptive. Yes. They expected me to fail—to need their help. I just needed to get away from their expectations and develop my own."

"What about now?" I asked quickly. I may not want anything to do with the Cullens, but I knew that they must be experiencing a huge sense of loss with Jasper gone, especially Alice. I may be angry with Alice, but I would never wish that pain on her or anyone.

"I honestly don't know, Bella. I have changed. My search for answers changed me--profoundly. I am not sure how that will fit in with the rest of the Cullen package."

"You seem lighter, happier. I think that they will be happy that you're happy."

"I know that, but I don't need them as much. Alice would never admit it, but she likes the fact that I needed her to help me. Without that, I am not sure how. . . ." He stopped mid-sentence, shrugging his shoulders.

I reached over and placed my hand on his shoulder. "It will work out. She loves you. They all do."

"We'll see. First, we have to make sure that we take care of Miss Vicki."

With a sigh, I turned back and stared out the window again. It wasn't long before I fell asleep. I woke to daylight.

"Good morning, sunshine," Jasper said, as he saw my eyes open.

"Good morning." I said, rubbing the stiffness out of my neck.

"I will find us a place to stop. I am sure that you need to stretch your legs and want some breakfast." He said with a grin, almost like he was proud of himself for remembering my human needs. "It is supposed to be cloudy all day, so we should be able to cover a lot of ground without having to stop. I still don't know why Emmett never had the windows tinted in this thing."

"Where are we anyway?" I asked mid-stretch.

"About 30 miles outside of Spokane," he answered, pulling into a gas station with a diner inside. "You go freshen up, and I'll get us some gas."

I stood up and closed the door of the jeep, stretching my back and rubbing my neck. I grabbed my bag from the back seat and went to find the ladies' room. Once inside, I changed clothes, washed my face, brushed my teeth and pulled my hair back in a ponytail. Feeling more human, I returned to the car, but didn't see Jasper.

I was about to push the panic button when I saw him coming out of the gas station with two cups and a bag in his hand.

"Bella, what's wrong? Did you see something?" he asked when he got close enough to see my face.

I exhaled loudly and reached out to place my hand on his arm. "No, no. I'm fine. Just gripped by irrational fear." I said, trying my best to minimize my reaction, then added continued seriously, "Just ignore me. I am a bit jumpy, and I just didn't know where you went."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Much better actually since I freshened up a bit." I said, throwing my bag in the back seat.

"I got you some coffee and some tea, since I didn't know which one you liked, and a sausage and egg biscuit," he said, handing me the bag. "It was the only thing that looked remotely edible. Well, edible for you that is. All of it was disgusting to me."

His mood seemed to lighten the more he talked. As I thought about it, I think that was the longest speech that I had ever heard him make. I liked seeing a more relaxed side of Jasper.

"Thanks. It smells good. For the record, I am not much of a coffee person. I'll take the tea please."

A slight breeze blew a few stray strands of hair in my face. I reached to grab the cup with "tea" written in marker on it from his hand, but stopped when I noticed something in his eyes change quickly. He jerked the cups back and opened the door on the passenger side.

"Get in," he snarled, holding the door and standing defensively in front of me.

I didn't think. The tone in his voice sparked me into motion and left no room for my brain to question the direction. I was in my seat with my seatbelt buckled before the shaking began. Jasper was in the driver's seat with the car in gear so fast that I worried that someone had seen him.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying, but not succeeding, to keep the panic out of my voice.

"I smelled a vampire. It was not anyone I have ever come across before, but I am not taking any chances that he or she might be working with Vicki." As he spoke, his facial expression never changed, and his gaze never left the road. His hands clenched on the steering wheel until I worried that it might crumble to dust in his grasp.

"Who . . . how?" I stuttered, shaking so hard that my teeth were clacking.

Before he could answer, his phone rang.

"Alice . . . what the hell is going on?" he demanded harshly. He listened for what seemed like an eternity, then said, "I don't like this one bit. Okay. Get there as quickly as you can. I will try to make it as far as I can, but I am gonna be looking for a good defensive spot along the way." His voice had settled into a business-like tone by the time he uttered the last.

"Right. Call me if you see anything new. And . . . Alice, please look hard. We are in no position to fight them off here."

He hung up the phone and snuck a quick glance at me. I was looking at him, trying to take it all in, but was confused and had no idea what was going on.

Jasper took pity on me and filled in the blanks. "Bella, I need you to stay calm," he said, throwing a much needed wave of calm my way. "The vampire I smelled back at the gas station was working with dear Vicki," he said, spitting her name out like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "He is a relatively new vampire. She created him and who knows how many others to help her get to you.

"Alice thinks that he was just scouting." He paused to look at me, checking to see how the news was hitting me.

"Thinks—she thinks he is scouting?" I said, almost hysterical.

"Breathe, Bella," Jasper said, sending me another wave of calm.

"Thanks," I said, catching my breath.

"They are following us on foot, just out of sight. We are going to stay on the road and cover as much ground as possible. Alice believes that they won't attack. They're just supposed to keep tabs on us until Victoria can get here."

I nodded, unable to form a coherent thought.

"If they attack, I will hold them off, and you take the jeep and drive east," he said pointedly. "This is important, Bella. You do not, under any circumstances, look back. You keep going. I will be fine, but only if I know that you are going to follow the plan. If not, I will be distracted worrying about you."

I nodded again.

"I need you to promise me that you will do as I ask."

"I promise," I said, my voice hiccupping.

As soon as I completed the last word, Jasper's phone rang. I gasped.

"Alice, what do you see?" he asked calmly.

I couldn't hear Alice's side of the conversation, and all Jasper was saying was "uh-huh" with a different inflection each time. The suspense was palpable. My fear returned briefly, then I felt another wave of calm from Jasper.

"Gotta go—call you when I can," he said, hanging up the phone and stepping on the gas.

"Victoria is here. They are going to try to attack from the trees and jump on the car. Here is what we are going to do. . . ." He grabbed my hand and squeezed gently. "You can do this, Bella. Believe in yourself."

I stared at him blankly. I was so sorry that I had put him in danger. When will it stop? When will I quit putting the people I love in danger? "Okay, what do I need to do?"

"I am going to jump out of the car and try to catch them on foot before they pounce on the car. You move over to the driver's seat and drive as fast as you can and run over anything or anybody who gets in your way."

"But. . .you . . ." I stuttered, shaking my head.

"I'll be fine, Bella. I am the most experienced fighter in the family. Probably one of the most experienced fighters anywhere. I can take care of myself as long as I am not trying to make sure that you are not doing anything stupid." He said, raising an eyebrow.

"I promise--no stunts like I pulled in Phoenix," I said with more resolve than I felt. "Don't worry about me. Just take care of yourself."

"Alright, scoot over here and take the wheel. As soon as I am out, slide over and hit the gas."

I nodded and slid over on the seat as close to him as I could. The sweet, spicy smell of cloves hit me and added to my determination not to let Jasper down. He was putting himself at risk to save me. The least I could do was stay calm and follow the plan.

He gave my hand a final squeeze and opened the door. As he jumped out the door, I moved into the driver's seat. My foot got stuck on the floor mat as I made the transition.

Damn, why do I have to be a klutz today?

As I was trying to untangle my foot so that I could use it to stomp on the gas, I heard a loud thud at the same time that I felt the jeep shake and saw a dent in the roof.

I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

************

E/N:

Thanks so much to Ferla and Feral and Readingmama/Vampiremama for all their support over at the FanficAholics Anon-Where Obsession Never Sleeps group on Facebook. Come by and join us there.

We also have a C2 with all of the members' works for that group. Check out the link for that on my profile page.

Also, check out Closettwilighter1's story Angel in the Attic. It rocks. You can find it in my faves.

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