A/N: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. My first fanfic, not a native speaker. Song used in the beginning is "In My Veins" by Andrew Belle.'nuff said ;)
Chapter 7: Wait...what?!
Everything will change.
Nothin' stays the same.
And nobody here's perfect.
Oh but everyone's to blame
All that you rely on
And all that you can save
Will leave you in the morning
And find you in the day
Chapter's Summary: Alice followed Jasper. She saw the outcome of the fight but Edward still wants to change it. In his fury he let's something slip.
Jasper's POV
I hated myself for letting her go with Alice. It was a decision I regretted as soon as it formed in my head. I knew that Alice had been hot on my tail since I left Bella's, but when I felt Bella's fear spike I had to change my plans. Edward wouldn't get away for whatever he's doing to Bella. My first instinct was to get her to safety but now I couldn't leave Edward unharmed. That left me with only one choice. I had to trust Alice... which I did, to a certain point anyways.
Alice saw my decision as soon as I was sure of it and rushed to my side. We shot through the woods at maximum speed, tearing through trees and boulders on our way. I couldn't get there fast enough. Bella's paralyzing fear was nearly drowning me.
"Alice, what is he doing?!" I screamed in anguish, "I can feel her..it's too much..I can't think."
In a vague way, I was aware of her emotions, the hurt, depression, guilt, self-pity and above all the colossal amount of shame. All that mattered to me now was getting to Bella and maybe shredding Edward on the way. Cross that. I definitely wanted to inflict some pain there. Maybe one arm less would suit him. Yeah.. he probably doesn't need his arms anyway.
"It's going to be okay, I promise," she whispered weakly. "Please don't kill him."
Breaking through a particularity dense treeline, I could see them, feel them both now. I could feel that Edward was in a dark place. The only emotions from him were possessiveness and bloodlust. When I saw him grazing his teeth along the side of Bella's neck I couldn't hold back the roar that had already built up inside me. He hadn't heard our approach. Hadn't read our thoughts. His bloodlust consumed him, left him blind and deaf.
I rushed to Bella's side as soon as he pushed her away, clutching her gently to my chest. The relief came instantly. Her scent, the feeling of her soft skin under my cold touch.
"You alright, darlin'?"
I breathed her in, letting my lungs fill to the brim with her scent before eying Edward cautiously. He was shaking, his eyes black and flat. I had to get her out of here. Pulling her into a standing position I made sure that she was alright. Edward squeezed her pretty tight and I could already see bruises forming on her neck where capillaries had burst. She shivered in my arms, her lips were a pale bluish colour and I could see tiny ice crystals in her lashes where her tears had frozen. I had to get her somewhere warm.
Alice didn't react when I ordered her to take Bella away. She was scanning Edward with a mix of surprise and despair written across her face.
"Now." I growled out
I let Bella go and Alice sprang into action, lifting her off her feet and sprinting through the woods with Bella on her back.
Good. Now that I was alone with him I could let the Major take control. I didn't wait for Edward to explain anything, didn't wait for him to say or do something. I had seen enough, felt enough.
It was over before he made his first move. I had him pinned down on the ground, my knee pressed firmly into the column of his throat and his severed right arm in my hand. He squirmed and writhed under me, teeth bared, his wild gaze flickering between his arm in my hand and my face. Now wasn't the time for conversation. I wanted to inflict as much pain as possible before I had to leave. I was torn between ripping Edward apart and rushing off to find Bella. I had to hurry through this, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it.
"You'll never have her!" he roared and I pressed down harder, effectively cutting him off mid-speech. His remaining arm pushed against my chest, grasping my arm in an attempt to loose my hold on him. Gripping him by his hair I flung his head back against the forest floor. A humorless laugh escaped his mouth.
"You really think she'd want you? Not even the mating pull can annihilate the fear you elicit."
With an earsplitting screech, Edward lost his other arm. His screams echoed around us, causing every remaining animal to retreat further into the forest. The woods were silent. No trace of any living creature. The only sounds were coming from Edward's throat. The snarls growing weaker with every second, turning into gurgling sounds and ultimately dying inside his throat. Venom was flowing out of the deep gashes where his arms had been only moments ago. He stared angrily up at me as I flung his arms into the trees. Pressing down a little more I heard his skin cracking, splintering from his neck and face.
"If you ever touch her again..," I growled, pressing down harder, "If you ever hurt her again," I breathed against his face, lowering my teeth to his shoulder "I will destroy you." and with the last syllable I bit down hard, pumping as much venom into him as possible.
His screams followed me as I sprinted through the forest. I hadn't used this method in ages. When I was in Maria's army it was a common punishment for disobedient vampires. It hurt like hell and carrying a scar in the area where neck and shoulder met was a sign for weakness. It meant that someone overpowered you. Between mates it meant something entirely else, though.
Mate.. the word ghosted around inside my head. His words replayed again and again. What did he mean with mating pull. Could it be..?!
I dashed forward faster and faster until I could hear the hushed conversation between Alice and Bella. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the word again. Mate. I sat frozen on a tree branch just inside the treeline behind Bella's house. Mate... I listened as Alice explained it to her and everything clicked together.
Bella's POV
Being carried by Alice was an odd sensation. She was way smaller than me. It made me uncomfortable. Alice let go of me as soon as we landed in my backyard. I still couldn't believe that the sad creature in front of me was the same Alice I knew only four months ago. She looked across the trees, narrowing her eyes.
"It's going to stop soon." she murmured.
"Stop? What?" I blurted.
Her eyes focused on me, blinking a few times before she opened her mouth again.
"The snow. Charlie won't be back until tomorrow morning, though," she sighed "Maybe later tonight, if he can get a ride. He'll call in a few hours."
Running a hand through my hair I shrugged. "Yeah, thanks."
Her gift always kind of irritated me. The way she saw the possible outcome of a situation based on people's choices. If I'd chose to punch her now she'd see it and would dodge it effortlessly. Well, she would anyways 'cause she's a freaking vampire. I let out a sigh of frustration. Only 24 hours ago I was fine. Not splendid, but okay. It's going to be a long way to happy but at least I tried to get there. Now I wasn't so sure anymore. I shivered. Out in the woods I hadn't realized how cold it was but now I felt like a popsicle.
"Let's get in, shall we? It's pretty cold."
I stomped into the kitchen, not waiting to see if Alice followed. Whoever went out last had forgotten to close the darn door and it was just as cold inside as outside in the snow.
"You can go up and take a shower if you want to," Alice closed the door behind her, rushing over to the heaters and turning them on full blast.
"I could fix you something, seeing that you skipped breakfast this morning." She smiled at me but it didn't touch her eyes.
"Alice.. why are you so.." I didn't finish the sentence. She looked me straight into the eyes and shook her head. She had a tight lipped smile on her face when she looked to the floor and back up again. Suddenly a frown appeared on her face. Knitting her eyebrows together she made her way over to me.
"You know Bella, whatever decision you'll make, I'm your friend. If you'll have me."
I stared at her, opening and closing my mouth like a fish. Why was she so cryptic all the time? Sometimes she drove me crazy, judging people based on decision they hadn't made yet. Throwing my arms around her I hugged her as fiercely as possible.
"Of course I want you as my best friend," I whispered into her hair. "Why wouldn't I?"
She gently loosened my tight grip and sighed again. For a moment it looked like she might pull away, but she gave me a little smile and kissed my cheek instead.
"You only see the best in people. I don't want you to get hurt."
She hesitated for a moment, as if she weren't sure how much she really wanted to tell me. Then she frowned again and whispered.
"I did something horrible."
If I hadn't been in her tight embrace I'm sure I would've heard her. Her small frame shook with dry sobs as she buried her face in my hair. I didn't know what to do so I simply rubbed her back, waiting for her to continue. We stood like that for a few moments before I dared to broach the subject again.
"What did you do? Is it about Jasper?"
At the mention of his name she only shook harder. I suddenly felt very bad for my little Jasper fantasies.
"You know.. I... I'm not... not in lo.." I groaned. How do you put "I only like to imagine your husband while I touch myself, it's nothing really" nicely? I wasn't even sure if that's the truth. Over the last month I felt a strange pull towards everything that belonged to him. Not to mention the strange effect his scent had on me.
I released her and rubbed my forehead. Contemplating what she told me earlier. Did she mean that I didn't have to feel bad about my thoughts regarding Jasper? Or the decision to become friends with him..? Only one way to find out.
"Alice.. are you going to stay? You and Jasper?" I bit my lip, suddenly feeling really insecure. In that moment my whole world could fall apart again. With one word she could either destroy me or throw me the lifeline I so desperately needed.
"That's his decision.. and yours." she looked hesitant again. "Edward won't stay, though."
Suddenly my thoughts were at the clearing in the woods again and I felt my heartbeat quicken.
"Jasper's alright." Alice muttered.
My hand flew to my chest and I let out the breath I had been holding. Disturbingly enough I didn't give one fudge if Edward was alright. For all I cared Jasper could wipe the floor with him. I felt bad for Jasper, though. He was fighting my battles for me while his wife carried me to safety.
Alice paced the room glancing at me now and then before abruptly stopping only to start pacing again. I was getting dizzy so I sat down on the floor next to the heater.
"What's happening right now? I mean with Jasper and Edward... When will he come back," I furrowed my brow, "Will he come back?"
Alice looked at me long and hard before she let out another sigh.
"I don't really know when, but he'll come back. He is... punishing Edward right now. Nothing that can't be fixed." she pursed her lips in disapproval. "He'll want to talk to you."
I absently nodded my head while I already thought about all the things I wanted to ask him. There was so much I wanted to know. So much to tell. I felt my cheeks heaten up with a sudden rush of blood when I thought about his journal and how I could possibly hide it. Maybe I could ask Alice if she'd take it back to the Cullen's before he'd notice.
"He already knows and I don't think you have to be ashamed. You didn't make the decision to read it after all."
I nodded again and relaxed against the heater. The warmth was slowly soothing the ache inside my muscles. I could already feel the bruises on my arms, shoulders and my neck. Edward surely lost control back in the woods. I watched as Alice continued her hurried pacing around the kitchen table. If she didn't stop soon she'd run a dent in the floor.
"I probably shouldn't tell you this now..but.." Alice sputtered. She stopped her pacing long enough to bend down to my level. Staring right into my eyes she asked.
"What do you know about mates?"
Author's Note:
eeek.. don't hate me for this cliffhanger. I know it's cruel and I'm sorry but I promise to hurry up with the next chapter!
So a lot of you wouldn't have trusted Alice with Bella. I see where you're coming from BUT: in my story Alice isn't necessarily evil. She just tried to keep Jasper from Bella so they wouldn't fall in love. Really nobody blames Leah for hating the whole "imprinting-thing". I hope Jasper's point came across.. if not: 1st Bella was freezing out in the cold, 2nd Edward was out of control and 3rd Jasper wasn't ready to show her the Major ;)
As always THANK YOU SO MUCH for faving, following and reviewing. If I didn't answer your reviews or PMs yet I will now! :D
