A/N: Hey guys. Despite what you may think I have not disappeared into a blackhole. :) My muse however did decide to take off to vegas with all my inspiration, leaving me completely defenseless when the evil little writers block fairys decided to invade. Have no fear though. My naughty little muse has returned and learned her lesson, apparently not everything that happens in vegas stays in vegas, sometimes its tatooed to your ass.:)

Anyways, hope you like the chapter. I loved the response I recieved for the last chapter. I will be using some ideas I got from reviews in later chapters. Keep the reviews coming...for every review I will give my poor muse $50 for her tatoo removal fund:) lol Sorry guys I'm tired and now that my imagination has been jump started once again Im afraid its gone a little haywire. Oh speaking of apologizing...I had a wonderful review telling me that I don't give myself enough credit for my writing since I am always apologizing for it. Well that stops now. No more "sorry chapter sucks" crap. Thanks for giving me some well needed advice.

Happy reading everyone!


Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight and all its characters.


JPOV

"Bella!" Her name echoed in five different tones off the walls as her eyes rolled back and she fell limp onto the recently fluffed pillows.

"No, no. Darlin' come back." The desperation I felt permeated the air.

I gripped her free hand as hard as I dared while trying to sense her emotions, there was nothing, not even a glimmer. Just like before. The relief I had been feeling since she first opened her eyes was gone and replaced by overwhelming concern.

"Carlisle, what happened? She was fine." Edward demanded as if Carlisle had all the answers. I'd like to tell him what happened. He happened. If he hadn't ignored Bella's choice then this wouldn't be happening.

"I think she just fainted. She was overwhelmed by everything and that, compounded by her exhaustion, forced her to faint." Carlisle's voice anchored everyone's emotions and offered reassurance.

"If she is just sleeping then why can't I feel any of her emotions?" I had to ask. I needed an answer that would calm my own fears.

"It is possible for a human to fall into such a deep sleep that their brain effectively shuts down, its similar to being comatose, just a lesser degree. We won't know exactly what's going on until she wakes up again." I couldn't help but add a spiteful 'if she wakes up' in my mind for Edward to hear. I heard a low growl from his direction but I didn't take my eyes off of Bella's face.

I heard everyone talking around me but I blocked it out. I kept Bella's hand clasped tightly in mine as my thoughts drifted away.

For eighteen days, I had been deprived of Bella's velvety voice, the beautiful chocolaty depths of her eyes, and the feel of her warm pliant body against mine. For eighteen days I felt nothing but anger, grief, and utter hopelessness. For eighteen days we were held in limbo, suspended in time, waiting for our savior to open her eyes and rescue us.

When you have forever, time tends to lose its significance. Days are more like hours, hours are more like minutes. That was not the case during the last eighteen days. Every second in the 25,947 minutes it took her to wake up seemed to drag out for an eternity. My very existence seemed dependent upon the next beat of Bella's heart. Every time she exhaled, I held my breath willing her to breathe again and every time she inhaled, I released the air from my lungs in relief, only to repeat the process with the next fall of her chest.

I had sat in the empty room that the hospital gave us, with some persuading and the promise of a large contribution on Carlisle's part, listening to the steady breathing of the sleeping beauty in the next room. I was not able to step foot in her room once they moved her out of the ICU. The initial desperation that occupied everyone's minds, leaving little room for any other thoughts, diminished once we knew that her injuries were not life threatening. With that clarity of mind, came the anger that first assaulted me when they found us in the alley that dreadful sunny day that seems like a lifetime ago yet the memory is as clear as it had happened just a few hours ago.

I felt Bella's emotions slip away as I uttered my apology for the pain she was about to endure and all that was being taken away from her.

My lips grazed her skin seeking that soft point on her neck where her pulse was the strongest. Once I found it, I wasted no time. My venom soaked teeth were about to puncture the last layer of skin when I was ripped away and thrown to the opposite side of the alley.

I landed in a crouch ready to attack but froze at the sight in front of me. There, standing between Bella and me, was the rest of my family. All but Carlisle were poised, ready to defend her vulnerable body from attack. Carlisle was with Bella assessing the severity of her wounds. I was in shock from the emotions my family exhibited, anger, disappointment, and disgust. Then it dawned on me, they thought I had lost control and was about to kill her. A little part of me died at the thought of their distrust of my control over my thirst.

They hadn't noticed her bite yet and if she wasn't bitten again soon the venom wouldn't spread fast enough and her change will be longer and more painful than needed. I decided to ignore their lack of trust for the moment.

"Carlisle, look at her left wrist. James bit her before I could stop him. You need to bite her again before it's too late to help." My voice was hard and rough from the emotions bombarding me.

"What the hell happened here Jasper?" Edwards said accusingly, as his rage boiled violently just under the surface.

To not waste time, I reviewed the events in my mind, skipping James' observation of my feelings and the kiss, of course. When I got to where I explained to Bella her options his eyes lit with determination and he turned toward her. I rushed to grab his arm stopping his movement. My anger and disbelief were being broadcast to all in the alley.

"You can't do that Edward! She chose to be changed! It's too late!" I was replaying everything I ever witnessed of the process, every conversation I had heard from those who had been bitten and cleansed, my worries on the repercussions, in my head for him to see. He had to understand.

"I don't care about the consequences! Anything is better than her changing! I will not let her become a monster!" He pulled his arm from my grasp and took a step towards Bella.

"I won't let you do that to her." I growled and grabbed his shoulder spinning him around just in time for his face to make contact with my fist. Emmett and Rosalie were on me instantly, dragging me backwards, while Alice and Esme doted on Edward. It only took him a few seconds to recover then he stiffened his stature and glared at me coldly.

"You have no say in this Jasper."

"You pretentious ass! You'd ignore her wishes to satisfy your own?" I struggled against Emmett and Rosalie's hold, but unfortunately, they had actually paid attention those few times I was talked into training them, and I couldn't break free.

"I know what is best for her." Edward hissed violently then turned to Bella.

I couldn't stop him, the lines had been drawn long ago and it was obvious that the only one on my side of that line was the unconscious angel that laid broken on the ground. I struggled all the same, my futile attempts at escape were all I could do to try to stop his madness.

Edward muttered a few words to Carlisle too low for me to hear as he knelt down and Carlisle nodded his head in acquiescence.

A vicious growl ripped from my chest and my fight to be free renewed with vigor as I saw Edward lift Bella's wrist to his mouth. I threw lethargy at the two holding me and by a stroke of luck; the prison of their arms loosened enough to break free. I ran as fast as possible towards Edward who had already sank his teeth through the clotted wound and was beginning to draw out her poisoned blood. Just as I was about to grab him there were strong arms restraining me from all around and a pixie blocking my path.

"Jasper! Get control of yourself!" Alice thought it was my bloodlust and not the horror of Edward's actions that caused my reaction. Once again, I felt a part of me die at the implication that my own wife didn't trust my control.

Wife. Reality crashed down on me with that one word. Alice was my wife and Bella loves Edward. There was no changing the facts. There was no way of stopping him now. I hung my head in defeat and begrudging acceptance.

"I'm sorry." I spoke the words softly for the second time today.

"It's ok Jasper." Alice laid her hand on my cheek and I felt the love flow from her but I also felt the emotions she was trying to hide. Anger, betrayal, shame and determination.

I wasn't about to tell her that I wasn't apologizing to her, or anyone else that could hear me. I was apologizing to Bella, for everything that would not happen and everything that could possibly happen.

After Edward sucked all the venom out, they rushed Bella to the best hospital in Phoenix while I ran to the desert to reduce James to ashes and gain some control of my anger. I made my way to the hospital sure that Bella would be awake soon and would want an explanation. How wrong I had been.

I walked into the waiting room of the ER and was told that they had her vitals stabilized but that she had been moved to the Intensive Care Unit because of her head injury and she was unresponsive. Head injury. Unresponsive. I felt a twisting in my undead guts. I quickly made my way to the ICU and was plowed over by the intense emotions coming not only from my family but also from the other families there, hanging onto the crumbling edge of a precipice waiting for the news that would either send them over the edge or bring them back to steady ground.

I walked past my family with their grim and desperate expressions and went through the doors to the rooms. I gave a damn if there aren't supposed to be more than two visitors, I needed to see her, needed to hear her heart beat out the rhythm of life, I needed to know she was going to be ok. I followed her scent to a room labeled 204.

There she was. She had tubes sticking out everywhere and wires running to multiple machines monitoring every body function possible. Her scent was off from the blood transfusion I'm sure they had to give her. Her head was wrapped in gauze and there was a bandage on her neck where my teeth had barely punctured her skin. I knew since there was no blood there was no way my venom would have gotten into her blood stream to turn her, but there would be a scar. Her right ankle was encased in a cast and I found my eyes traveling to her left arm. Her wrist was bandaged where both James and Edward had sank their teeth into her soft flesh. My gaze followed the contours of her arm up to where James had broken her arm. There was no cast, no frame splint, no bandaging, nothing but the sleeve of her hospital gown and the hint of a bruise peeking out from under the cloth.

I looked up in complete confusion trying to find someone who could explain to me why they hadn't done anything about her arm. I heard James break it; it would have been shattered, possibly beyond repair. My eyes fell on Carlisle who was checking over the machines and IV fluids.

"Carlisle, why haven't they done anything about her arm?" My voice sounded distant and hardly recognizable as my own.

"What do you mean Jasper? They bandaged the bite mark." His voice was calm but I could feel the turmoil of emotions he was feeling.

"No, not the bite. James, he, he broke her left arm. He gripped it so hard I heard it shatter under the pressure." I stumbled over my words unable to keep the calm that I was trying desperately to hold onto.

I felt Carlisle's confusion and disbelief as he stepped away from the machines and closer to me. He laid his hand on my forearm.

"Jasper the x-rays showed her arm to be perfectly intact. There wasn't any trace of damage to the bone or joints." We had been speaking in a tone too low for human ears but his voice seemed to go lower with his statement. My eyes, which had been on Bella the entire time, now turned to him. I furrowed my brow and leaned closer to him.

"Carlisle, that's impossible. I heard it. I felt her pain. I heard her scream. I SAW him do it!" My whispered tone became more and more adamant and distressed. Carlisle just shook his head.

"I'm sorry Jasper but there is no damage to the bones in either arm. Maybe James manipulated it to seem that way or he had a gift we didn't know about that created the illusion of her arm breaking. I don't know, but I can tell you that her arm is completely fine besides the bite." His voice was calm and assuring but it did nothing for the confusion and anger that was welling up inside of me.

"I didn't imagine it Carlisle." I took a step towards my poor broken Bella but Edward appeared out of nowhere, growling low.

"You will not touch her. Get out."

Carlisle saw my body tense in preparation to fight Edward and stepped between us.

"Edward, Jasper, this is neither the place nor the time. Whatever problems you have with each other can be settled after this crisis is over. Right now, we have to worry about Bella. I'm afraid she's slipped into a coma and coupled with the head injury that is dangerous." He said gravely.

I was shocked but Edward made no indication that it was news to him so I suppose he read Carlisle's mind before this and had warning.

"Coma?" My mind was blank. I never thought vampires could go into shock but I now knew they could.

"Yes coma. Now I need both of you to leave." Edward opened his mouth to object but Carlisle raised his hand to stop him.

"No arguing. Go to the waiting room and wait with the others and I'll be out to explain everything to everyone at the same time." He put emphasis on 'everything', 'everyone', and 'same time'.

I turned taking one last glance at Bella and numbly walked back to the waiting room with Edward on my heels.

Carlisle later come out and explained to the family that Bella had gone into a coma and there was no way to know when or even if she would wake up. The grief and dread that filled the members of my family was smothering but it wasn't anything compared to what I had felt at his words.

For three days, they kept her in the ICU but when her vitals started to strengthen, showing her injuries were not life threatening, they moved her to the head trauma unit.

The first day they moved her I tried to see her but Edward, who was always by her side, blocked my way with a warning growl making it clear I was not welcome. Thankfully, Emmett showed up then and stopped it from turning into a fight in the middle of the hospital.

After everything had settled down, I explained everything to the rest of the family who had been confused about what went on in the alley.

With the truth brought into the light, I received mixed reactions. Emmett was upset at Edward's complete disregard of Bella's decision and apologized for assuming I had lost control. Actually, everyone but Edward had been repentant for his or her own negative thoughts. Esme and Carlisle had been disappointed but understanding about Edwards's actions. Esme was worried about how Bella was going to react and how the relationship between Edward and I would fare after this was over. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this was never going to be over. No matter what the outcome it would always be there. Rosalie's reaction didn't surprise me at all. She was angry with me for even considering turning Bella when I knew there was another option and the animosity she felt towards Bella grew because she blamed her for creating problems within the family. Alice apologized profusely for jumping to conclusions and thinking the worst of me. I accepted her apology but I knew that something changed between us in that alley and they would never be the same again. She showed me where the boundary of her trust ends and how easy it is for her to condemn me.

On a bright note, she did avoid the subject of her vision of Bella and me. I suspect though, that she failed to keep it from Edward, and that's what's really fueling his volatile behavior towards me.

I could kill that sanctimonious son of a bitch for doing this to her. I told him we didn't know what could happen. I told him that the venom had spread too far. Now we are all paying for his self-righteous attitude and rash decision. Bella's price may be more than she can pay.

"At least I tried to save her life, rather than condemn her." Edward growled breaking through my thoughts.

"Save her life? Did you see what I just saw? It was you who condemned her, shit for brains!" My response came out as a snarl and the words were almost indecipherable.

Edward went to step forward when Alice jumped in front of him.

"Edward you can't do that here. That would expose us. Come on, you need to hunt." Alice tried pulling him out the door but he wouldn't move.

"I'm not going anywhere if he's staying." There was no need to say my name, we all knew who he was talking about. Esme always the peace keeper stepped in.

"Edward go hunt. Carlisle and I will stay with Bella. You'll be of no use to her when she wakes if you are so distracted by your thirst that you can't be close to her." With the promise that I would not be left alone with his precious, he reluctantly let Alice haul him out of the room and to the elevator.

No one spoke after their departure. I sat there studying Bella's features, memorizing every little freckle and stray wrinkle.

Once again I was caught in limbo but now I had a small glimmer of hope that she would wake up, that she would come back, even if it's not for me.