A/N: Well, dear readers, we meet again. It was a near thing for this one. I lost half of the story by an ill-timed closing of the document without saving and I nearly lost heart to finish. But I persevered and recreated as much as I could. I beg your indulgence for any deviation this chapter may have from the original New Moon text. It is very complex to try and keep as close to the original as possible. So a huge shout-out to all of my faithful readers and reviewers. Your comments and e-mails after the last chapter was the best present ever! And a special shout-out to my writing buddy, twilighterz4lifealison—you're review brought tears to my eyes with its kindness! Please review and let me know what you think. And don't think too poorly of Jasper. He can't always let the pixie have her way!

Disclaimer: I am writing this story because I am a fan of Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight Saga. I do not own any of the characters, plot lines or any Twilight-related materials. Only my own unique imaginings and original characters.

Underneath It All

Chapter 11: Interference

Jasper's POV

I was no more than ten miles away but it felt like a thousand miles. Tension was thrumming through my body and fear like none I had ever faced on the battlefield either human or vampire overpowered me.

I'd seen my pixie in some bad spots before, but I felt fear shivering through me at her tone. Something had happened and the way she'd sounded—I had a sinking feeling that something had happened to Edward. Or Bella. It was the only explanation. Oh, it could've been someone else in our family but that was so improbable.

And I had a sneaking suspicion that this could be related to all of the things she'd been keeping from me lately. It frustrated me to no end but I also knew that she'd share in her own time. But if her voice was any indication, it may have been to late for me to help her now.

The house was in sight and I never broke stride as I hustled up the steps and through the front door. "Pixie!" My own voice was gruff, desperate. "In here Jazz." Her voice was broken, hushed but I knew where it came from.

I slammed our bedroom door open and it splintered under my blow. I didn't care. There she was on the floor beside the bed. She was against the wall, her knees drawn up and her tiny arms clasped around them. Her forlorn gaze met mine and in the next instant she'd jumped up and flung herself into my arms.

I hugged her as tight as I could, trying to keep her and myself from coming apart. But it was a losing battle. She was trembling uncontrollably in the circle of my arms. I stroked her soft dark hair and made murmuring shushing sounds.

It was amazing that only minutes before I'd actually been enjoying myself with Emmett and Kate and Tanya down by the river behind the sisters' house. We'd feasted on a couple of Kodiak bears who'd come down to the river to feast themselves on the salmon who were in abundance.

The good feelings that we'd all been sharing laughing at Emmett's antics had dissipated. Now all I felt was the overwhelming desolation and grief that rolled off of my pixie. What the hell had happened?

I pulled her back to look into her face. At first she resisted, clinging to my neck but then as I tugged harder, she allowed me to push her back. Her eyes were cast down and I grasped her chin in one of my hands and lifted her face to mine.

"Alice, sweetheart, what's happened?" Her black eyes were bright with her misery. How had I not noticed the purple bruises beneath her eyes, how she needed to hunt? But I hadn't. Until now.

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came. Her hand flew up to her throat and she seemed as surprised as I that she was speechless, couldn't find her voice. I couldn't remember the last time that had happened, if ever.

I growled in frustration and my eyes closed briefly. I met her gaze and then clasped her face in both of mine, cradling her head as gently as I could. "Hell's bells pixie, you're killing me here. Did you have a vision? Is it Edward?" Mutely, she just shook her head and I saw the horror in her eyes.

"I'm sorry cowboy. I didn't mean to scare you. But Jazz…oh, Jazz…it's horrible!" Her voice came out in a whisper. "It's…it's…B-B-Bella. She's dead." Disbelief shot through me and I stiffened at her words. She was shaking again and I realized that she was silently sobbing. No, this had to be a mistake!

"Pixie, no, surely you're mistaken. I'm sure she's fine." My own voice came out low, gruff. She shook her head again and clasped my hands with her own, bringing them down to our sides, entwining our fingers.

"No, Jazz. It's true. I saw it. I saw it happen. We have to go to Forks. I have to be there for Ch-Ch-Charlie." Her voice was a little above a whisper now but it was still broken and lifeless. Just like on the phone.

My spine straightened and I knew then that it was true. If she'd seen it then it had either happened or would soon. Too soon for anything to be done. "But, how?" I couldn't comprehend what was happening.

"He was wrong, Jazz! He was so wrong! He said she wouldn't do anything desperate. But she did. She…she jumped off a cliff. And she's dead. I just know it!" Her voice had an almost desperate ring to it. As if she were daring me to tell her she was wrong, that it wasn't true. But if she saw it…I couldn't do that. I knew it must be true.

"Oh, pixie. I am so sorry!" I pulled her back into my embrace and cradled her head against my chest. I knew there were no adequate words to soothe the loss of her best friend. At the same time, a traitorous thought teased the back of my mind. Why had she seen this? Did she seek it out? I knew she'd been likely breaking her promise to Edward and now look where her interference had gotten her. I sighed in frustration. I would have done anything to spare her this pain but she shouldn't have looked.

"So you see Jazz? We have to go to Forks. Charlie's going to need me. We have to go now." Her words were muffled against my shirt but I heard them plainly. My confusion grew. None of it made sense. I'd never really pictured Bella as the type to kill herself. And why after so long? But even if she had, why did we have to go to Forks? Nothing could be done now. What good would it do Alice to be there? Absolutely none. Only cause her more pain and misery.

No. I couldn't let her do that to herself. I'd let this go on far too long as it was. I should have made her confide in me, convinced her to stop her interference as she'd promised. And deep down inside I had to admit that it hurt a little. That she hadn't just trusted me on her own—that I'd had to cajole for every little scrap she'd shared with me and even then it hadn't been enough. I wasn't enough.

She turned and tugged me as she backed toward the door while facing me. "Come on Jazz. We can't waste anymore time! I've already reserved the plane tickets." Her voice sounded like tinkling bells and I could see the pleading in her eyes.

The feelings of grief and need that were radiating from her nearly brought me to my knees as their weight rested square on my shoulders. It would be so easy to give in—it was my natural instinct to give her anything she wanted, to comfort her, protect her whenever I could.

But not this time. We'd promised Edward—she'd promised him. Her interference now would only make things worse once he found out. Especially as nothing could be done at this point. I pulled my hands out of hers and stood ramrod straight. I saw the confusion in her eyes as her brow puckered. "Jazz?" she asked in a lilting voice.

I shook my head and swallowed convulsively trying to clear the lump that had suddenly sprung up in my throat. "No pixie. I'm not going. And neither should you. We promised him. We should honor that. Especially since it's…it's probably too late anyway." I'd never know how but somehow I kept my voice steady. Like any good soldier who had to carry out an unpleasant duty.

She gasped in horror and pain at my words and looked at me stricken. I nearly broke right there and had to get out of her sight. I crossed to one of the armchairs in front of the fire and sat before my trembling knees betrayed the depth of the will it was taking to do this—to deny her. To add to her pain.

She crossed to me and stood a scant six inches away from me, looking down. I stared into the dying fire and refused to look in her eyes. I knew what I'd see. "Jasper, please. I need you. I-I don't know if I can do this alone. I know we promised but circumstances change. Please. Please." Her voice broke on her last whispered plea.

Finally, I looked up and I knew she'd see the bleakness that permeated every molecule of my being. I knew I was breaking her heart. But she was breaking mine too. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked her.

She looked into my eyes, her bleakness matching my own. "Because I have to. She was my best friend and I never even said goodbye. I have to do whatever I can now to make up for that. I have to say goodbye now. And I want you with me but if you say no, I'm going anyway." Her voice was low but sure. I knew she meant it.

I reached out and grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to me until my cheek rested against her stomach. Her arms hesitated but then clasped my head to her, her fingers tangling in my hair. "Don't go." I murmured against her, pleading. "Stay with me. Choose me. I'm still here."

She shuddered once and her fingers tightened against my scalp at my words. I could feel another emotion to mix with all the others but I wasn't sure if it was hers or mine. Regret. And it tasted bitter.

"I'm sorry cowboy. I have to. I have to go." My eyes closed as I tried to tighten my grip but I knew it was useless. I had lost her. I had lost this battle so I dropped my arms as the desolation swept through me. A good soldier always knew when to retreat. Her hands were still in my hair and she tilted my head back. I let her. I felt numb, empty.

She gave me a fierce stare showing me her need, her love. But none of that mattered. And then she leaned down and touched her lips ever so softly, lightly to mine. "Forgive me, my love." She murmured against my lips. And then she was gone. In an instant. And I was alone. With no one to interfere in my misery.

Alice's POV

I'd made it with minutes to spare and was the last to board the plane. Luckily, only first-class seats had been left with such a last minute reservation so I'd been able to collapse into my seat without too much notice. I wasn't sure my legs would've held out for me to traipse to even the back of the plane. I was numb with pain and shock. Both at what I was sure had befallen Bella at this point and Jasper's refusal to accompany me.

Jasper. My chest throbbed in pain at the memory of that last moment with him. How the shadows of the dying fire had played across his face, accenting the devastation and hurt that was mirrored in his eyes as he'd looked up at me. It would haunt me forever.

But it hurt too. Even if I knew it was irrational, I felt rejected. He'd never refused to be there for me before and I really didn't know how to handle it. I just didn't want to think about it. Or him. It hurt way too much. So I tried to concentrate on what I faced when I landed in Seattle.

Since I'd reserved two seats, secure in the knowledge that my husband would join me, it meant that I now had both seats to myself. I took advantage and again tried not to think of the empty seat beside me. So I stretched out, taking advantage of the extra space to feign sleep. I desperately wanted to search out Bella, praying fervently that it had not yet happened or that I'd been wrong or that she'd changed her mind.

But as the plane rose, my vision was as hazy as the clouds we were passing through. Bella was just one big blank. My heart sank. I was definitely too late. All hope left me and I withdrew into myself. Now it was time for me to start planning what I would do once I landed. I had to pull it together. For Charlie's sake, I had to be there for him.

I'd thought leaving Jazz sitting in that chair by the fire was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. But maybe not. Burying my best friend was going to trump that. And as devastated as I felt, it would be nothing compared to poor Charlie. I felt my breath hitch just at the thought.

His loss was immeasurable. It was a total loss. He had no one else. At least I still had my family. And Jasper. Hopefully. But Charlie—he was so proud, so private. I only hoped he wouldn't view my arrival as interfering in his life.

But it was the least I could do. Along with the grief and the sadness, I was filled with regret. Regret for never truly saying goodbye to Bella. Regret for not sharing everything with Jasper. Regret for hurting him. The very thing I'd been trying to prevent by not telling him everything I knew, everything I was doing. If I'd been thinking clearly I would have realized that not letting him in was the one thing that would keep him away from me.

As the plane descended over the Pacific Northwest setting sun, I longed to call Jasper. To beg his forgiveness, to make him promise we'd never be apart again. And then my unrighteous indignation reared its ugly head. We wouldn't be apart now if he'd agreed to come with me. So in the end I didn't call him.

Instead, I ran as fast as I could toward Forks and the Swan house, trying to outrun the image of Jasper, bleak and alone. Trying to outrun the image of Edward in that motel, miserable and alone. Trying to outrun the image of Bella flinging herself off the cliff, desperate and alone.

I'd gone first to our house and retrieved Carlisle's Mercedes. I'd been so intent on getting to Forks that it never even dawned on me to rent a car at the airport. It was a short detour and I easily found my way back to the Swan house.

It was dark when I arrived. I stepped into the shadows of the tree in the front yard and looked at the house as it was cloaked in darkness. Not a light shone anywhere, not even the porch light. I swallowed hard knowing that it was empty. Charlie was not inside. He would be making…arrangements.

I flitted quickly to the front door. I'd briefly considered entering through Bella's window, but it was still early enough, I didn't want to draw attention. I grasped the doorknob and turned it without any real hope that it would be unlocked. But it was.

Tsk, tsk Charlie. And you a police chief! But as soon as the traitorous thought popped into my head, I sobered. Of course it was unlocked, he'd surely left in a panic, a hurry. He wouldn't have been thinking clearly, consumed with his loss.

I stepped into the dark hallway and was immediately assaulted with her scent. I breathed deeply trying to take it in and absorb it so I would never forget it. It wasn't as tempting as it would have been had she been here standing in front of me. Alive. But as I took another deep breath, I inhaled both her and Charlie's scents, similar in some ways yet both distinctive.

I'd forgotten how long it had been since I hunted until the venom filled my mouth. Oops. That wouldn't do at all. Perhaps I should go hunt before Charlie came back. It'd be better for him too, to see me with my "natural" eyecolor.

But I couldn't bring myself to leave now that I was here. I was overcome with the memories. I closed my eyes and I saw it all.

Charlie was lying on the old sofa, a Mariners game playing but he'd been up early fishing so he was lightly snoring. Bella was in the kitchen whipping up some human food for her dad. Her calculus book was open on the kitchen table. She would glare at it, mutter and then turn to add an ingredient. Before she was done, she burned herself, brushing a hot pan.

At her gasp of pain, and the flush that flooded her cheeks, I gasped aloud and opened my eyes. It had been so real, at first I thought it was the vision. That I'd been wrong about the cliff. Cautiously, I did a quick search but Bella's future was one big blank. Nope. I'd been right the first time. It'd just been wishful thinking.

I didn't know how long it'd be before Charlie came back. I hoped it would be soon. I wasn't sure how long I could be here alone with the ghosts of the past. I looked up the stairs and saw her bedroom door open just a crack. I couldn't resist and before I knew it, I stood before the wooden door.

Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to be in her room. I'd never had the chance to say goodbye and this could be my last chance. Oh, I knew it wasn't the same but I suddenly wanted to be in there, see her things, remember her.

I slowly pushed the door open. Everything looked the same, just as I remembered it--from her ancient computer to her narrow bed. I walked over and picked up the old quilt from the end of the bed and then plopped down in the old rocking chair in the corner. As my gaze swept the room, I was suddenly struck with my last memory of this room and the remembrance overwhelmed me.

It had been the day before her disaster of a birthday party. She was sitting at the computer typing out her Romeo and Juliet essay for English class. I was lying across her bed on my stomach, flipping through the latest Vanity Fair.

As I flipped through the fashions, I would decide which ones would look best on Bella or me. Most of them would have been gorgeous on her. Sadly for me I was too short for haute couture but it didn't stop a girl from dreaming.

I was also thinking about her birthday party tomorrow night, finalizing my to-do list in my mind. She'd made it abundantly clear that she didn't want any kind of a fuss made, not even presents. Really! Who wouldn't want presents? Well, I couldn't stand for that. Eighteen was a big deal. Not that I remembered my first one. But I might have thrown myself an eighteenth birthday party every once and awhile over the years.

I was so wrapped up in my planning and looking at the gorgeous Chanel dress on the page in front of me that I hadn't noticed that the keys had fallen silent. Until her voice called out softly. "Alice?"

I didn't glance up at first. "Mmm?" I casually turned down the corner of the page. Oh, one of us was definitely getting that Chanel gown. When she didn't say anything in response, I looked up and took in her sloppy ponytail, t-shirt and sweats. Okay, she was getting the dress. And I would tie her down and make her wear it if she resisted.

She'd drawn one leg up and her cheek was resting on her knee as she faced the desk. She was rubbing at an inkstain on the desk and she looked at it as if it were the most interesting Picasso painting. I sat up and crossed my legs. "Bella? Is something wrong?"

My brow puckered as I thought about Edward lecturing me this morning about not getting her upset with my grandiose plans for her birthday and the best thing would be for me to keep my mouth shut. Surely he hadn't told her? But then she was the one to bring it up first and I mentally stuck my tongue out at my brother. See, I could be a good friend, a good listener sometimes. Then I bit my tongue and counted to ten in Greek as the silence drew on.

She raised her head resting her chin on her knee as she turned her deep brown eyes on me. I saw her uncertainty and her words came out barely above a whisper. "Has anything changed? I mean…um…I was wondering…do you still see me like you?" Her last question did come out as a whisper.

Instantly, I was off the bed and had flung my arms around her shoulders as I pressed my cold cheek to her warm one flushed with embarrassment. I knew how hard it had been for her to ask me the question. It was a sore subject with my brother, but not with me. I couldn't wait for the day when she would become my true sister.

I pulled my face away to look her in the eyes. "Oh Bella! Yes, of course I do! Nothing's changed. I still don't know when or how. But it will happen." She gave me a shaky uncertain smile. "I don't suppose it will be tomorrow then?"

I let my face go slack and my eyes unfocused. "Nope, sorry. Not tomorrow. But you are going to have a spectacular day!" I gave her my brightest smile. She gave me a reproachful look with the barest hint of a smile. "Not too spectacular I hope." I grinned back at her and then sniffed as if offended. "Of course not. It'll simply be sufficiently spectacular."

Then we both burst into laughter. "Oh Alice, what would I ever do without you?" I hugged her tightly again as I replied, "I know Bella, I feel the same. Exactly the same."

The roar of a vehicle brought me out of my reverie with those last words reverberating throughout my brain. Could it be Charlie? Oh God, now that he was here what would I say, what would I do? Surrounded by Bella everywhere I went, I couldn't think of one rational thing.

I rushed down the stairs and froze in the hallway as I heard steps on the front porch. They didn't sound like Charlie's heavy boots. Maybe just someone coming to drop off a casserole or some other condolence. I was suddenly gripped with the starkest desire that Jasper were here giving me his quiet strength, doling out calm vibes like candy. But he wasn't.

The doorknob turned as silently as when I'd done the same thing not too long before and then it slowly swung open, almost hesitantly. For the second time in a span of a matter of hours, my world was turned upside down.

Oh my God, I'd finally cracked. All the months of trying to be the strong one, and the one to hold our family together, put it back together had finally taken its toll. I was hallucinating.

It wasn't Charlie. And I was pretty sure it wasn't a well-wisher. There couldn't be two people with that scent. I saw her reaching for the light switch but not finding it.

I flicked the switch in a millisecond and the pale yellow light washed over the hallway. I couldn't move, whether from the shock or the numbness, I wasn't sure. This was the most vivid hallucination a person or vampire had ever had. And then the hallucination spoke. No, not a hallucination. It was her.

I heard the sweetest sound to ever fall upon my ears. "Alice, oh, Alice!"