A/N: Yeah, I know.. it's been over two months. I ran up against a towering, blank wall and it took me awhile to scale over it.

I didn't go around it because I do things the hard way. :P

My intent was to give you a 4,000 word update, but then I said, "Screw it!" and here's close to 2,500 words.

An Affair of the Heart

Chapter 21

To Destroy For Those He Loves

"Emmett, you're with me."

Rosalie shot off the sofa. She stood in front of Emmett with her chin raised and told Carlisle, "If Emmett's going then I'm going."

Carlisle sighed and gave her a patient but stern look. "My intention is to intercede on Edward's behalf, Rosalie. Having you there will only detract from that end. You will stay here."

Emmett tried not to grin as he followed a very angry Rosalie as she stomped away into the adjoining room.

Once she had put an acceptable amount of distance between them, to let Carlisle and Alice know this conversation was meant for Emmett only, she turned and moved close to him,

so close that her body was almost touching his and she had to crane her head back to scowl up at him.

He reached his arms around her and gently pulled her flush against his body. "Babe—"

"No, Emmett," she snapped at him for his attempt to soothe her. She glared up at him. "You tell Edward I will shred him myself if Jasper hurts you."

Now Emmett did grin. "Babe, I'm indestructible."

Rosalie's scowl deepened. "No, you're not, Emmett… none of us are!"

Emmett knew Rosalie would worry about him endlessly... because she would always see some little boy called Henry when she looked at him.

And because she had seen him at his most vulnerable.

Dying.

Emmett turned his head to the side and spoke to Carlisle in the next room. "We should bring Bella."

Carlisle stepped into view and looked thoughtful as he briefly considered Emmett's words, then he said, "Yes, an excellent suggestion, Emmett."

Emmett's care-free, joking manner often made him and the rest of the family forget Emmett's practical side.

Emmett ran his palms up and down the back of Rosalie's crossed arms. "Better?"

She refused to look up at him and frowned at middle of his chest instead. "I suppose it will have to do."

Emmett grinned. Both Rosalie and Edward shared a nasty, stubborn streak when things didn't go their way, exactly. He leaned down and kissed her pouting lips.

Bella curled into Jacob's side, and closed her eyes; she listened to the waves crashing below them.

The water was too frigid for diving, so she and Jacob had the top of the cliff to themselves. She let out a sigh of contentment.

"What?" Jacob ran a thick length of her hair through his fingers.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Bella," he chuckled, "what's on your mind?"

She smiled and leaned into Jacob. "I was just thinking how peaceful it is here." Simpler.

Her eyes flashed open when she sensed Jacob shifting. This time she waited until his lips brushed hers before she panicked and stopped him.

"Jacob, I can't…" she trailed off, not wanting to hurt him by telling him that she couldn't do this to Edward.

Jacob retreated without a word, without a sigh, without a growl of annoyance. He simply accepted it and continued to hold her as if she hadn't just rejected him.

And she hated herself for it.

For filling up on all the love and adoration pouring out of Jacob, and for not being able to give back anything more to him than her companionship.

Her phone rang.

Jacob tensed. "Don't answer him."

Bella could hear all the years of disappointment in his voice, the heartbreak, and she felt guilty that she still hadn't told Jacob that she'd blocked Edward's number.

Why hadn't she told him?

"Don't worry," she smiled at Jacob, "it's Carlisle."

Bella wasn't certain that she was wanted to see Edward.

Not yet.

She was going only because Carlisle had been the one asking.

She was still angry with Edward.

And furious with Alice.

After Jasper's visit that day at the cottage, Bella had been spending all her time with Jacob on the rez, to avoid Alice.

It wasn't until she walked inside the main house, and Esme embraced her, that she realized she had been avoiding the rest of the family as well.

"Bella, we've missed you," Esme said. She stepped back and appraised Bella, giving her a warm smile. "You're looking well."

"She still smells like dog," Rosalie muttered from the sofa.

"Hey, little sister!" Emmett scooped Bella up in a crushing, bear hug.

Lucky for her, she didn't need to breathe.

Emmett twirled her around and around and Bella laughed until a small, tentative voice said, "Bella?"

Bella stopped laughing and slithered down from Emmett's arms, crossing her own. Her back was to Alice, who was standing at the top of the staircase. "Carlisle, I said I didn't want to see her."

Alice stepped down a handful of stairs. "Bella, please—"

"Alice, please go back upstairs until we leave," Carlisle said.

"But I wanted to tell—"

Bella spun around and flew at Alice, easily leaping up and over the banister at mid-level.

She crashed into Alice and pushed her against the wall; then pressed her into it. The sheetrock imploded, dusting them both with a fine white powder.

Bella grabbed Alice by the shoulders and pulled her down onto the stairs.

She clawed at Alice's delicate face; she yanked on her hair; she struck out at her.

Alice held up her arms and shrieked, not in physical pain, but because her sister, her best friend, hated her.

Alice blinked.

Everyone was watching her.

Everyone except for Bella. She was still standing with her back toward Alice.

"Alice," Carlisle said more firmly.

Alice lowered her head. "Yes, Carlisle." She flitted up the stairs.

Reneesme chewed on her bottom lip.

Her father wasn't picking up her calls or returning them, which had never happened. Ever.

Then she heard Alice whisper an agonized, "Jasper, no!"

She slid off the foot of her bed and walked up the hallway.

She knocked on Alice's door and opened it without waiting. "Is Ed- is my father all right? Because he's not answering me and he always answers me."

Alice's gaze traveled from the phone Reneesme was waving at her, to the panicked expression on Nessie's face and the tears forming in her eyes.

Alice didn't want to lie to her. Edward wasn't destroyed, but he wasn't all right either. "He's busy."

"What is he doing?"

Of course, Nessie wasn't going to let her leave it at that. "Um…"

(Jasper wrestled Edward to his knees then threw down him onto his stomach. He straddled Edward's back and locked his arms around his neck and head.)

"Alice!" Reneesme stomped her foot. "What is Jasper doing to him?"

Carlisle had out-distanced the both of them because Emmett kept dropping back to check that Bella was still following them.

"C'mon, Bella... stop dragging your feet. I'll race you."

Emmett gave Bella a big, goofy grin and raced off shouting, "Loser has to wear Jasper's mohawk-wig for a week!"

Emmett's playful mood was always infectious. Bella grinned like a fool and took off running.

Soon, they had caught up with Carlisle and the three of them shot through the dense forest, with Bella and Emmett each vying to get in the space directly behind Carlisle.

If Carlisle had not been preoccupied with worry, with wanting to reach Denali swiftly, and with getting to Edward before Jasper did, he would have joined them in their game.

Or, at the very least, he would have attempted to thwart Emmett and Bella by slowing down because it appeared they had come up with some arbitrary rule which prohibited either of them from passing him.

It was good to see Bella smiling.

Carlisle made a mental note to thank Emmett later for coming up with this distraction to prod Bella along.

Jasper heard the whispering sound of someone swiftly approaching him from behind.

Bella had already frustrated his vengeance once; he would not be denied a second time.

Jasper waited until they were close enough before he twisted at the waist and thrust out his hands to push them back.

His eyes flashed wide when he saw who was there.

He hissed.

Not at Kate, but at himself for not considering that Kate—not Tanya or Garrett, even —would be the one to step in and try to stop him.

He pulled his arms back, but Kate was already on him.

She gripped his forearms and released her gift.

The initial pulse rocked his body and knocked him flat on his back. If he were still human, Kate's touch would have stopped his heart, dead cold, and ended him right there.

Instead, his body stretched out as every muscle fiber within it contracted simultaneously.

It was uncomfortable. And inconvenient.

If Edward had it in him, now would be the time to wrench his head from his body. But Jasper didn't think he had the guts to do it.

Edward flinched when Kate placed her palm lightly against the middle of his back. "Edward, are you all right?"

"Yes." He nodded and rolled over and sat up, hissing through his teeth as the venom continued to burn within him.

…. but the boy doesn't have the guts to do it…

Edward glanced over at Jasper's prone form.

Anger seeped into him.

Although his physical age would always be seventeen, he wasn't a boy. He was a man.

He may not have been forged in violence like Jasper had been, but he did have it in him… to fight… to destroy for those he loved. Battling James and then Victoria and the newborns proved it.

He saw Jasper's hand twitch. "Kate, he's moving."

"Yes, the effect isn't long-lasting. But it doesn't need to be." She gave Edward a cocky grin.

"Kate, you have to hit him again."

She stopped smiling. "Edward, you're not in any immediate danger." He heard Kate's reproving tone echoed in his mind as the others' thoughts rushed at him.

"Kate, you have to! He won't relent… not until he strips my head from my body again."

A chorus of 'again?' reverberated in his head.

"Yes," he hissed, answering them all.

Jasper attempted to move his mouth, but his jaw was still locked in rigor. You yellow-bellied coward! Why don't you tell Kate… and Tanya… and the rest of them what you did to Alice…why I am going to shred you?

Edward's gaze flicked past Kate; he locked eyes with Tanya. "He was going to burn me… in my own fireplace."

He looked at Kate again. "He used his gift to manipulate Emmett."

He made brief eye contact with each of them as he said, "He forced Emmett hold me. He'll do the same to you."

His gaze stopped on Tanya. "He won't stop… not until he destroys me."

"Kate, you should listen to him," Tanya said. "We all know how deadly Jasper could be if he wanted to be."

…if he was provoked… Kate narrowed her eyes at Edward. "What did you do, Edward?"

"What?" Edward shot Kate an incredulous look. "What do you mean, what did I do? You saw him! He was attacking me. "

"Jasper isn't the type of man to fight without a reason."

"Oh, what the hell do you know!" Edward snarled at Kate. "I've lived with him under the same roof for over sixty years…. I think I know him better than you do!"

Everyone's eyes widened at Edward's aggressive outburst.

Garrett moved in closer until he was standing at Kate's side, even though he was certain that her gift would protect her if Edward did the unthinkable and attacked her.

"It's the human blood, "Elezear whispered to the others.

Edward stalked toward Elezear. "No, it is not! He," Edward pointed, indicating Jasper, but did not turn to look at him, "doesn't deserve to have her!"

"Who?" Elezear asked. Bella? …Has Jasper wooed—

"Alice," Edward hissed.

He appeared next to Jasper and crouched down. "She was falling in love with me. Until you interfered… with your gift. You influenced her feelings so she would think that she was still in love with you!"

No, Alice is with me because she chooses to be.

Edward wrapped both his hands around Jasper's throat. "Stop. Lying!"

Jasper gripped the front of Edward's neck with one hand and used his other to push off from the ground into a standing position, bringing Edward up with him.

He snaked his arm around the back of Edward's neck and pulled Edward's head until his cheek was resting against his chest. "Alice was waiting for me in that diner. Not you. ME."

Edward pushed up on Jasper's lower jaw with the heel of his hand, forcibly shutting Jasper's mouth with a cracking sound before Jasper could bite into him.

He squirmed from Jasper's embrace, but Jasper latched onto his right wrist with his hand, used his other to grasp the spot above Edward's elbow, and he pulled.

Edward howled then hissed. Jasper had wrenched off his right arm.

Jasper tossed it aside and hissed back at Edward. Then he charged at him.

Tanya ran at Jasper, collided into his side, and knocked him off target. Jasper kicked at her with his boot heel, hoping to send her flying away from him before—

Too late.

Jasper felt Tanya's grip on the back of his knee at the exact moment his body sprawled out, rigid, in the snow.

Edward stood at his head, looking down at him. His right arm was back in place but he was rotating his shoulder as if he were limbering up for some physical exercise.

"Edward… No-o! No-o! No-o! No-oo!"

Alice registered that somebody was shaking her as everything became PRESENT. Her eyes focused.

She pushed Reneesme back and snatched up Nessie's phone from the floor, where Nessie must have dropped it when she had attempted to shake Alice from her vision.

Alice didn't bother with one-key dialing. Not knowing which number Nessie had assigned to Carlisle's phone, it was quicker to key in his full number.

"Yes, Renees—"

"Carlisle, you have to hurry," Alice wailed. "I saw Edward burning Jasper's head!"

ooo... WTF! You waited two and a half months for a freakin' cliff-hanger?!

Please don't be exasperated with me, I have some scaffolding nailed together and stashed away in the corner. In the *unlikely* event that I am confronted with another towering wall of blankness... I'm prepared. :)

But foremost, I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter. (I'm off to see the Wizard... oh, wait... sorry.. I'm off to write the next installment.)