[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back my lovely readers. I hope, you enjoyed the holidays and got lots of presents.

This chapter here is dedicated to Villemo79 & indie-hearted-girl. Hope you'll enjoy

**Chapter 21**

I felt how the sweat started pouring out of each of my pores while somehow my mouth seemed to be unable to form words. Finally a sound left my throat but it sounded more like the cry of a wounded animal than a human.

Anabelle started crying again and when Jasper cradled her against his chest, Alice growled angrily.

"Put the baby down, right now, Jasper."

"But she likes it when I hold her. See, she stopped crying." He stated, his eyes sparkling when he tried to blink away some tears.

"PUT MY BABY DOWN!" I yelled so loud that my voice was hurting my own ears. Seeing him holding her in his arms was so frightening. Jasper wasn't stable and if he hurt Anabelle…

"PUT HER DOWN!"

He still made no intention to move one single inch and to my immense horror Alice was still holding the goddamn weapon between her quivering fingers.

"Alice, put that thing aside before someone gets hurt. I know you can't shot properly."

"Don't be so sure about that, Hale. For the last time now, put the baby down or I'll…I'll…,"

He sighed deeply and planted a kiss on little Anabelle's forehead before he carefully, as if she was some sort of breakable doll, placed her in her cradle again.

I instantly lifted her up again while Jasper collapsed into a whimpering ball on the ground.

"Oh my god, I fucked everything up…just everything."

Alice placed the weapon on the dressing table and kneeled down next to him. Hesitantly she reached out her hand and caressed the greasy hair on his head with her fingers.

"It's okay. It's okay."

"No, it's not! Please, Alice. Tell me, you are not leaving me. I need you. I don't know what to do without you."

"Jasper, I'm so sorry but I can't. I just can't."

He sniffed and wiped his running nose on his dirty shirt. When his eyes met mine his narrowed angrily.

"Why are you still here?"

"She lives here with me because they kicked her out of her apartment. I told you about that. Do you remember?" Alice told him, when we walked down the stairs. She poured him a glass of water while he stuffed a few biscuits that were standing on the table down without actually chewing them. Maybe he hadn't eaten in days.

"You need to eat and then you need to shower." Alice whispered, placing the rest of the Pizza I had made for dinner in front of him.

"And then you need to call them."

"They'd arrest me. Is that what you want? You want me to end up in jail so that you can fuck around in our house with your lover?"

She cringed and took two steps backwards. I wanted so badly to hug her and show her somehow that I was with her but I didn't feel able to move on single inch. Anabelle had fallen asleep again on my arms and I pulled her tighter against my body as if I wanted to make sure she was still there.

XXXX

I didn't sleep one single minute for the rest of the night although I was terribly tired after breastfeeding the little one. Jasper managed to lull Alice in into not calling the authorities. She was so worried about him and I on the other hand was worried about her and Anabelle. Who can feel safe in a house where weapons and weird soon-to-be ex-husbands come together? That thing is staying here when we move to Boston that much I'm sure of.

When it was starting to dawn outside I heard a car outside the house and a few moments later a completely hysterically sounding Rosalie appeared in front of us, her face red from excitement and her cheeks covered in tears.

"You are alive! Oh thank god, you are alive!"

She wrapped her arms around her brother and sobbed against his shoulder before she abruptly pulled back and slapped him right across his face.

"You idiot! You, stupid idiot! How could you fuck up your military career because Alice wants to leave you? She's not worth it. I tell, you she's not worth it."

"But I love her and I can't endure the thought of her with another man."

He growled and grabbed Alice around her wrist.

"Tell me who the fucker is, so that I can kill him."

"Ouch, you are hurting me. Let me go. It doesn't matter who it is. You and me…that's…over."

His grip around her arm tightened and I was sure that his fingers would leave bruises on her pale skin. Anger spread through my body and I tried to shove him away from her.

"Let her go right now, asshole. You are hurting her." I snarled at him, trying to make my voice sound as hard as possible.

"What's going on between me and my wife is none of your business!"

"Leave it to me what's my business or not. I'm so glad she finally managed to bring up the courage to end things with you before she would have made herself completely miserable."

He dropped his hands from Alice and for a moment he remained completely still. Then he raised his arm and the next movement happened so fast that I didn't have enough time to duck my head. His fist connected with the wooden kitchen shelf behind me, followed by a loud growling sound.

"You, you stupid, selfish kid…What do you know about this? A big fat nothing, that's all. You aren't even capable of taking care of your own child. So shut the fuck up and leave!"

I hesitated, my legs somehow unable to move, my mouth to dry to speak and then I felt Alice's dainty arms around my quivering shoulders.

"The only one who's leaving is YOU, Jasper. And I want you to leave right now before you damage anymore of the kitchen furniture."

XXXX

Alice eyes were red and puffy when we entered the elevator in the hospital. The ugly scene back in her house when her husband had been arrested had caused something like a nervous breakdown to her. She had cried for almost an hour and I couldn't manage to calm her down again no matter how hard I tried to. Then she had cleared her throat nervously and insisted that we needed to leave to Boston right now because she had no clue how long they would keep Jasper behind bars.

"You could tell him the truth."

"No way, he'd…I don't know what he'd do if he knew I am leaving him for you but it's not something I'm willing to risk. The three of us will have a new life far away from all of this."

I leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips, while I caressed her swollen eyelids with my fingertips.

"But you cried so much when they arrested him."

"Yes, I did, because I was scared. I don't want him to be in trouble. I love him. He's important to me. We have been together for so long."

I felt a wave of jealously rising up inside of me and I tried to swallow it back. She had chosen me. She wanted to be with me, with me and no one else.

"I'm sorry about the ugly things he said about you not able taking care of little Anabelle here. You are a wonderful mother, please don't doubt that."

I kissed her again and never broke the contact of our mouths when we stumbled out of the elevator.

"Morning, Miss Swan…Mrs. Hale."

Dr. Masen took Anabelle from her and started examining her, what didn't seem to please the little one too much because she instantly started crying.

"Has she gained some more weight?" he asked me, writing down some notes in a tablet.

"About a pound, I think. She seems to like the bottle more than my…well, you know."

"Because, it's less exhausting for her to drink that way, Miss Swan. Apart from the one kidney that doesn't work, she should be fine. Make sure she doesn't catch a cold. That would be poison for her sensitive lungs."

"Yes, Dr. Masen, we'll take care of that. Have you already finished that report we are supposed to give to the pediatrician in Boston?" Alice asked him impatiently.

"I'm going to finish it within the next two days and then I'll send it directly to the hospital in Boston I suggested to you for Anabelle's further treatment. It's none of my business, I know but your move to Massachusetts seems a bit rushed to me. Is something wrong?"

"No, we're fine. Thank you, Dr. Masen. We have just decided to move there a bit sooner than originally planned." I told him.

He nodded his head and handled Anabelle back to me. She stopped crying and a few chortling noises left her little mouth when I pressed my lips against her tiny snub nose over and over again.

I loved her, I loved her so much although I never planned on loving her and maybe, maybe in a similar way that was how it was like for Alice when it came to me.

XXXX

It was already pitch black outside when she finally decided to search for a motel where we could spend the night. I was tired, the baby was cranky and Alice looked as if she was going to fall asleep within the next two seconds.

"You are exhausted." I stated when I fumbled the door of the room open. She sighed and sat down on the edge of the first bed, leaning back against the pillows after placing Anabelle's car seat next to her.

"We haven't even made it as far as I wanted it to make it today."

I pulled her shoes down her feet and started rubbing her toes between my hands, kneading each one of them until a low purring sound escaped Alice's lips.

"Try to relax a bit. We are not on the run."

Okay, technically we are on the run…somehow.

I continued massaging her feet and ankles, letting my fingers brush up and down her slim calves. She really did have beautiful legs. God, everything about her was beautiful.

"I love you." I whispered, cuddling against her side from behind. My breasts were hurting because I hadn't pumped milk for several hours and Anabelle had been too tired to drink anything. Maybe the car ride was making her a bit nauseous. It wasn't a good idea to go on such a long trip with an infant.

"I love you too. I love you so very much." She mumbled, resting her head against my shoulder. "And I won't let anything happen to you and our little Anabelle."

I kissed the hollow of her throat, suckling the sensitive skin between my lips while my fingers twisted into the dark curls of her hair.

"Please, stop worrying. Everything will be okay. You and I we will be together forever."

"Forever." She whispered before she eventually fell asleep in my arms. I wanted to stay there but I needed to take care of my little problem first. Whoever spread the rumor that breastfeeding is a wonderful experience probably never had tried to feed a baby as stubborn as my Anabelle.

Slowly, I stood up from the bed and searched for the inevitable pump in our bags. We had packed so hectically that I was already afraid we had forgotten to take that thing when my fingers touched some cold metal underneath a layer of clothes. I pulled it out and held the weapon as far from me as possible.

Why in heaven's name did she bring that with her?