Chapter 25: Shattered

"But it was too late…"

Rosalie sat on the lowest branch of an aging oak tree, her back against the trunk. She was feeling restless and craved to do something mundane like shop for clothes or shoes instead of chaperoning Jasper and Harrie while they have their little rendezvous. She could hear their laughter floating in the cool night breeze and she thought she felt a dull throb in her chest where her dead heart lay still. She gripped the bark of the tree, ruining her pristine manicured fingernails and exhaled loudly.

"I give up," she mumbled under her breath and she slowly made her way down but before her feet could touch the ground, she heard a shrill scream. Rosalie had never ran as fast as she had done then.

oOoOo

"Wait, Harrie! Where are you going?" Jasper called after but she paid him no heed as she walked off into the gloom. He was on his feet immediately and caught up with her easily enough. They walked a couple more meters before standing in front of decent-sized oak tree. Its branches started low and even Harrie could reach one of them if she tried.

And try she did.

Grabbing the branch with one hand and placing her other hand against the trunk of the tree, she boosted herself up. She wasn't particularly graceful as she did this and Jasper bit down on his tongue to stop the laugh trying to come out. With a triumphant, "Ha!" she waved at him as he gawked at her as if she had gone mad – which he legitimately thought she had.

She teetered back and for on the branch and swung her legs two and fro so wildly that Jasper felt like she could fall any second. "What are you doing up there?" he asked her, the calmness in his voice almost gone and Harrie realized that when Jasper panicked, his Southern accent became more prominent.

'How adorable,' she mentally tittered.She smirked at him and said, "You have to prove it to me."

Jasper crossed his arms over his chest and continued staring up at with a bewildered expression. "What are you talking about?" he shouted up at her. Harrie arched a delicate eyebrow and smirked, silently taunting him. He glared up at her with his piercing golden eyes and she heard him crack his knuckles in preparation for his ascent.

"Well, you better be ready for me, little lady," he warned her and in one graceful leap, he caught another low lying branch and before she could blink, he was already crouching deftly on the branch next to her. He watched her humorously as she let out a small yelp. It was his turn to smirk at her. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"If you say so," Harrie said with a yawn, having recovered from Jasper's stunt.

"Not so easily amused I see," Jasper retorted. "I suppose I need to teach you a lesson first."

Jasper could see Harrie's eyes widen tremendously even in the dark. "Teach me? Teach me what exactly?" she asked.

"Teach you how to climb, of course!" he said as he slowly stood up on the branch and without so much as holding on to anything, he took three steps and he was by the trunk. He held onto it and reaching up for another branch, he called back to her, "It'll be a lot of fun, I promise! Just do what I do and follow where I go. I'm going up first so I know it's safe."

Then he was at it, going up and up and up. He was so fast and so very agile that Harrie could just barely keep up with him and only when he took the time to check on her, go back down a few branches and then finally assist her along the way. Then at one point, Jasper told her to stop and rest, grumbling something like, "This will not do," underneath his breath. After a few moments, Jasper assisted her up the next branch. "Keep going," he instructed. "I'll watch you from down here, in case you slip."

Harrie admitted that she was scared at first but Jasper's reassuring presence bolstered her courage and she began to think that this was a bit fun after all. It was a slow and arduous climb nonetheless because Harrie could barely see anything in front of her now. Yet despite the lack of light, Jasper was not only able to climb up with ease but he was able to guide her where to find the next handhold or foothold for her when she could not and doing this from below her and in darkness.

Harrie's mind started to drift, going back to the night when Jasper had rescued her and brought her to the Cullen residence. 'It was just like this back then,' she mused. 'He was so very sure…it was like he could see in the dark…like a cat…'

Her heart was racing now, not from the exertion but from some unknown fear welling up within her – and it was not because they were several feet of the ground now. 'Why is he so stra-' Her train of thought was cut off sharply when the thin branch she was holding gave way and she lost her balance. The next moment she felt herself falling, cold night air sweeping past her and slapping her hard in the face. Harrie closed her eyes tight and screamed.

oOoOo

Without a second thought, Jasper leapt out into the night air and dove after the flailing object that was Harrie. She was screaming, piercing through the quiet forest as she tumbled between the branches. How could he have let her? How could he have let himself? He watched her fell through the thinner branches and she seemed to slow down as he gained speed. He stretched out his arm and his fingers barely grazed her skin and just before they both hit the ground, his hand caught her waist. With a ragged sigh, he pulled her to him, shielding her small, trembling body with his. The next moment, his body made contact with the hard earth.

"Ssh, ssh, ssh," he murmured in her ear and smoothed out her hair. "You're fine, little lady. You're alright."

He felt her talk into his chest and he barely made out the little whimper of pain as she clung to his shirt like her life depended on it. And that is when he smelt it. Blood. It was coming from her but he couldn't see it. Instantly, he jumped and crawled away, his head dizzy from the sweet, intoxicating aroma.

"Jas..per…" she called out to him in a weak voice. But he could not go to her even though he wanted to. His desire to help her and the urge to rip her throat open mingled into one even as he battled with himself. Miraculously, his fear won out and he stayed a good distance away. He knew that he would do more harm if he went even a millimeter closer. He did not know how long he stayed rooted to that one spot but finally and taking all of his strength of will, he turn away from her helpless form and dashed into the forest where he knew Rose somewhere hiding. Even as he ran, Harrie's pleas rang in his ears like a haunting echo, calling his name over and over again until he thought he was going mad.

'God, where are you, Rose?'

oOoOo

Harrie felt something cool touch her forehead and with a soft moan, she opened her eyes. She was still in the forest from what she could tell but Jasper was no longer by her side. Instead, Rosalie was there. While cradling her head with one arm and the other, she calmly inspected the rest of Harrie's body for any signs of injury. "You're bleeding," the blonde said in a matter of fact tone. "You arm has a big gash on your right arm but you don't seem to have broken any bones, thank God."

Harrie struggled to get up but Rose gently restrained her. "Where's Jasper? I remember him leaving me and I called out to him…" Harrie couldn't hide the hurt in her voice. She really thought that Jasper had abandoned her.

Rose gave her a sharp look as if to chastise her. "Jasper went out to go fetch the medic. We're in the middle of a forest and they can't get to us without someone to guide them."

Harrie didn't feel all that certain about Rose's answer but she didn't really know what happened right after she had slipped and fell. She wasn't sure how Jasper had saved her and why he had left all of a sudden without so much as an explanation. Or how did Rosalie appear seemingly out of nowhere. "Where…where did you come from?" she asked in a hoarse whisper, her eyelids drooping. She felt extremely tired again. Asking questions seemed to take a good amount of energy at the moment.

"Stop wondering about how I got here and just be damn grateful that I am here," Rose practically growled.

Either Harrie was too tired or too afraid (or both) to argue with her that she didn't say another word. She let herself close her eyes fully and be immersed in the feeling of Rose's light fingers caress her injured arm. It did sting quite a lot where she felt the wound was exposed to the cold night air.

Harrie heard a ripping sound of clothing and then something was placed over her arm and wrapped securely around the wound. Rose began to hum softly. Harrie found it vaguely familiar but couldn't quite recall it. It was a song of a bittersweet love that had gone astray. It was to that song that Harrie finally succumbed to sleep once again.

oOoOo

Rosalie stood up with Harriet in her arms with ease. She looked up, her face set in a hard scowl. Jasper could barely look at her. At them. Jasper had seen the entire exchange. He hadn't left at all to find help. Help had found them. Rosalie had found him and had dragged him back. 'Thank God, indeed,' he thought sincerely although he no longer believed that there was a God.

After what seemed like an eternity he asked, "I have to go, don't I?" His voice cracked in anguish and guilt. Rosalie pause for a moment and then her face relaxed if only a miniscule.

"I'm afraid so," she said in a quiet but firm voice. With a sigh and Harrie still cradled asleep in her arms, she walked away from him.

oOoOo

A/n: I am so sorry for the humungous delay. School and life have just been too much to handle lately but I do apologize for being so remiss in keeping this story up to date. I hope this will change in the coming future. I am on sembreak and I have two more weeks before school starts so I do plan to put another chapter up (if not two) between now and when I haven't got a life again.

This chapter is crap and I know it. I haven't got back into the feel of things – it has been 5 months after all – but I needed to get the story going anyway. If I have time, I'll go back and do this all over.

And I can't forget to thank all the lovely people out there for reading this, reviewing, faving and adding it to their alerts. I have been checking my account occasionally over the months, and I know that you guys are out there. So thank you so much for the support. I promise I will finish this in due time and I promise you, I haven't abandoned anything yet! :) - TFT