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"Rose, don't," Jasper gasped, knowing Rosalie was no match for Maria. "Edward, stay with Alice." He pushed Alice gently towards Edward and turned and ran after Emmett and Rosalie but he could sense that Edward and Alice were following anyway. Jasper could feel them gaining on him and suddenly they were by his side and he realised that Edward had Alice on his back so he could travel quicker. Jasper didn't bother taking the time to argue about Alice being there but just matched his stride to Edward's.
"You keep Alice away from Maria if we catch up to her," Jasper snarled at Edward.
"Of course," Edward nodded. They ran a little longer and were soon stride to stride with Emmett, Rosalie still ahead of them.
"Oh no!" Edward gasped and moments later they heard the crack of two vampires collide.
"Rose and Maria?" Jasper groaned.
"Yeah," Edward nodded. "Rosalie jumped Maria."
"She won't like that," Jasper sighed.
"If she hurts Rose I'll kill her," Emmett growled dangerously.
"No one is a match for her," Jasper murmured. "Not even me." They reached the clearing where the two women were and all they could see was a blur as Rosalie and Maria fought.
"Rose!" Emmett called out fearfully.
"Maria, cut it out!" Jasper added. The blur continued to move through the clearing and even Edward couldn't keep track of them. Neither of them were thinking, just reacting and it made it impossible for him to read their minds. Suddenly the blur stopped near a tree and Jasper gasped when he saw Rosalie holding Maria by the throat, her body pinned to the tree and her feet inches from the ground.
"Give me my sister's things now you bitch!" Rosalie hissed angrily as she glared at the woman she was holding. Maria just laughed at her and swung quickly and the blur recommenced as Jasper groaned.
"We have to do something Emmett," he whispered. "Maria will kill her." Emmett growled low in his throat, his dangerous and threatening stance like nothing any of them had ever seen in him before and he crouched ready to leap towards the two women. The blur suddenly stopped again and this time Rosalie had Maria pinned on the ground, her stomach on the grass as Rosalie sat on her back, holding her around the neck as she pulled her head up hard. She kept her body firmly on Maria as she reached into her pocket and pulled Alice's jewellery from the pocket and dropped it to the ground beside them.
"Right you bitch," Rosalie snarled as she leaned closer to Maria so her mouth was right near her throat. "You listen to me and you listen good. You think there is no one here to match you, well you're wrong. If you come near my family again, if you ever cause my sister to be sad or upset again or even think about trying to come near Jasper again I will make your existence so painful you will wish for death." Rosalie put her mouth to Maria's neck and bit her viciously and Maria let out a shrill scream. Rosalie laughed before pulling her teeth from her and then went serious again as she slammed Maria face first into the ground.
"Now get the hell out of here and never come back," Rosalie hissed and jumped up, picking Maria up with her and throwing her, the force behind it that hard that Maria sailed through the trees and disappeared from sight before they heard a sickening thud as she connected with something hard.
"Oh no," Jasper gasped, sure that Maria would never take such humiliation and would come back immediately to attack Rosalie again.
"You're wrong Jasper," Edward smirked beside him. "She's hurt and she's running. Away from here. She is angry but she's thinking about getting back to Monterrey."
"Amazing," Jasper whispered. Rosalie waited until she was sure Maria wasn't coming back and then she moved quickly, bending gracefully to scoop up the jewellery from the ground before moving back to the others.
"I believe this is yours," Rosalie smiled softly and her hands moved quickly as she placed the bracelet and watch on Alice's wrist and the rings back on her finger.
"Thank you Rose," Alice whispered in shock.
"You're welcome," Rosalie smiled and moved over towards Emmett.
"That was impressive babe," Emmett smirked and Rosalie just grinned at him.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Jasper asked in astonishment.
"I didn't," Rosalie shrugged. "I may not have a gift like you or Alice or Edward but I do have one trait that makes me a little nasty. I am fiercely protective of those I love. She messed with Alice, and you, and I just lost it."
"That's my girl," Emmett grinned and pulled her into his arms affectionately.
XXX
That night Jasper and Alice were sitting in their room quietly together, with her snuggled in his arms. He could tell by the emotions she was projecting she was still a little shaken by their altercation with Maria and so he did the only thing he could think of, he held her. She suddenly stiffened in his arms and he glanced down at her as her eyes glazed and then refocused.
"Carlisle wants a family meeting," Alice whispered as she came out of her vision.
"About?" Jasper frowned.
"Everyone in the dining room, now," Carlisle voice called through the house and Alice shrugged at Jasper as they jumped to their feet and headed downstairs. They were the last to arrive in the dining room and Jasper stiffened when Carlisle walked toward them, sensing some strange emotions coming from him. He took Alice's chin in his hand and lifted her face up to stare deep in her eyes and Jasper let out a protective hiss as he pulled Alice safely from Carlisle.
"Jazz, it's okay," Alice said quickly and turned back to Carlisle. "I've seen this, it wasn't me."
"What wasn't you?" Jasper frowned as Edward groaned at the table.
"Come sit down," Carlisle murmured and they joined Emmett, Rosalie, Esme and Edward at the table. "I'm sorry Alice, I had to check."
"I understand," Alice smiled.
"What is going on?" Jasper demanded, his arm protectively around Alice's shoulders.
"There was a massacre at an orphanage in town today," Carlisle sighed. "Twenty-two children were killed and five adults. The police are waiting for the autopsies to confirm the weapons used but I recognised it instantly as an attack by one of our kind."
"On twenty-seven people?" Esme gasped in horror.
"You were just checking Alice's eyes?" Jasper groaned. "You thought she had done it?"
"I hoped not," Carlisle whispered. "The receptionist that let the woman in was allowed to live. I thought that was strange but now I understand why."
"Why?" Rosalie frowned. "How could you think Alice would do that? Not children. She would never harm a child."
"The receptionist was allowed to live to give the name of the woman that did this," Carlisle sighed. "She signed in as Alice Cullen."
"Oh no," Alice gasped. "Who would do that?"
"Maria," Jasper hissed.
"Of course," Emmett groaned.
"I'm going to do more than kick her ass next time we meet," Rosalie snarled.
"What does this mean for us?" Esme whispered. "Did they link your name to Alice's?"
"I'm not sure," Carlisle admitted. "I left immediately. But we have to pack and go before people start asking questions. I'm sorry but this is a grab the necessities and run move. We don't have a lot of time."
"How long?" Esme asked.
"An hour," Carlisle decided. "I wouldn't want to risk any longer." The group disbanded quickly and everyone raced to their rooms to begin to pack. Once Jasper and Alice reached their room he quickly pulled two suitcases from the top of their closet and flung them open on their bed.
"This is all my fault," he growled as he snatched up a couple of his favourite books and tossed them into a suitcase.
"No Jazz," Alice sighed. "Don't take this on yourself."
"She wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for me," Jasper murmured.
"It doesn't matter Jazz," Alice whispered. "As long as we all get away safe it's okay."
"I guess," Jasper sighed but Alice could still feel his guilt flowing from him. She quickly grabbed the box holding Jasper's mother's jewellery and sat it in one of the suitcases and then they hurried to pack as many of their clothes and shoes around the books and box.
"Jazz, you only packed a couple of sets of clothes," Alice frowned as she stared at the overflowing suitcases.
"You're things are more important than mine," Jasper murmured.
"No they aren't," Alice sighed.
"Well, its too late now," Jasper said quickly and reached over to do up the suitcases as Carlisle's voice drifted up the stairs.
"We're leaving in five minutes," he called out. Alice just rolled her eyes as Jasper picked up their suitcases and walked out of the room and Alice cast a final look around. She grabbed a large tote bag and stuffed a few more of Jasper's things into it and quickly put it on her shoulder. She lingered for a moment as she looked around the room and she felt her sadness well. Even though he was down in the garage Jasper must have felt it because it was only seconds later that he raced back into the room and appeared at her side, his arm going instantly around her shoulders.
"Sweetheart, what is it?" he asked worriedly.
"This room," Alice murmured. "It was our first room as a married couple. It's the only place we've ever been completely and entirely together. I want to make sure it's stamped in my memory."
"It will be sweetheart," Jasper sighed. "And we're going to make many more memories together. It's not the room that's important, it's you and me."
"Yeah I guess," Alice whispered and snuggled into him and let him lead her from the room and out to the car.
XXX
The two cars carrying the Cullens drove quickly away from Calgary and it wasn't until they reached Anchorage that Carlisle finally signalled for Emmett to pull over. They pulled into the car park of a motel and Carlisle slipped inside and organised a family room for them. Once they were safely inside the room Esme got on the phone to organise a new home for them and the others looked at Carlisle for answers.
"Esme and I have talked about it and we've decided to relocate the family to Barrow in Northern Alaska," Carlisle announced. "It's far enough from Calgary that the rumours won't affect us and we'll feel safer out of Canada for a while." Esme drifted to his side and linked her arm through his and she smiled at the others.
"I just spoke with a real estate agent in Barrow and they have a lovely home just outside of town," she told them. "I've taken it. We can move in tomorrow."
"Excellent," Carlisle smiled. "We'll rest here for a while and at midnight we'll leave again and stop to hunt along the way."
XXX
When they reached the house the next day it was absolutely perfect for their needs. It was surrounded by forest and miles from town and it had four bedrooms, all with their own bathrooms. It was a little smaller than the house had been in Calgary but still big enough to fit them all comfortably. The men carried the luggage up to the bedrooms while the women walked through the house together and began to make lists of things they would need to pick up on their next shopping trip. When they were finished Alice drifted up to her new bedroom and smiled when she saw Jasper hanging her few clothes in their new closet.
"I just thought of something we left behind," she murmured as she walked up to him and snaked her arms around his waist.
"What's that sweetheart?" he asked worriedly.
"Our cottage," Alice murmured, referring to the cottage a few miles from the house in Calgary that Carlisle and Esme had rented for them as a wedding present.
"Oh, I can organise us another one here," Jasper offered instantly.
"Not yet," Alice whispered as she snuggled closer to him and looked up at him with a grin on her face. "I might enjoy just using the forest." He grinned back at her and she ran her tongue over lips as her eyes glazed over for a moment. She squeezed them shut and when she opened them again her vision was already focused again.
"Oh yes, I am going to enjoy the forest very much," she giggled as she snaked her arms around his neck and tugged his head down to hers. She brushed her lips on his and then pulled back and winked at him. "Wanna try it now?"
"Of course sweetheart," Jasper smirked and she took his hand and together they left the house via the window and disappeared into the forest.
