Don't own Twilight. The rest comes from my twisted mind. Thanks for coming along on the ride.

JPOV

I wanted to do so many things when Bella was finally in my arms again. I wanted to run from the house, from everything and damn the consequences. I wanted Edward to take her home and wait for Victoria and James and kill them both for daring to harm the woman I love. I wanted to do the right thing and wait for Rose to leave before going forward with the plan.

I chose to do the right thing.

I focused on Bella. We were far from free, but she was alive and I would get us out. Well, all of us working together would get us out and away from James. Bella could go to the police and finally James Hunter would be off the streets. I knew the Feds would rather have kidnapping than grand theft any day.

"Jasper, I'm chained to the bed. If you kick the post, it'll break. I've been using the chain to rub through the wood." Bella's voice was soft, but the fire was there. She wasn't broken.

"When did you get to be such the actress, Darlin? Move back so I can break it." She chuckled and moved as far away as she could. I was overjoyed to hear that little sound. She really would be fine.

"It's amazing what you can accomplish to save your own skin." She smiled at me before wrapping her arms around me. "I knew you wouldn't give up, but I just couldn't wait. I didn't know... I didn't know." She started sobbing and holding me tighter.

"I'm here now. I've got you. We'll get out of this, I swear. Everyone is here and we're all going to keep you safe." We rocked gently, both taking comfort and strength from the other.

"Bella, love, we're going to wait until Rose leaves and then we'll get you out through the bathroom window." Edward sat on the bed next to Bella and stroked her hair. The strain that had been in his voice was softened, but not yet gone.

"What about the cameras?" Bella's voice came out in a whisper, her eyes widened.

"Cameras?" Edward and I replied, looking worried and feeling sick. This would not be the smooth getaway I had hoped for. As it was, we were all prepared for things to go wrong.

"I don't know about the rest of the place, but this room must have several." She shivered with that statement and I decided that was something I didn't want to think about too much. Edward started to radio out to Jake when we heard the crackle of radios within the house.

"Who is the room with the girl?" A male voice screamed through the static.

"James." Bella whispered. I watched her yanking hairs from her head and putting them all over the bed. Still thinking about evidence. She shrugged "I can't do blood."

"No one, sir." Came the simple reply. We started to make our way out of the room and up to the first floor bathroom as planned.

"Then tell me why I can see two men leading her out of the fucking room right now!" time was short and dangerous. We could hear footfalls coming toward us. We made it to the restroom and had the door closed before the men made it to us. The sounds of screaming coming from the radio mixed with the curses of the men finding Bella missing from her prison.

"I'm on my fucking way and someone is going to fucking pay for this!" the voice bellowed.

"Get her out of here, Edward. I'll do what I can from here, but you have to make sure she's safe. Make sure Rosalie is safe."

"NO! I'm not leaving you, Jasper. Not now. You have to come with me." Bella clutched to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. The look of panic in her eyes almost broke my resolve.

"Darlin, I have to make sure you'll be safe. He's never going to let this go." I struggled to pull her arms away while Edward urged her away from me, arms around her waist.

"He's not going to give up, but he'll kill you, Jasper. He hates you. He's the one who took Maria. He'll never let you leave." To say I was unprepared for that statement may be a bit of an understatement. I don't know how long I stood dumbfounded, eyes blinking too rapidly and mouth agape. Edward shook me, urging me to come with him and to take Bella to the police.

"No matter what happens, first priority is getting her out of here, understand?" I made sure that Edward acknowledged before he moved outside.

"Bella, I love you so much." I kissed my Bella. I helped her out into Edward's arms and closed the window. I pressed my hand against the glass as Bella's face contorted with her scream. Edward shook his head at me, eyes sad, picked her up and ran from the yard.

*****

BPOV

Somehow, over my screams, I could hear Edward yelling for Emmett and Jake to go in after Jasper. I knew Jasper wouldn't come with me, dammit! Edward was not letting me go back. I struggled and screamed for him to take us back so I could fight alongside Jasper.

"Here, love, sit down. I've called Charlie and he's going to meet us at the station so you can give your statement and we can get James arrested. And now we know he'll be here. I'm sure Jasper is just going to make sure he doesn't leave. Emmett and Jake will stay with him and Zach will make sure Rosalie is safe." He rubbed my back stroked my hair the way he has since we were kids. Edward could calm me better than anyone. Anyone before I met Jasper. Sobs racked my body.

"Oh, Edward!" I launched myself into his arms. "I feel like such a fool for not taking Jasper seriously!"

"You have plenty of time to beat yourself up, and Lord knows you will, but now isn't the time, love. I need you to hang on to that tough girl for just a little longer, okay?" Edward whispered to me, rocking me. I felt exhausted. I felt overwhelmed with the events of the last day. Shit, how long had I been gone? Jasper. Maria. James. All swirled in circles through my brain. I was grateful to Edward for breaking the newest cycle.

"Brilliant flushing the pads, by the way." I could hear the mirth and pride in his voice.

"It worked and he's like most guys, too afraid to handle anything remotely period related. I was scared shitless about what would happen after that was over."

"I'm glad we got you out. Now, let's get you in front of the cops." Edward crawled over me to the driver's side so he wouldn't have to leave the vehicle or my side.

"Edward, thank you. Thank for everything." He reached out to hold my hand while he drove.

"You know we would do anything for you Bella. You're worth all this and more. Though I have to say, I am looking forward to the quiet calm of Forks after this adventure." He chuckled, smiling his sweet, crooked grin to reassure me that he was teasing.

"You have waited your whole life for something to happen. I just made you step out and find it." For the rest of the ride, we both giggled, quieted, and giggled more, letting out the awful tension of a terrible situation. Inside, I prayed for Jasper. I prayed more than I had in years. I prayed for everything I could think of. For him to live, to not be wounded, for him to keep his job, for him to not kill anyone. For him to change his mind about what ever fool's errand he was going on and come back to me before anything could go wrong.

**~**

Giving my statement to the police was an interesting experience. I'd heard Charlie talk about it. After about ten minutes, I realized that this was not going the way I remembered in his stories. This reminded me more of the stories he told of having to interrogate someone.

From my seat, I could see Charlie pacing.

"Can we take a break so I can see my daddy?" I asked in the smallest, sweetest, Daddy's Girl voice I could muster.

"Fine." The cop sighed out and waved me toward my still pacing father. When he saw me walking toward him, he sprinted to meet me.

"What's going on? Are they done taking your statement already? Can I take you home?"

"Not yet, Dad. First, have you heard anything from Jasper? Has Edward?" He shook his head.

"Okay, then on to the second problem. This guy is treating this like I'm a suspect, not a victim. I've been thinking about it, and it started to shift after I told him that James was who kidnapped me. Daddy, I think we need to call Aro and get him to come pick me up. This precinct must have cops on the Hunter payroll, too."

"Dammit! Alright, I'll get Edward back in here to stay close and I'll make the call. I hope this shit works, because I would really hate to have to shoot our way out of here." More jokes to diffuse the tension. All I wanted was Jasper's arms around me and James in prison. After I have Jasper safe and sound, I'll consider laughing more.

**~**

After more overwrought dramatics, I was able to convince the cops to let Edward sit with me during the so-called questioning that was most certainly a full-on interrogation. He sat next to me with a calming arm around my shoulders as I worked to keep my emotions in check and the details to a minimum. When Aro arrived, he used his friendship with the chief to get me released into protective custody, more specifically, his protective custody. My interrogator was not pleased.

Aro lead me out of the building promising to take me directly to Felix and Demetri. That really was the last place I wanted to go. I was starting to break under the pressure of not knowing where Jasper was and if he was safe. My body started shaking in a physical response to my emotional turmoil.

"Edward, please, you have to get him. You have to bring him back to me. I can't take another second of this." Edward tried to ease my fingers from his collar in an attempt to pull his shirt away from his neck. When I realized that I was hurting him, I let go.

"Charlie is here and he's going with you. I will do everything I can to bring him back, Bella, I promise." He turned me around, moving our hands to my heart and led me to the waiting car.

"Please be careful, those cops have probably called to warn James."

"I know. I will. Please tell Sammi that I love her and I'll be home soon." I watched as one of my best friends ran to the van and toward danger. For me.

**********

JPOV

I sat in the bathroom listening to all that was going on around me. My brain swirled around, strategy, Bella, Maria, Bella, James, strategy, career, and on again until I was dizzy. My attention snapped to when I heard the voice from earlier, the one Bella identified as James Hunter's, inside the house.

"What do you mean she just left the police station?" he screamed into the phone.

"What the fuck am I paying you for? Who the fuck took her? The Rangers? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Don't give me any fucking excuses. You better be on your way here and not any other cops, am I clear?" I heard the phone click closed. He was close.

The new information I has was that Bella was with Aro. I released a breath, relieved that she was as safe as I could have made her.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are, Jasper. I know you're still here. You would have been seen at the station if you'd a left." James called. I could hear him moving around. I wanted to feel the resistance of muscle and tendon right before the sickening snap and give as his head rotated just too far in my hands. And somehow that was too quick. I wanted him to make him suffer.

This monster had stolen my Bella and wanted to harm her. He had stolen Maria and had harmed her. Harmed her so much physically and mentally that inside she was no longer recognizable as the woman I had loved. What would our lives have been like if there had been no James Hunter? Would I have been somebody's Daddy by now? Would we be living in Midland near my parents watching our tan, black-haired babies run around the yard? What about Bella? Would she have made it out alive? Would I have ever seen her again? Or the other young women he's victimized. No one starts off with kidnapping in their forties. He's had decades of causing harm. My mind was made up. James Hunter would die. Tonight. No trial, no plea-bargains, no way out.

"My Izzy will come back to me, I've seen it in her eyes. She loves me, Jasper." I stood to confront him, to shoot him in the face. To pull his heart, still beating, from his chest. To… I stopped, my image in the mirror holding me fast.

Gone was any sign of Jasper, honorable man bound by duty to protect and serve. All that was reflected in the mirror was a feral beast. My conscious asked me what kind of man I would be after I commited this murder. Because this would be murder. This was no killing in the line of duty. While not premeditated, not really, it was certainly murder. What would this act do to my soul? Would anything remain of the man Bella loves? Or would the monster from James transfer to me upon his death at my hands? No, Bella could not love that creature. My Bella deserved the man I worked so hard to become. I deserved to live my life as that man. And I deserved to live my life with Bella. With more restraint than I thought possible, I resigned myself to let James live.

In the time I wrestled with the beast within, Emmett and Jake had come around to the window.

"Rosalie and Zach are gone and I can hear sirens coming. Dude, we gotta get you gone before they get here or nothing will keep you from losing your job and us from getting arrested. Edward is parked in the van waiting for us." Emmett was interrupted by James, whose voice was closer than it had been before.

"You know, Jasper, I have to tell you, Bella and I talked about your wonderful taste in women. I'll have to keep an eye on you to see what sweet thing you find next. Maria was as sweet as a fresh peach on a hot day." Well shit, I just forgot everything I decided.

"NO! Jasper, stop." I could hear clamoring behind me as I reached the door, ready to take on James.

"We come face-to-face at last, Jasper Whitlock." James sneered at me. His face twisted in a grimace on his time-worn face. Without thinking, my fist connected with his nose. I smiled at the satisfying crunch of cartilage separating from bone. From somewhere outside of my body, I watched the blood gush from his flared nostrils, spittle and blood flying from his mouth as my fist pulled back and pumped forward, stroke after stroke. I could see my knuckles bloom with red from both James' wounds and my own skin, broken from the various places my fist connected with his face. The skin around his eyes reddened and was beginning to purple as my hand continued its rhythm. His lips split and swelled in several places and still my hand moved. For Maria, for each child I had wanted to have with her. For each year we would have had together. For the innocence he had taken from her.

For Bella, for each mark on her delicate skin. For each fingernail broken in her struggle. For each day I lived without her. For the time he had stolen from me. For the futures forever changed.

I could see both Emmett and Jake lifting my struggling body away from James and my foot shoot out to kick him as I was being pulled away.

I could hear no noise, though the mouths of all those around me were open, were moving. All I could hear was within my own head. Bella's voice calling me back from the brink. Calling me to her. Promising me the justice I had based my entire life on. Calling me back to my humanity.

The crack of a pistol brought me back to my body, the noise deafening. The only pain I felt was in my now very swollen hand. I looked to either side. Emmett and Jake were still running.

Another crack from a pistol. A shout. An earth-shaking thud. Emmett was no longer running beside me.

**I was going to stop here…***

Jake and I spun back toward Emmett, who was writhing on the ground clutching his leg. A streak of bronze and pale ran past us to help move Emmett back to the van.

"Emmett, buddy, we've got you. We'll get you out of here and to a hospital. You're going to be okay." I said to him.

"I fucking know I'm not dying from a leg wound, but this motherfucking hurts! Fuck, it burns." Emmett hissed through clenched teeth. Jake and I each wrapped an arm over our shoulders and ran Emmett back to the van and Edward drove.

"If you had come out of the fucking house when you were supposed to, none of this would have fucking happened." Emmett managed to get out between gasps for air and groans.

"I know, Emmett. What can I say, I was not rational in there."

"You better call Bella, now. She's going to kill you when she sees you, by the way." Edward called from the front. I wasn't sure what I was going to be able to say. 'I'm fine, honey, but I got your best friend shot.' I was pretty sure that would go over like a turd in a punchbowl.

"Actually, right now I need to call Aro, because explaining why Emmett here was shot is going to take a lot of finesse."

"Well you're in luck, fraidy-cat, Bella is with Aro." Edward told me. And then more under his breath, "Amazing, the man can take on a kidnapping, crazed lunatic but is afraid to call his 120-pound girlfriend."

"Shut it, Cullen."

"Will both of you shut it, I'm in fucking pain here and can't listen to you two girls bicker. It's pissing me off. You, fucking call your girlfriend and Aro so I don't get arrested or whatever."

She picked up on the first ring.

"Oh my God, Jasper, thank God you called. Are you alright? Are you on your way to the station?" She was breathless by the time she rushed all that out.

"Slow down, Miss Bella, I'm fine."

"I'm not!" Emmett bellowed.

"What's wrong with Emmett? Oh God, oh God, Oh…"

"Bella, stop. Breathe. We're taking Emmett to the hospital, he was shot in the leg. He'll be fine, he's just in an extreme amount of pain."

"Oh, God! Is everyone else alright? Edward, Jake?"

"They're both fine. I need to talk to Aro about Emmett and get one of them over to take care of the hospital." I could hear Bella's breathing slow little by little. All I wanted was to hold her and let everything else take care of itself. I felt that a lot with Bella.

"Jasper, what the hell happened?" Aro's voice held both anger and concern.

"We found Bella and got her out of James Hunter's house before he could hurt her." I replied, struggling to keep the accusation out of my voice.

"Oh, Jasper. What have you done? I can't keep this from coming out. I can't keep you protected from this. How am I going to keep you out of this?" The last part came out softly. I knew he was struggling with wanting to keep me from losing my job, or worse, from being arrested and losing my ability to be a cop at all.

"I'm sending Demetri to meet you. I'll try to figure this out, Jasper. I just don't know how we can spin this in your favor. I can only hope your past record will help you out."

"I know, Sir. Thank you. For everything."

"Which hospital?"

I told him where we were going and he agreed to bring Bella. Next call was to Rosalie. Edward spoke to Alice who confirmed that Zach had brought her to the house and they were all together. While I spoke with Rose, he asked Alice to, discreetly, gather her things and which hospital she would need to drive to.

God help us all. This was far from over.

Let me know what you think!

On the shameless self-promotion note, the 'For the Love of Jasper' contest open voting starts tomorrow. The response was amazing and there are a lot of stories to read. Check out "Boardroom Policies" by Kitty Cullen-03 and me. And vote!