Bella's POV:
"Momma, froat hurts," a small, squeaky voice spoke from beside me on my bed, waking me from the peaceful sleep I was having.
"Oh baby" I sighed hugging my daughter's small frame to my body "I know. Why don't we go get a popsicle- maybe that will help?"
My wonderful husband, Jasper, had been sweet enough to suggest Charlotte and I get some sleep after our midnight hospital adventure while he stayed up and entertained our son, Cole.
With a slight grunt I stood, still holding Charlotte tightly and headed downstairs to find out what my boys were up to. I found Cole sitting in his high chair banging his plastic bowl and cutlery together and babbling incessantly to himself. I put Charlotte down in her booster seat and felt a bubble of concern growing when I didn't see or hear my husband.
"Jazz?" I called out unable to keep the edge of panic out of my voice "Jasper?"
I came around the counter and hit my knees almost instantly- Jasper was sitting on the floor his eyes tightly shut and one hand clutching at his chest where he had been shot.
He was breathing heavily, that much I could see easily and he had a visible sheen of sweat covering his skin.
"Jazz?" I asked softly reaching out to run my hand along his cheek, trying my best not to startle him "Are you okay? What's wrong sweetie?"
"I remember," he said so weakly I hardly heard him "I remember."
"You remember?" I stuttered my heart racing wildly. I scrambled to grab the phone to call Paul but Jasper reached out and stopped me.
"I don't remember who did it," he explained softly "I just remember telling Peter to take Char and then there was loud bangs and my chest felt like it was on fire, like someone was stabbing me with a hot poker directly into my lungs. I couldn't breathe, I just wanted to make sure the kids were safe."
"Oh Jazz," I sighed and sat back against the kitchen cupboard "I am so sorry you had to go through all that." I entwined his hand in mine and squeezed gently.
"Momma 'sicle" Charlotte interrupted our moment and Jasper laughed.
"Ya, ya," I mumbled pushing myself off the floor and I paused to reach back to offer Jasper a hand up. "One grape popsicle coming right up your highness."
"Cole do you want one?" Jasper asked, showing Cole the frozen treat, after he had retrieved them from the freezer.
Cole grinned his little gummy grin and squirmed wildly in his seat. He reached out eagerly for the frozen goody.
Jasper chuckled and appeared happier but I could see the haunted look in his eyes and I couldn't keep the worry from clouding my mind.
Our home phone started ringing off the hook as Jasper took a seat in between Char and Cole to help them eat their popsicles.
"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver.
"Bella," Esme's smooth voice spoke "I just wanted to call and see how Charlotte was faring this morning? Carlisle said she made a visit to the Emergency Room last night."
A grin came over my face as I sat down next to my daughter and gently played with her hair "She's looking a little perkier, she and Cole are just eating popsicles right now. Luckily it's just strep throat."
"I'm glad," Esme sounded as relieved as I felt. "I'll let you go now Aidy just woke up, call me when you get a chance."
"Will do Es," I chuckled as we both hung up.
Jasper and I helped our little ones finish their popsicles and then settled them down to watch a movie, 'Ramona and Beezus', in the living room so that I could talk to Jasper a little bit more about his flashback.
I wrapped my arms tight around his body as he stood staring out the kitchen window into the backyard and he sighed and intertwined our fingers as I rested my head on his back.
"Jasper," I started softly "I know it's hard for you, getting all these memories back randomly, dealing with learning about our family again still being in pain, but I'm here for you. When you want to and are ready you can talk to me about anything and everything."
He twisted in my embrace so that he was holding me and he kissed my head gently "I know Bella," He muttered softly "And you have no idea how much I love you for that."
I snuggled close to him "Please talk to me Jazz. I need you to talk to me."
"I'm scared Bella," Jasper said "I need you and I know it's not fair to put it on you but you're the only reason I am not curled up in a corner. I recognize the person who shot me, I still can't make out the face, but I know I've seen them before."
I sighed and just held my husband as tight as I could. It was all I could do, there was nothing I could say.
J&BJ&BJ&BJ&B
Jasper's POV:
I couldn't shake the horrible image of the cloudy face that held the gun that shot me.
Bella had left me with the children when she got called in to work a night shift so I tried to enjoy the time with my babies.
"Daddy," Charlotte smiled and handed me her teddy bear. She'd been looking perkier as the day went on and now as bedtime approached we were getting settled onto her bed to read stories. "Read Caillou."
"Yes baby girl we are going to read Caillou and Thomas the Train," I hugged Cole to my side and he yawned and started sucking on his thumb.
Charlotte curled into my other side and we started to read and for a short time the horrible images that haunted me retreated to the back of my mind.
J&BJ&BJ&BJ&B
Charlotte and Cole were both asleep by the time we had finished reading three stories, so gingerly I picked up Cole and transferred him into the nursery just next door and tucked his favourite blanket around his tiny body.
I then crept back into Charlotte's room and tucked her in, she was still so warm to touch but she was looking better than she had been earlier in the day and I knew the antibiotics were taking affect in her system.
I stood and watched her chest rise and fall in the evenness of sleep and thanked God that she was safe and swore that I would take a bullet any day if it meant keeping my little girl safe.
I sighed and headed to the master bedroom and flopped carefully onto the bed.
I flicked through television channels listlessly before deciding to call Paul to discuss my latest flashback.
"Hey Jazz," Paul said.
"Hey Paul want to come over for a beer?" I asked without beating around the bush, I needed some time with my friend.
"Be over in a few," Paul agreed immediately and without another word hung up the phone.
J&BJ&BJ&BJ&B
"So this is the second flash back about the shooting that you've had?" Paul asked before he took a slug of his drink.
We were both laying back in the living room and I had told him about the different flashbacks of that day that I had, had so far.
"Do you have any idea who it could have been?" He asked gently and I shook my head.
"All I know is I recognize the face but I can't for the life of me put a name to it." I took a long drink of the beer Paul had brought over with him and I leaned back into the couch. "All I want is this whole thing to be over with."
"We'll catch them," Paul said vehemently. "We haven't gotten any new leads yet but they'll screw up somewhere and we will get them. I promised Bella."
"So you still think it is Edward and Alice?" I asked cautiously. Due to my lack of memory I still wasn't as positive about the identity of my attacker as Bella and Paul and the rest of our family was.
"We are certain." Paul nodded "The DNA upstairs was consistent with Edward's and they are the only ones we know that have such a grudge against your family."
I nodded and retreated deep into thought for a moment- if it really was Edward and Alice behind my shooting then once we caught them it would be the end of the terror that was haunting my family but if it wasn't I didn't even want to finish that thought.
"How's Bella dealing with everything?" Paul asked.
I shrugged "She's trying to be strong about everything and everything just keeps piling up- her mom, Charlotte's hospital trips and of course me." I sighed "I'm worried she's going to break down."
It was my biggest fear that the love of my life wasn't going to be able to deal with all the shit that had recently been raining down. She needed and deserved a break from everything.
Paul and I chatted for a while longer before he headed off to meet Leah at home promising he'd keep me updated about everything and anything to do with the case or my family.
J&BJ&BJ&BJ&B
Bella snuck under the covers beside me at about six in the morning and she playfully trailed kisses down my neck and across my shoulders as I came back into the world of the awake.
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her up so I could kiss her passionately. "I love you." I murmured still half asleep.
"Love you too," she said sighing contently, her eyes sliding shut as I looked at her delicate features.
"How was work?" I asked quietly.
"Long," She muttered "I'm glad to be home. I was worried about you and Char."
I smiled slightly "I'm glad you're home too."
I felt her breathing even out on my bare chest as she drifted off to sleep and I pressed another kiss to the crown of her head and closed my eyes again, hoping to join my beautiful wife in slumber.
J&BJ&BJ&BJ&B
"Ugh, too bright," Bella whined and pulled the covers over her head as sunlight started streaming through our bedroom windows.
I chuckled and pulled the covers back down so I could kiss her. As our lips met I was drawn into another memory.
Flashback:
"What are we going to do?" Bella asked and I could tell she was exhausted, there were bags under her eyes and she looked so withdrawn.
"We're going to do what we always do and get through this together." I soothed running my hands along her tense shoulders.
"It's not that easy Jasper," Bella flared up angrily "Charlotte is so sick, Cole is so little and now our restraining order may be found void. I just want them away from our family I can't believe he's even trying to fight it in court."
"Bella," I said calmly not rising to the challenge that was clear in her tone "It's not going to happen, we have proof of all the incidents, of his stalker like behavior, of her practically attacking you and we will make this new judge see that too."
"I'm scared," She buried her head in my shoulder.
"Why?" I asked hoping to get her to unburden herself a little bit.
"This is all too much," A stray tear made its way down her cheek and I brushed it off gently "I can't ask you to deal with all this but I can't do this without you Jasper."
"Bella," I tried to contain a chuckle at the irrationality of her thought "You're not asking me to deal with anything, it's my choice and I am going to be with you every step of the way because I love you and our children more than anything else in the world. I'll never leave you Bells."
Present:
"I love you Bells," I whispered and kissed her again trying to put all my emotions into that one kiss.
She smiled tiredly at me "I love you too Jazz." She snuggled close to me and I held her.
Now I was the one who was scared that this would become all too much for her and she would leave but in my heart I knew she wouldn't. Good old irrational fears.