A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.

Chapter 10- Ripple in the water

Jasper's POV-

They were touching her.

Their dirty- grabby hands lay on her soft, untarnished skin, teasing her as she attempted to get out of their tight grip. Their manic laughter rang through the air- a thrill of satisfaction and lust brought with it. They were enjoying her squirming. They were enjoying her cries. They were enjoying her suffering and helplessness.

She knew what was about to happen. I could see it in her eyes. She was terrified, searching for any small ray of help that could get her out of this situation. She was helpless, and equally desperate to find a way out.

A surge of protectiveness spread through me, not only because of the unwilling girl in question. Of course, I wanted to protect her. I would have protected any girl, or for that matter- person, I found in this unfortunate circumstance. It was simply wrong. No one should be forced into such a situation, and if I could do something about it, I definitely would.

A memory long forgotten suddenly crossed my mind. It had been decades ago when I had been returning from a trip to Italy. I don't remember the town or year- it is unimportant- but the sound of a woman begging in desperation was still audible in my ears, ringing loudly and clearly. I had heard her, needless to point out, deciding to go and check out over who this was- the pain and helplessness radiating from her enough to stop me in the tracks. The sight in front of me though, had shocked me to the core, making me realize that monsters existed even in the human variety, it wasn't just limited to us vampires.

I won't go into the details, but I knew I couldn't leave the poor woman to suffer like that, using my power the best way I knew how to. It had been a sunny day and so I couldn't bring myself out of the shadows. Of course killing the group of them would have been the better alternative, but for the human's life's sake, I had kept myself hidden, sending out a huge wave of fear and the heavy urge to run at the men. I had kept sending them- massive sized waves, smirking when they shivered in fear and started to run in the opposite direction, as was expected. Needless to elaborate, they had made a good meal once I had caught up with them a short distance away from where the human lay- getting up and immediately starting to run, relief heavy in the air.

Ah! The Good old days those had been….

I couldn't even feed on these men. It was a complete shame, to be honest.

They would have made a good meal.

Anyway….a surge of anger spread through my bones at the sudden feeling of lust that radiated from that asshole that had currently held her tight.

He was enjoying the fact that she was resisting. He loved the fact that she was trying to get out of his grip, gaining a sadistic satisfaction from it.

He was going to die first.

All of them were going to die, that was a surety, but he would be the first one on my list.

How dare he touch her?

He dare he put his dirty hands on her?

He was going to pay the price for this action of his.

He could not even imagine what was coming his way.

I could guarantee that it would not be easy though.

She- the human- squirmed once again, a determination now shining in her eyes. She had taken a decision. I could see that in her eyes.

She had decided to fight; I could feel the determination and newfound strength in the air.

I stood back at my place- in the shadows – a short distance from where they were, observing the sight in front of me. I couldn't deny I was curious to see what would happen next.

Bella Swan was an enigma, and everything she did was a complete mystery to me.

I wanted to know more about this mystery. I was curious to know more about this mystery. I wanted to see in action this decision of hers.

I could not help the spark of curiosity that arose in me.

Wasn't that why I was here in the first place, my curiosity dragging me along?

I had been out on a long run- wanting some privacy to clear my head- when I had smelt her fresh, almost wonderful, scent close to where I had been. That had surprised me. I was still in Forks, while she lived on the Quileute reservation- a place I couldn't think of trespassing if I wanted to keep my head attached to my shoulders. I had gone ahead to investigate over what she was doing in Forks, noticing of how she interacted with another human female- a friend, I presumed.

I had stood by the tree line watching of how they had shared a conversation, sitting in an old truck, starting to drive out of the unkempt driveway.

It had been mere curiosity that had kept me following them, or rather her, on her this adventure.

I wanted to know more about her.

It was imperative, my mind had argued.

Of course it was simply for the sake of finding a weakness of hers, I had deduced. I wasn't going to strike, not unless an opportunity one in a million presented itself in front of me.

This visit was purely for the sake of keeping my curiosity at bay. This stalker like behavior while new and creepy- was for the sake of finding more about Bella Swan.

In order to attack and win it was important to know your opponent's strengths and weaknesses, planning of when and how to strike.

This was all what I was doing today- finding out more of who she was.

Of course the fact that she was vulnerable and alone- an easy target- was not lost on me.

I had not planned to strike, but I would if given the perfect opportunity to.

I was no idiot, completely aware that it was not every day that such a perfect opportunity presented itself.

She was away from her bodyguard mutts, and if I cornered her from behind, taking her unaware- it could be over before she even realized what was happening to her.

It would be the perfect chance, but again, I was not completely decided on whether I was going to play my move today or not.

I was going to observe a while, taking my decision, keeping the circumstances in front of me in mind.

Either it was direct attack, or observe and prepare for a proper attack at a later time.

With that in mind, I had followed her car all the way to another small- bigger than this one- town, standing still and watching as they exited the truck and walked into one of the shops, laughing and chatting all throughout. I felt like a complete stalker- how low had I fallen- standing there and waiting for her to walk out of those shops, going to wherever she was supposed to go next.

I had almost turned and left, ready to go back home, stopping myself at the very last moment with the thought of never receiving such an opportunity again.

Of course, it was my blatant curiosity that was to blame!

Though, when she had finally left the shop she had been in, instead of walking towards her truck, as I had expected her to, she had started to walk in an opposite direction, searching through the shops in the area.

I had sighed to myself- more shopping?

Hadn't she gotten tired of shopping?

Humans got tired easily, didn't they?

It had been hours since I had been standing here, and till then, it had all seemed like a huge waste of time. She stuck to the populous places, never giving me any chance of getting closer to her.

At least her friend was not with her. That was a slight relief. Her friend- Jessica, was her name, had the constant need to keep talking. She literally never stopped, never shutting her mouth for longer than two complete seconds. It seriously got annoying after a point, and I had even contemplated of how much risk it would be if Jessica suddenly disappeared, never to be found again.

Obviously I wouldn't necessarily do anything. I couldn't bring myself on the Cullen or wolf radar, for that matter, but it was still a satisfying thought, nonetheless.

Anyhow, I had waited- once again- for Bella to arrive, noticing that she had walked into a bookstore nearby. She liked books? That was certainly unexpected. From what I had observed the other teenagers these days, their lives revolved around their gadgets- cell phones, IPods and/ or gaming systems. They had no time or patience for the old school- books, preferring to indulge in something much more modern and fast paced instead.

Hence, it was definitely a surprise to see Bella indulging in the hobby that I preferred to pursue, something common between us which I had never expected to find.

Anyway, it was darker by the time Bella walked out of the bookstore, looking into her phone and grimacing slightly. I frowned at the expression on her face, mirroring it with my own.

Had she received any bad news?

Why did she look so upset?

Wait. Why did my dead heart ache at the thought of her being upset or worried?

It was par ridiculous.

I had watched as she had sat in her truck, starting to drive out of the populous street she had been on, not stopping to wait for Jessica outside the shop she had earlier been in.

Maybe that had been what Bella had been reading on her phone?

Maybe Jessica had left early or had some work keeping her back?

Whatever it is, the fact that it bothered Bella did not sit well with me.

Shouldn't she be happy that she would have two minutes of relative peace on her drive back?

That was surely a reason to be happy!

Anyway, I had followed her out, back on our way to Forks, slightly annoyed by the fact that this visit had been futile.

Forget catching her vulnerable, I had not even been able to get close enough to find a weakness of hers.

Though…did she even have any weakness?

I somehow doubted it….

I sighed internally, my traitorous thoughts giving me a massive sized metaphorical headache. We could not really have the real deal, you know.

Why did I even care about her?

She was just a human.

She was just a target for me, an assignment I had to complete before I went back home.

It simply did not matter that her hair looked to be like the softest silk, or that her eyes were almost mesmerizing, pulling me in with just one look. It did not matter that her voice sounded like the ringing of bells, or that her scent could remind me of home….

Fuck.

What was wrong with me!

I was losing my sanity, it seemed.

There was something suspicious in the animal blood, I would guess.

I was becoming like the Cullen's, considering humans to be equal individuals…..

Damn. I really needed to go back home, as soon as possible at that.

I had almost given up on achieving anything from this visit when her truck had suddenly stopped in the middle of the road- a huge thump resounding through the air.

Her truck had got spoilt…was what it looked like.

And sure enough, she had tried to call someone, possibly to ask for help.

I had stood back and watched- again my curiosity at its peak- to know of how she would deal with this new development.

A fleeting thought passed my mind on whether she would call one of the wolves to help, and whether I should be around when they arrive or should leave before they do so?

Staying around would definitely be the complicated option, leading to a lot of unwanted mess I had no patience to deal with.

They would easily smell me in the air, knowing that I had been following her….which could cause a lot of problems for me further up. The last thing I needed was for them to tighten up their security.

Fortunately- for me- she had decided to not call anyone to come and pick her up, exiting her truck and starting to walk in a particular direction.

Where was she going?

It was getting darker. She should not be taking such risks at such late an hour.

Why the hell did I even care?

I should be dancing in joy that she was walking into an aloof-er, if possible- street, wherein nobody would be any wiser of her presence.

Yes, this was my chance.

I started to follow her…keeping to the shadows.

Where was she going?

Shit. She had missed the turn to go towards the populous street, walking ahead, towards the warehouses and nearly abandoned areas.

There was nobody around. I could smell no human scent, apart from her, in the air.

Bella had continued to walk, clutching to her bag tighter and tighter.

This was my chance.

She was vulnerable.

She would not see me coming, her gift being too slow for my vampire speed.

All I had to do was go from behind and snap her neck.

It was as simple as that.

Why weren't my feet working any faster then?

Why did it feel wrong?

Why did it feel like an internal war was currently taking place between the two divided parts of my brain?

It was insane. It was ridiculous. She was my target. I was supposed to kill her.

I had continued to follow her, all thoughts of attacking instantly vanishing from my mind when I smelt them- the four inebriated men that were walking ahead of her.

No.

Bella go in the opposite direction.

Don't do this.

"Hey,"

I had shut my eyes, sighing.

These men were bad news…. that much was obvious.

Couldn't she see that?

I didn't think she was this oblivious to not notice something this obvious, or maybe she was just desperate for help…..

This wouldn't have happened if only I had walked out of the shadows earlier, a part of me protested.

I ignored that voice. It was stupid and baseless.

Anyhow, she started to chat with them- another bad decision- realizing a minute too late that these men were not the Samaritan kind.

In fact, they were far from that.

I could feel the emotions radiating from them, and to be honest, they were pretty disgusting.

Lust, greed, deceit and malice thick in the air…..

I shook my head, sighing.

What had Bella gotten her into?

It seemed as if Bella too had realized this fact, turning to walk in the opposite direction, leaving herself vulnerable in front of them.

A growl had instantly left my mouth noticing the fact that one of those men had put their hands on her, grasping her in his tight grip.

She had tried to get out of it, but he was stronger than her- laughing at her meek protests.

That was it.

I was about to walk out of the shadows, firm in my decision that they had to die….when I had stopped for a brief minute, noticing that Bella was about to do something.

And she very well had. She used her power to burn the man touching her, the jerk jumping two steps in fright.

A laugh left my mouth, amusement slightly shining in my eyes.

This was unusual, and extremely smart on her part, using her gift to her advantage.

Bella repeated her action, burning another one of them, threatening them to leave her alone….and like the big cowards that those men were, they hightailed out of there faster than a person can say run.

But, that was too easy a punishment for them.

They had touched her.

They had tried to violate her.

They had laughed at her cries.

How dare they be let go this easily?

They will pay the price for their actions.

They have to pay the price for their actions.

I would make sure of that.

Bella may think that this much was enough for what they had tried to do with her, but I don't think so.

And we will play by my rules in this game.

They were not leaving this place alive, that much I was confident about.

No one did wrong to Bella and got away with it.

I did not care that she was just a human and I was an immortal vampire. I did not care that she was my target and I was supposed to be her killer.

It did not matter.

All that mattered in the moment was that they had touched her….that they had caused her to be afraid….that they had caused her to worry and nearly cry.

I would not let them go without punishment for their actions. They would have to pay for their actions.

My mind was set, a decision taken- snapping their necks in the very next second too easy to even consider or concentrate much on.

I did not drink from them.

I did not want to bear the consequences of killing a human, not when I had the wolves and Cullen's to think about, but leaving these degenerates alive was never an option.

"You killed them." Bella stated, opening her eyes and looking at me.

It was not a question. It was a statement.

I shrugged back at her, my face as expressionless as could be. "They deserved to die."

Bella continued to stare at me, possibly horrified by my answer. "You don't decide that. You are not God."

I shrugged back at her. These men were no innocents, contrary to what she still believed. "I could feel their emotions. Trust me; this was not their first time."

Bella shuddered in fear, her eyes wide in terror.

I sighed. I should have gotten out of the shadows much earlier. Maybe we could have avoided this.

"Still," she replied, weakly though. "You should not have killed them. I had handled it."

"They had it coming. They deserved to die." I stated, confidently and slightly surprised at the brave girl in front of me. She was still thinking of their lost lives. This was a new level of selflessness or stupidity, I could not decide.

They had touched her. They had plans of doing much more than touching her.

How could she forgive them this easily?

How could she just let them go?

How could she not wish for evil on them?

It was unbelievable.

She opened her mouth to speak- more like protest, but I could not hear anymore of this bullshit.

They deserved it, and I was sticking by my decision.

I did not even want to hear her baseless arguments.

I instantly turned; another war raging in me. A part of me wishing to look after her, wanting to make sure that she reached home safely- and another part of me cursing the stupidity and insane thoughts of the first part.

She was my target. I was supposed to kill her. I was not supposed to protect her, or make sure that she was happy.

I was losing my fucking mind.

I started to run in the opposite direction, not stopping till I was deep somewhere in Canada.

I needed to be away from this bullshit.

I never should have accepted this mission.

It had been a mistake.

I had been happy in my life, never thinking of anyone apart from myself.

Why was I so concerned about Bella then?

Why did I even care?

After hitting close to a hundred trees, being responsible for most of them falling, I returned to the Cullen house late at night…..only to see Peter waiting for me at the porch, a serious expression on his face.

"The Quileute tribal council has called us for a meeting, immediately. What have you done?"

Oh. Crap.