A/N: Hi, I am sorry this is a few days later than my normal updates. Its been a really busy (but altogether happy) week.

Thanks to HopelessRomantic79 as always for her beta skills

Chapter 6

Jasper POV

"Peter!' I yelled as I knocked even harder on his door. It was just a little after nine in the morning and I had just left a broken hearted Bella at the hospital. I honestly didn't know where to go next.

"Peter, I know you are there. Open the door." Finally my blurry eyed brother appeared.

"This had better be good Jazz, we didn't get home until nearly three this morning and we were still asleep." He grumbled. I didn't listen; I just roughly pushed past him into his front hallway.

"Believe me; you'll want to hear all of this, hit me a few times I am sure and then throw me out." My phone started vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out to see Bella's name flash across the screen. I grimaced, hit ignore and shoved my phone back into my pocket.

"Ok, you have my attention. Let's go into the kitchen and talk." I followed him there and sat quietly as he prepared some coffee for himself. I was still trying to wrap my head around everything that had happened over the last day. My emotions were all over the place. I couldn't decide if I was sad or angry, resigned or resistant to my fate. Do I turn myself in, or do I run? I was guilty either way, but was it self-defense or murder?

Peter sat down with his coffee and just looked at me. No questions in his face, or any accusatory glances. He gave me enough time to collect myself before I could begin to tell him what happen. What all went wrong.

"I didn't mean to, but in all honesty, part of me did." I confessed.

"Ok…" He nodded.

"I killed a man this morning Pete, and I don't regret it. The only thing I will actually regret is the getting caught part. He deserved it. And now…now…he can't hurt anyone ever again."

"Right." He took a sip of his coffee and set it down. He was strangely calm about everything. I tell my brother I killed and man and he says two words, drinks his coffee and acts like we are talking about the weather. I have seen him more fired up about a work contract than this.

"Say something besides one syllable words please!" I yell as I slam my hand on the table, spilling his coffee all over.

He sighed and looked rather put out that I spill his coffee verses pleading guilty to murder. "Fine. Why don't you tell me what lead to this and we will go from there."

So I launched into the story. I didn't leave anything out. From the call from the ER doctor to Bella losing the baby, the detective and what he said that Mr. Hargrove said. My emotions and thoughts about it all. And finally, ending with me outside James' home gym, the confrontation and leaving Bella behind. Once I started, I literally could not stop. The overwhelming severity of the situation hit me at full force and I started crying like there was no tomorrow. From my stand point, there really wasn't a tomorrow. I had thrown it all away. Including Bella.

She continued to call through the conversation, just making things that much more worst to explain. Finally I got to the point that I texted her back and then turned off my phone. Peter turned his off as well and let me know that Charlotte's phone was dead. It was then that I realized it was closing one in the afternoon and I hadn't seen her come down from upstairs.

"Where's Char?" No sooner did I get the words out then I heard the telling squeak of one of the stairs.

"I'm here." She came up behind me and threw her arms around my shoulders. "I am so sorry sweetie. I heard everything sitting on the step. I can't imagine what you went through." Her voice sounded rough like she had been crying too. No doubt she had. She rocked side to side, much like my mom use to when she would comfort me when I was younger. "You can stay here tonight while we figure out what to do. Are you hungry? I'll fix you something." She didn't wait for a reply as she set about making a late lunch. I honestly hadn't had anything to eat since the prior day but I knew I wasn't exactly hungry. I had no appetite.

"Jasper…" I looked up to see Pete look away from his wife and back to me. He shook his head a little; I could see his eyes were glistening slightly. "If it was me…and I was in your position and Charlotte was in Bellas…you better believe that I would have done the same damn thing. I would have put that bastard down for everything he has ever done. And tomorrow…tomorrow we'll contact Jenks and see where we go to next."

That night, as we watched the news, the story broke about James and his brutal "murder". I got so pissed I threw my phone at their TV. Charlotte wasn't too happy about that. But she was happy to see that they hadn't named me as a suspect. I knew it was only a matter of time, they even said so. I knew I bled a lot at his house, hell; I even threw up in his gym. It wasn't like I was being careful. I didn't plan this thing out days in advance and then sneak in to do the dirty deed. I was upset, angry; sad…wouldn't that make it a crime of passion or something, not murder?

I didn't sleep at all that night. I picked up the phone to call Bella…I don't know how many times exactly. But every time that I did, I'd convince myself that I was the last person she would want to talk to. She had to have seen the news report by now, known exactly what it was I did. She would never forgive me. She deserved better than some killer. She deserved the chance to start over. At least…that's what I kept telling myself.

Bright and early the next morning, I sat fidgeting between Peter and Charlotte at my attorney Jenks office. I didn't want to do this but it had to be done. My appointment with him took several hours. After explaining to him what happen, in detail, we set forth to make a plan that we could stick too. We wrote up several documents transferring ownership of my half of the company into Bella's name. I knew I would be doing time in jail and I didn't want what Pete and I had built together to go to hell in a hand basket. And, I had to do something for Bella. I had to make sure she would be taken care of. She would hate that I did this without her consent, but honestly, I knew that she would make sure everything was alright. Or at least…I hoped. And in this case, if things fell apart, she would have a way to survive without me.

We also decided that I would go rent a cheap, cash only, motel room to hide out in for the time being. I needed to stay away from my family and friends while the police analyzed their data, because we all knew it would point straight at me. Jenks suggested that once the news broke on who it was that killed James, that's when I let myself be found. Not necessarily turned in, but not running either. I had no idea if this was the right choice, but right now it was the only choice.

So for nearly two weeks I kept myself locked away in a cheap ass motel with ugly yellow and orange drapes, bedspread and carpet. I watched the news constantly just waiting for that moment. I didn't try to contact Bella, which to be honest, was killing me. I missed her so much that I could hardly think straight. Jenks phoned every day and kept me current with all the news he had heard and all the steps he was already taking in my legal defense. He also let me know that Bella had come by and demanded to know where I was. I almost begged him to tell her. But then the thought of the dead unseeing eyes of James Hargrove staring at the ceiling filtered through my head and that silenced me.

At nights, I had horrible nightmares when I was able to sleep. Some nights it was the fight with him all over again, in perfect clarity. Some nights I won, some nights he won and then went to find Bella. Those were the hardest. I'd wake up with a scream on my lips and my heart beating out of my chest. I ended up unplugging the phone and breaking it order to stop myself from calling her to make sure she was alive.

When the news finally reported my name as the prime suspect, I was virtually grateful. I had enough of this tiny motel room, the separation from the world, from my family and most of all, from Bella. I glanced at the date on my phone and was surprised to see it. I hardly registered the days passing. I calmly made my way to the one place that made sense.

I was arrested at Edna's Diner one dark stormy night a full year after I met her. It was the same diner we had met at. The same diner we had our first coffee together, our first dinner and it was the same diner where she told as our lives were going to change forever.

I sat in our booth, the red squeaky vinyl giving my presence away. I shifted slightly to get comfortable knowing that I wouldn't be here for long. I could only run and hide for so long. I knew eventually they would come for me. It was inevitable. I looked up quickly at the lightening flashing violently across the sky as the heavens opened up a little bit more. A torrential rainfall fell across the inky sky almost in waves. It was late night or early morning, I didn't quite know. The streets were dead besides the sporadic traffic crossing from one side of town to the other. The twenty four-hour diner I sat in was always open no matter the weather nor the number of patrons.

"You're here awfully late aren't ya hun?" I glanced up at the scratchy voice of Mary, our usual waitress. She was in her early sixties and should have been off her feet a good decade ago. She reached over and flipped the empty coffee cup on the table over and quickly filed it to the brim with coffee that had probably been sitting in the pot for the last four hours. "Where's the Mrs.?"

"She's…." I cleared my throat. How do I answer that? Mary has known us each separately for a long time, but for the last year she got to watch us meet, fall in love and begin our life together. I didn't cherish the thought of her also getting to see our life together end. "Um…could I just get my usual please?"

She nodded her head and walked away. My usual was a sausage and cheese omelet with hash browns and it sounded so damn good. If I was going to be finally caught tonight, I at least wanted my one final meal.

I looked out the window as I sipped my coffee. The events from the last couple weeks were playing through my head on an endless loop. Just a month ago our lives were perfect. Both had great jobs, nice apartment, our lives were just starting out. Then he happened, I retaliated and then…

"Here's your usual hun. Ya know…you can talk to me if you need to? I've known you and the Mrs. for quite a while. I've been through love and loss and heartache too. I may be able to help you work out some things if need be."

"Mmm, Thanks Mary but I don't think you can help here. I'm good for now. Thanks." She set down my check and smiled politely as she walked away. I hummed to myself. I'd miss her too, like the mother I never really had. I grabbed the ketchup, nearly drowning my plate in it, before I started eating. I glanced at the check and saw I owed her $11.89 for my meal. I pulled a couple $100 dollar bills from my wallet and slid it over on the table towards the window. It was the least I could do. I imagine the cops would be here any second and the commotion it would cause would forever change this diner's perception of me. Hell, who knows, maybe my arrest would even get this Ma and Pa shop some more business.

I was almost finished with my plate when I saw the red and blue lights cutting across the rainy night. I took another sip of my coffee and sat back, staring out the window. There was surprisingly only one cop car, two officers. I had figured on more, but apparently I wasn't that important, yet they had been tracking me for days.

They walked in together. One was a big burly guy; the other looked like he had eaten way too many donuts in his life. Shaking off the rain, they headed down the aisle towards me. I calmly set my fork down and pushed away my plate.

"You know why we're here son?" the portly guy asked. I nodded and stood, turned around and put my hands behind my back. He started to cuff me as the big burly guy started reading me my Miranda Rights.

"Jasper Hale Whitlock, you are wanted on the charge of murder in the second degree of one Mr. James William Hargrove. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

"Yes sir."

A/N: Just to let you know, we are coming towards the end. I only have like two more chapters planned and then an epilogue (assuming the characters don't take over). Teaser to those who review. Thanks! :)