"We're going the long way," James informed her over the roar of the boat's engine.
It had been an hour since his meal, and his eyes were now a bright, vivid scarlet. Despite being upset by the murder of the human (whose body had been immediately dumped overboard once James' was finished) Alice was disgusted by how relieved she felt.
Now that he'd fed, Bella's future was a bit more solid to her. Which meant that if they found Victoria, she'd live a little longer than originally planned.
Unfortunately, Alice didn't have a plan beyond that.
If only she was good at tracking, she'd be gone by now.
James had unknowingly given her a handful of opportunities to escape since they boarded the boat. Opportunities that Alice had completely ignored.
But Alice couldn't chase after any of the options that had been presented to her.
One option had been to go seek out Victoria herself, to try and get Bella before James could get them. There were a handful of results that that path would end in, all of them resulting in her death, Bella's, or oftentimes, both. Alice was a fool to think she could find Victoria before James.
She would be an absolute idiot to think she could find Victoria at all. In all of Alice's visions, she was the most difficult to track. If she didn't have an incapacitated Bella on her hip, Alice wasn't sure she'd be able to predict her actions and movements at all.
Her next option was to run and head straight to Jasper. It was the most tempting of all, since she knew that she'd get to him before James would get to Victoria. But it was another option that would make Bella's death absolutely certain.
It was an unchoosable option. Alice didn't even consider it when the paths opened up and she had been forced to choose.
She wouldn't abandon her friend. Her sister. Now that she was fully a part of this mess, Alice would do everything to keep Bella safe. If she didn't, the girl was as good as dead.
Focusing on her husband's future Alice watched as he and Edward ran and ran, following Victoria's trail down to each turn, hesitation, a change of path.
She wished she could warn them, let them know that something was up; Victoria was very difficult to follow. For all Alice knew, she could be leading them on a wild goose chase and they'd end up at a dead end.
"Once Victoria gets to where she's supposed to go, we'll veer back north."
As he spoke, Alice could hear the smile in his voice. She couldn't see him—his current was of restraining her was fairly similar, but a little different. A casual left-armed choke-hold held her against him, her feet barely brushing the bottom of the boat as he drove it one-handed down the river.
"She has a surprise for you."
Closing her eyes tightly, Alice wanted to cry. Instead, she kept her hands wrapped tight around James' forearm. Partially to give her something to hold on to but mainly to give herself some fleeting, hopeless chance of fighting back in case he really decided to be done with her and behead her.
And with the way things had gone over the last day, she couldn't be so sure he wouldn't decide that Bella was the easier of the two targets, and just do away with her.
But still, with the way he'd been talking to her, more like a pet and less like an enemy, calling her 'Mary Alice', speaking of an asylum and of another man Alice didn't know, she had a sinking feeling that she meant something more to James than Bella did.
For the first time since her capture, she was thankful Jasper wasn't around.
If he could feel how scared she was, in that moment, he would lose his mind.
When Edward hesitated, skidding to a stop just after midnight, Jasper had to dig his feet into the dirt to keep from mowing the shorter man over.
"No," he murmured, turning sharply left and running. Jasper only followed, confused and nervous over Edward's sudden spike in fear. While Jasper was the better tracker, Edward was faster. And with his mind-reading ability able to detect precenses from miles away—and with time decidedly not on their side—Jasper didn't object when Edward took the lead.
Inhaling deeply as he ran, Jasper didn't smell anything that would set his anxiety off, and after a few seconds, that's when he realized what Edward just had: he hadn't smelled anything.
No Victoria and no Bella.
"No," Edward's voice was a little louder as he stopped again, his head whipping from side to side. He blew past Jasper as he turned and ran back the way they'd just come. Jasper couldn't do anything but just hopelessly follow behind.
If the woman had somehow managed to lose them from her tail, that meant they'd been fooled. Again. It meant they could be anywhere. It meant that the precious little time they did have to find them was slowly running out.
It meant that Alice's chance of getting found was deteriorating right in front of his eyes.
The urge to scream was overwhelming.
Edward ran past the point they'd originally stopped and turned, and as he trailed behind, Jasper could hear his choked back sobs.
Stop it, he wanted to command. But Edward's grief was a palpable thing to Jasper. And sometimes, emotions could be contagious. Stop! He shouted inwardly, pleading.
When eventually they reached a body of water, Edward skidded to a stop just as his feet slid into the marshes.
"It's gone," Edward spoke, heartbroken, as if voicing what was happening gave more weight to their current reality. "They're gone. I—I don't—what—"
Jasper didn't flinch when Edward's emotions crescendoed. He didn't speak when Edward looked at him (and Jasper just knew the boy was looking for some assurance or guidance) and he didn't move when he started rattling off some barely-thought-out plan that would surely do more harm than good.
Some sick, dark part of his subconscious celebrated. Jasper was glad that Edward was hurting. Not one to say 'I told you so' Jasper simply stood there and watched as Edward slipped into a unique type of hysteria.
Do you see, now? Jasper was sure his mental voice sounded like a taunt in Edward's head, but he didn't care. If the worst happened, Alice would suffer a fate equal to or worse than Bella. And it would be no ones fault that this had happened but Edward's.
Edward, who couldn't have just stayed in Alaska when he realized his willpower could crumble around the girl. Edward, who, instead of doing the right thing—the thing that would keep his 'family' safe—decided to play with fire and invite the human into their world.
Edward, who was so concerned with this child that Alice was likely going to pay the price for his pride.
He watched, quietly, as the little bit of sanity that Edward had ever owned began to slip away. All because he had to develop this obsession with a human girl.
When Edward lunged, Jasper expected it.
Jasper had to hand it to him, despite being severely emotionally compromised, Edward could still fight. He had mused, years ago, that even without the mind-reading Edward would've made a promising fighter. But, of course, the mind-reading was really the only thing that put him on par with Jasper.
And Jasper had fought thousands of strong, capable, terrified vampires in his time.
So right now, Edward was no different.
It took Jasper eleven seconds to pin him.
Hand at his throat and foot pressing down on his right forearm, he leaned in close. "What?" He growled angrily. "What are you going to do?" Edward merely growled in response as Jasper tightened his hold on his neck. "What Edward? Are you going to tell me I'm wrong? That I need to be quiet about your human? What the fuck are you going to do?"
Edward used his legs, pulling momentum up and knocking Jasper's grip loose as he kicked him off. Seven seconds later, Jasper had him pinned again. This time, Edward's face was pressed into the damp, mossy shore of the river, two arms pinned roughly behind his back.
"Do you think this is helping?" He bellowed. His frustration was rising with each attempt Edward made at fighting him. "You want to waste more time? Or have you already given up? You know how impossible it's going to be to find them—"
"Get off of me!" Edward screamed, still fighting against Jasper's hold.
"And what? Let you land a few good hits? Something to make you feel better?" The hatred that was boiling up in Edward fueled the combative part of Jasper. He couldn't help but relish in this feeling that he'd nearly forgotten: with someone incapacitated, cursing his very existence, unable to do anything in retaliation.
It left him with the sense of power that had gotten him through his days with Maria.
"Rip me apart then," Edward snapped, "If you're so pleased to have me at your mercy."
"If Alice dies, you won't have to ask." Jasper's voice was low and steady; sounding much like a promise.
"Do you even hear yourself?" Edward shouted. "I—you have no idea how I feel about—"
"Do you know who you're talking to?!" Jasper leaned forward as he yelled, as if his proximity to Edward's head would make his point get across easier. "I don't know how you feel?! Trust me, I can sense your infatuation with Bella," his voice was mocking, and he knew that he was poking a caged, angry lion, but he didn't care. "I can feel how obsessed and smitten you are. I get that. That's why I agreed to do this. That's why I've been watching her while you all continue to fail at your tasks. That's why I lied to her the other day. I told Bella that it was worth it. That she was worth this. But it was never worth this."
Yanking Edward up onto his feet, he leaned into his ear and snarled.
"Alice trusted you to do what was asked. To find James, take care of him, and then come get Bella. Alice trusts you," he slipped into the present, attempting to turn the blade he knew he was very slowly driving into Edward's psyche. "And now, you've put her to death."
"You think I don't hate myself for this?" And Jasper could feel that he did. Good. "I know it's my fault. It's my entire fucking fault. I've put everyone in danger and now everything has gone to shit because of me. Is this what you want? You know it's my fault—I know it's my fault? Are you satisfied now? Are you happy?"
Tossing him forward roughly, Edward caught himself several yards away, turning and glaring.
"Of course I'm not happy," his voice was hollow this time. "James has Alice."
"And Victoria has Bella," Edward snapped. Before Jasper could cut him off again, he spoke quickly. "They have them both. I'm not trying to assert Bella's importance to me above Alice's, I'm trying to get you to realize that while of fucking course I want to get Alice back, Bella is human." Edward's voice cracked. "I want to find Alice but the elements aren't going to kill Alice. An injury isn't going to kill Alice. Yes, time is important but it's different with Bella. You know this, Jazz."
Jasper wanted to punch him when Edward tacked his nickname on there. It was just one of a small handful of things that could remind Jasper that this wasn't just a coven of vampires, thinking about themselves. This was a family. A chaotic motley crew of vampires that drove him crazy most days, but they were absolutely a family.
"Your family," Edward spoke, his voice finally without anger. "If something happens to Alice and you still want to kill me, fine. We'll act like the last fifty-three years don't mean anything. Let the hate win." With his eyes still locked onto Jasper, Edward wiped some mud from his face. "If something happens to Bella, I promise not to fight back."
And immediately, Jasper knew he meant it. Suddenly, Edward's attack on him made much more sense.
"I'm not killing you," he finally spoke, significantly calmer. "If the human succumbs to the elements, even if both she and Alice die. I won't kill my brother." The words felt horrible to say, but deep down, it was the truth.
He would just have to make sure to clue Emmett in. In his current, more reasonable state, he could make the decision to not harm Edward. But if something really did happen to Alice, well… Jasper knew himself...
Edward's face was angry, but sad. "She's not just a human. I love her, Jazz. I know you can feel that." Jasper scoffed, stepping back and shaking his head. "I know you know what it's like." Raising his voice again, Edward called Jasper's attention back to him. "To feel lost. Like you don't have a purpose. Like everyday is absolutely meaningless."
No, Jasper thought quietly. No. You don't get to do this.
"I'm drawing comparisons because they're there." Edward growled, severely frustrated. "You had nothing. You felt hopeless. Just wandering the Earth wondering what the point of every thing was." When Edward let a slight, sad smile fall upon his face, Jasper finally looked away. "Then Alice showed up." Edward took two purposeful steps. "Look at me, and tell me that didn't change everything. Tell me her addition to your life didn't help you feel alive again."
Jasper said nothing, because of course he couldn't. That was absolutely what had happened, and both Jasper and Edward knew it.
"Just because Bella isn't a vampire doesn't mean I don't understand. I understand exactly what you went through, because I'm going through it now. We're right at the beginning of everything, so sure, I'll give you that: maybe it isn't on the same level as you and Alice. But Jazz," Jasper finally turned his attention back to him, "I've seen what you and Alice have. Hell, what Rose and Emmett, and what Carlisle and Esme, and what every mated pair I've ever met has. And this is it for me."
"A human," Jasper's deadpanned.
"What we all used to be," Edward straightened up to his full height. "What we all seem to forget that we used to be."
"You're insane, you know."
Edward shrugged. "You're the one that just threatened to kill me. As if we haven't been friends for half a century."
The phrase love makes you crazy suddenly flashed through the back of Jasper's mind before he could push it away.
Edward let out a pitiful half-laugh. "I hear that."
Jasper didn't respond to the returning remark with humor. There wasn't time to joke. "We're still left without a trail. Without a clue."
"I'd suggest splitting up, but I know that won't work."
"This Victoria is sly. We won't be able to track her, and James' trail from the airport is probably faded by now."
"We don't even know what angle they're playing at yet."
"That's it," Jasper spoke, Edward's words suddenly reenergizing him. "This is a game to them. Right now, they're making their moves—"
"And expecting us to fall into another trap."
Jasper nodded. "Precisely. They want to put on a show, right?" Edward nodded. "Well, what if the audience doesn't arrive."
"We can't just—leaving them in James and Victoria's hands for any longer is a dangerous gamble."
"You're right," he agreed, and even his own plan made him feel nauseous. "And we don't have to stop looking. We just need a different approach."
"Or we need them to think we're still looking, while we set up our own counterattack."
"The best offense is a good defense," Jasper nodded, finally in agreement. Inhaling deeply, he ran his hands through his hair, closing his eyes momentarily. "Fuck."
"Yeah." Edward's helplessness was slowly rising in severity. Jasper had to shake his head to gather his bearings back.
When the silver phone rang, Jasper picked it up immediately.
"What's happening?" Edward walked closer as they listened.
"Nothing—what's happening up there? Did we pass you accidentally? I can't smell you."
Jasper bit back a sigh. "Trail is dead. Stay on the road. We're going to meet you there."
"Should we cross the border back into the US?"
Jasper had barely noticed they'd entered Mexico as he and Edward had led the charge. That was when he finally hesitated.
"No," he decided quickly. "Stay there. We'll be right there."
Not waiting for a response, he closed and pocketed the phone, not looking up at Edward as they turned and readied to move.
"Jasper," Edward's voice was cautious as he leaned forward, trying to meet Jasper's eyes, "are you sure about this?"
"Don't worry," he dismissed Edward's growing apprehension. "I have an idea."
"That's why I'm worried."
Jasper ignored him as they began to run again.
James' first mistake had been targeting Bella. His second had been involving Alice in this mess.
But his final mistake was bringing them further south. Because once upon a time, this had been Jasper's turf, and he knew exactly what they needed to do now.
