Chapter Fifteen

When Bella came to it was not what she expected, honestly she expected that she wasn't going to wake up at all.

Where was she? Was she still in the fire? Can anyone hear her? Oh god, the fire…

"Easy now," a voice whispered, one that was familiar. "You've been in a coma for a week, it's okay, shhh…"

A pained moan escaped her lips as she felt something being removed from her mouth and throat, giving away the destination of where she was. Now that she could breathe freely she could smell the familiar scent of the soap and disinfectant the hospital oh so loved to use.

"Rose?" She rasped out, squinting to the thankfully dull lights. "Water?"

After a few seconds of what to Bella seemed like an eternity in a drought she was able to taste the sweet crisp liquid of water. It took all her will not to gulp it down, she knew that if she were to do that then Rose would take the water away and Bella would have to wait for the next time she could drink it.

"Good to see you awake, gave us all a scare." Rose stated as Bella opened her eyes properly, placing the cup on the table. "Perhaps now I'll be able to drag Emmett home and Pete can take Jasper too. Gotta tell you Bells that man of yours is dedicated and was even able to convince Doctor Volturi to allow him to stay."

Confusion flickered across Bella's face at that, she was oh so confused. "What? Jasper? he isn't my anything."

A knock at the door had both Rose and Bella turning to see Jasper standing there, his clothing was dishevelled telling Bella that he's slept in them and his face had a bit of scruff on it that indicated he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. He also had a fading black eye. He looked like shit and that was saying something because Bella was pretty sure she did, too.

"I'll leave you both to talk." Rose stated as she cast a look at them both, smirked and disappeared out the door leaving them there to stare awkwardly at each other.

"Why are you here?" Bella asked while tearing her eyes away from him.

Jasper frowned as he came to sit in the chair he had claimed as his, hesitatingly taking her hand in his own. "We need to talk Darlin', what you saw that day was not what it looked like. I did not know her."

"Didn't look like it from where I stood, looked like an awful lot like you knew her, personally." Bella replied dryly.

"Christ Darlin', the woman was Tanya Cullen." Jasper said with a deep sigh, his temper getting the best of him.

"What?" She asked dumbfounded.

A dry near hysterical laugh escaped his lips as he scrubbed his face tiredly. "That's what I've been trying to tell ya Darlin', th' woman who kissed me was Tanya Cullen, th' wife of ya ex. Em and I been running down leads and we know what connects the killings of Fisher, Stephens and the Ly's, it was you."

She really couldn't grasp at the emotions she was currently feeling. "What?"

"Bells!" Emmett's voice boomed from the door drawing the attention of them both. Emmett looked just like Jasper, his clothing all rumpled, day old scruff and baggy eyes. It was a look she hadn't seen on Emmett since Rose was in the hospital after the car accident or since he had to pull a four day shift for that one case that led him to Chicago.

"Great timing Emmett, tell me what the fuck…" Bella hissed as she went to move only to jostle all her injuries. Both Jasper and Emmett rushed forward and helped her settle again while making sure everything was in order.

"Careful Bella, you've got a broken arm and leg, ribs are broken too and stitches in your lung. You're being held together by tape and crazy glue, take it easy." Emmett warned sternly. "What has Jasper told you?"

Casting her brother a look, Bella relaxed further into her bed, her finger clicking the morphine button as she did so. "That Tanya Cullen was behind shit."

"Yes, but she wasn't the one who was behind it all, she just did a little… digging. What do you know of Mary Alice Brandon?" Emmett asked with raised brows, watching as his sister frowned at the name.

Mary Alice, it was a name that rung through Bella's foggy mind, a familiar name. Jasper said that the deaths of her friends and colleagues were connected to her but she didn't really know them except… when she was in training, they were – besides Lee – in her graduating class like Demetri and Ben. She wasn't close with them but… they had been the ones that had… "Oh god, Alice."

"Am I missing something here?" Jasper asked. "I know the file on Mary Alice but not how it's connected."

"We were in the same classes as one another, she was a sprite but there was always something off with Alice. She had an obsession with fire that just didn't make sense and Heidi, Henri and I were the ones who spotted her trying to light one of the college dorms on fire… Lee was the one who corroborated and she was arrested… there wasn't something right with her and she was locked away in an asylum as she spouted off that the visions told her to do it." Bella explained in horror. "But… how?"

Emmett looked grim. "She hired local guns James and Victoria Hunter, when she realised that she couldn't get you, well… she hired Tanya who was down on her luck after Edward kicked her to the curb after Carlisle and Esme divorced to get between you and Jasper."

Everything was swirling for Bella, god how was this her life? "Where is she now?"

"Dead… We raided her place when Tanya squealed and she shot herself." Emmett informed his sister and cast a look to Jasper and back. "I gotta go get pops and tell him you're awake, he's been outta his mind and if it weren't for Sue he'd be glued to that chair. Make it quick, Whitlock."

Confusion swept through her as Jasper nodded sharply and turned his grey eyes back at her, taking her hand in his once more. "I nearly lost you Darlin' an' I never got to tell ya how I feel. That morning' I was gonna ask ya to be my girl, make the thing we be doing official and date. God Isa, I nearly… I watched that building collapse and all I could think about was how much I love you…"

Tears pooled in her eyes as the words sunk in. "You love me?"

"Of course Darlin', how could I not?" Jasper replied shakily through his own tears.

"I love you too." Bella blurted out, her eyes slipping closed as she admitted the feelings she had been trying to squash down. A feeling she had felt crumble when the incident in the diner happened and all she hoped was for was crushed.

Lips against hers had her eyes snapping open in surprise before closing as she kissed Jasper back with all the emotion she could put in it, gasping for breath as they pulled apart, their foreheads resting against one another. "We have time to talk later, for now rest Darlin', I love you."

"Love you too Jasper, love you too."

Author Note: THE END!