Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
A/N: Hello! I'm sorry I took so long to get this chapter posted! I really hope you like it.
Edward stumbled into the dimly lit bedroom, his anxious eyes probing the area. He spotted Victoria, lying lifeless on the ground and another bought of hate rose up in his chest.
Then his eyes met Bella's and he felt the other half of his heart bleep back into existence, like it hadn't even been missing in the first place. He smiled the crooked smile that he could only muster up when his heart was full and happy. Or, in other words, only when he was with Bella.
Her eyes lit up, but her face was still weary. Only then did Edward register the other person in the room.
Alice.
She was curled up next to Bella, her face buried in Bella's shirt and her tiny body wounded and shaking with silent sobs.
Bella sent him a pleading look. Edward ambled over to the trembling girl, overwhelmed with gratitude toward her.
How had he been so cruel to her? To everyone? They were his friend, his allies.
He had no answer.
He felt like the moment he saw his Bella's face again his mind came out of a cloud. A cloud of rage. But also a cloud of desperation. He bent down slowly, putting his hand on Alice's shoulder in what he hoped to be a comforting gesture.
She turned around to face him her wide blue eyes frightened.
"Where's Jasper?" she asked quietly. Edward furrowed his eyebrows. Why did she care about Jasper?
"I…don't know." he replied. "I'm sure he's fine, he's a trained fighter."
"I heard a gunshot." she whispered frantically, trembling more violently, her tiny hands practically jumping off of her lap where she had them clasped tightly.
Edward froze for a split second before sprinting out of the room and down the porch steps, where he thought Jasper had gone.
He froze again, his nerves turning to ice and a chill slipping down his spine. Jasper was on the ground, showing no signs of movement. Edward's breath caught and he dropped to the ground, checking his pulse. It was faint, but it was there. He let out a sigh of relief.
Then he heard a scratching sound on the porch. He turned around quickly to the sight of Alice crawling down the steps, her face panicked but determined. She pulled herself through the high grass as Edward watched in awe.
"He's alive." he informed her quietly.
"I know. I can feel it." she acknowledged. No explanation. She didn't have time.
"Please see if there's any cloths and water in that cabin?" she asked Edward, her eyes resolute. He just nodded and jogged inside.
Alice carefully unbuttoned Jasper's flannel shirt, opening up his wounded chest to the cool night air. She held her breath and looked down, fighting her urge to run back into the house and let someone else clean the wound.
But she knew Jasper would've wanted her to do it.
Only her.
She let out her breath as she surveyed the damage. It was a neat puncture, and as far as Alice could tell the bullet didn't penetrate any organs. Then again, she wasn't a doctor. But she hoped they could find one soon. He was losing a lot of blood.
She gasped as her eyes traveled to the rest of his torso. Trails of scars were running along his chest and down his arms. They looked they were from knifes of something similar. Alice's tears came faster and harder. What had her Jasper been through?
Edward came running out with a bucket of water and torn cloths. He set them down next to Alice and stepped back, watching her carefully. Alice quickly dipped the cloth in the water, dabbing cautiously at the lesion. She worked efficiently, whispering so quietly to herself that Edward couldn't understand what she was saying.
When she was finished she leaned down and kissed Jasper lightly on his dry, cracked lips.
"Jasper, now you'll have to wake up." she whispered to his limp form. "It's the only way you'll get another kiss. And I didn't want our first kiss to include one of us being unconscious, so when you wake up it'll be a clean slate, and you can impress me with your expertise, okay?" she murmured, the tears still falling from her weary eyes.
Emmett stumbled out the door, Rose clasped tightly to his side.
"We need to get him to a hospital." Rosalie stated reasonably.
"And what, Rose? Tell them we were in a gang fight in the middle of the woods and there's three dead bodies back here? I don't think so. Besides, I know a guy that can help us, off the books." Edward stated, his voice hard.
Emmett shook his head.
"Haven't we done enough illegal crap? I swear, as soon as Jasper's better me and Rosie are getting out of this crazy shit." Emmett ranted, sending a pained glance to Jasper's limp form.
Rosalie's eyes lit up.
Alice was still kneeling next to Jasper, her green dress bunched around her as she traced the contours of his face with her trembling fingers.
"Let's get going, the guy I know can fix us all up." Edward commanded. He stormed into the house, and came back out with Bella securely in his arms, a soft smile on his face despite himself. They piled into the pickup, laying Jasper down carefully on the back seat.
Edward revved the engine and sped down the dirt path, flying through the dark outlines of the many trees, their silhouettes casting eerie shadows.
Alice preferred to close her eyes rather then watch the land flashing by or look at Jasper's blank face. She bit her lip and leaned her head against the misty window, having a wave of déjà vu wash over her. It was the same thing she'd done on that bus when she'd turned eighteen.
Yet everything was so different.
She was no longer a wandering soul, her life was bound to Jasper's. Forever and always. Now she'd always have somewhere to belong. As long as Jasper held on a little longer. She prayed, willing Jasper to wake up with all of her strength.
Then she realized they'd stopped, the truck was idling quietly, pulled up against the cracked sidewalk. Alice glanced out the window. They were in what looked to be the bad area of a town. The buildings were dark and dreary, garbage littering the street and sidewalk.
"Where the hell did you bring us Edward? There's no one around here." Rosalie stated, her tone sharp. He rolled his eyes, but his face was serious.
"Come on." Emmett and Edward carried Jasper as Edward instructed Rosalie to knock on the peeled door of one of the crammed, faded buildings. She knocked twice and a man answered, keeping the chain bolt locked.
"Who's there?" he asked nervously.
"It's Edward. We need your help, Carlisle." The man reached up and unlocked the bolt, ushering us in and giving a wary glance down the street before closing and locking it again. They laid Jasper carefully down on the overstuffed couch.
The man's eyes widened as he took in Jasper's limp form.
"Edward, I asked you not to pull me into any of your conflicts anymore, you know what happened last time. I lost my medical license. I'll help this young man, put I don't want to be involved with your gang brawls."
"We're not really a gang, Carlisle." Edward muttered.
"Well, we're not exactly the girl scouts either, Edward." Emmett muttered back.
He gave him a dirty look.
Carlisle hauled a large bag out of a closet, pulling things out and setting them on a small table. A woman walked around the corner, a thick robe wrapped around her slender body. She sent them a warm smile.
"Would you folks like some tea?" she asked sweetly. They all nodded, filing into the kitchen. Except for Alice.
She sat down next to Carlisle, taking Jasper's hand in hers. Carlisle gave her a tired smile before getting to work on the wound. She wrapped her other arm around her waist, her stomach feeling hollow. She realized she hadn't eaten in two days, not since Jasper had given her whatever meager amount of food he could gather up. She reprimanded herself silently. She couldn't think about something as insignificant as food at a time like this.
She leaned back and closed her eyes again, listening to them soothing murmurs of conversation wafting out of the kitchen.
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Esme poured the tea into cups, humming softly. She turned to the guests, taking in their appearance. They looked famished. She shook her head disapprovingly and began to fix up the leftovers from their dinner last night.
"I'm Esme, by the way." she murmured, turning to the group behind her that were lounging at the table, caught up in their own thoughts. She noted their stoic expressions, and waited.
She could tell a lot about a person from the way they introduced themselves.
"I'm Edward, nice to meet you. This is Rosalie, Emmett, and Bella." he gestured toward each of them. Esme also noted how his gaze lingered upon Bella, like at any moment she might disappear.
So, Edward's clearly the leader here. Authoritative, but adoring of his wife. Esme thought to herself.
His posture and tone suggested it, not to mention the way he introduced everyone else.
Rosalie smiled briefly toward her.
Tough on the outside but soft-hearted on the inside. Esme thought.
Emmett smiled a goofy grin, but she could still see the worry hiding behind his eyes.
Impulsive but compassionate.
Bella smiled timidly, giving a little wave.
Bashful but strong when she needs to be.
Esme smiled, then shook her head, scolding herself. She was always analyzing people, relationships were very important to her. But sometimes she got carried away.
These people weren't little children she could take under her wing, they were adults, hardened from the world they'd had to deal with. The experiences they'd been through.
But that just made her nurturing instincts kick into full gear. They deserved to be taken care of for once. She bit her lip.
"You folks are welcome to stay here until your friend recovers." she murmured. Edward's eyes widened.
"Are you sure, Esme? Carlisle is still pretty angry with me." Esme nodded.
"I'll talk to Carlisle. You're welcome here." Edward smiled gratefully. Carlisle appeared in the doorway.
"Well, I've done all I can for him. I fairly sure he'll make a full recovery. I gave him some medication and moved him upstairs, so he'll be asleep for awhile." he stated, yawning hugely.
"Thank you." Edward said, his voice soft. Carlisle just nodded.
"Now, if you'll come in here I'll fix you guys up too. You look pretty shabby yourselves. Ladies first?" he asked, motioning to Rosalie.
"I already helped Alice out. But her emotional cuts are a lot worse then her physical ones right now. And that's saying something." he murmured, before turning on his heel and striding back into the living room.
Edward put his head in his hands, his mind whirling. He hadn't meant for this to happen. For the psychic to get attached to Jasper. Jasper wasn't someone that could love her back. He dug his long fingers into his temples, sighing. He'd been so oblivious for the last few weeks, what else had he missed?" As soon as Jasper woke up he'd have to talk with him. Alice didn't seem like she could take much more pain.
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Upstairs in the small bedroom, Alice laid down carefully next to Jasper on the bed. For a few hours she just ran her tiny fingers through Jasper's blonde hair, humming melodies she faintly remembered from when she was a child. But what worried her was she couldn't remember if it was her parents humming she remembered, or the soothing murmur of one of the nurse's voices. A while later she felt Jasper stir next to her, groaning quietly.
"Alice?" he whispered, his voice thick with sleep.
"I'm here." she whispered back, taking his hand in hers. A smile fluttered to his lips.
"Is Bella okay?" he asked, his voice muddled form the pain medication.
"Yes."
"Good. Edward's love for her transcends anything I've ever witnessed. Except for my love for you, that is. And amazingly, you love me. I don't know what I could've possibly done to deserve you, but hey, I'm not going to question it." Jasper murmured with a lazy grin splashed across his face.
"Good. I wouldn't of let you question it anyway. We're meant for each other. It doesn't have to be anymore complicated then that." Alice whispered, her voice the softest it had ever been.
"I love you." Jasper said, his voice muted.
"I love you too. Forever and always." And Alice watched as he fell back asleep. She smiled and began to hum again.
But this time she didn't care where she remembered it from. Jasper would be okay. That's all she needed to know.
A/N: I think I should mention that Carlisle isn't Edward's father in this story, he's just a friend. This story won't be finished for awhile, I still have a ton of loose ends to tie up, and a bunch of things to explain. Thank you for reading! I would love to get six or seven reviews for this chapter *hint hint*, but I'll still update as soon as I can even if I don't.