AN: I apologize for the bit of the delay, but I do hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

Thanks to my beta, of course. Without her I'd be losing my mind!

As always, all I own is Eve.


Chapter 4: Haunted

Long lost words whisper to me
Still can't find what keeps me here
When all this time I've been so hollow inside
(I know you're still there...)
Watching me, Wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you; Loving you;
I won't let you pull me down.

Eve

The afternoon spent at Jake's house was completely bittersweet. I hadn't realized up until that very moment just how much I had missed my best friend. I had been too consumed with other people that I pretty much deserted him.

What kind of person did that make me? A pretty fucked up one if I was being honest with myself.

Luckily for Bella and me Jake had no problem talking for all three of us. When you got that boy on a subject he was passionate about there was no stopping him.

Bella looked a little lost when he started talking about his car and everything he had been working on in his shop, but I was all ears. After all I knew a thing or two about cars thanks to him. In fact, he was the one who helped me fix up my baby.

He talked about his friends, school and anything else he could think of to pass the time. More importantly however, he was coming up with things to talk about so Bella and I wouldn't have to talk about our lives and what we had been up to this past year.

Jake may be young, but he wasn't stupid. I think it was pretty obvious the effect their leaving had on us.

Fuck all you had to do was begin to say their names and Bella would tense and I'd start to throw some emotional tantrum.

We spent a good four hours at the house, sitting around the little kitchen that I remembered so fondly from when I was kid.

"I remember this one time I was chasing Eve around the kitchen and I tripped her…. She so totally fell and split her lip right there." Jake recounted some random memory to Bella who just smiled at him. I wasn't sure if it made her uncomfortable knowing that he and I grew up together, while the two of them had only been friends a little while.

It shouldn't, but who could tell with my sister anymore.

As it started getting dark out we decided it'd be best for the two of us to be heading back home.

Jake walked us outside, one arm wrapped around each of us securely.

"She's looking good." He inspected my car once we reached it. "You still taking good care of the baby?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes Jake, I wouldn't let all your hard work go to waste."

"Good," His eyes scanned over my black Mustang once more before facing the two of us. "So am I to expect you ladies waiting for me every day now?"

"Maybe, I'll call you tomorrow?" I asked, silently hoping that he wouldn't be freaked out by the two of us being at his house every day from now on.

"Sounds good to me, I'm sure I can think of something for the three of us to do around here. It was so fucking good to see you again Eve." Jake's arms were around me in a blink, crushing me against him for a few seconds before he pulled away.

"Yea you too," I shook my head, slowly making my way into the car.

"I'm really glad you came too Bella." I watched the interaction between Jake and Bella and the way he spoke and treated her.

She didn't say much, but that didn't seem to be an issue for Jake. He hugged her tightly too, Bella's arms barely hugging him back.

There was something, something I couldn't put my finger on as I watched them. Whatever it was, however, caused a little pang of sadness to radiate throughout my body.

Once Bella was finally in the car I slowly pulled away from the house, waving before we headed back home.

"Did you have a good time?" I hedged once we were on the main road headed back to the house.

Bella shrugged, staring out the window. "It was okay."

"I know you and Jake aren't that close, but he's a really sweet guy Bells."

"Oh, I know he is." Her lips twisted for a split second. "But I'm not sure I can keep going over there every day with you Eve."

I frowned, tightening my grip a bit on the steering wheel. "And why not, you got something else to do with your time?"

Oh, fuck. That was the completely wrong thing to tell my sister. She couldn't handle that shit right now.

"That's not what I meant Eve." She spoke softly. "It's just… I don't want to seem like the third wheel. I know you and Jacob have been friends since you were kids. Maybe he just wants to see you?"

Yea fucking right, did she not see the way he was looking at her?

Jake may be my best friend, but his eyes were definitely on the other Swan sister this afternoon.

Oh, I guess that's where that dull pang came from.

No, that wasn't true.

It couldn't be that.

"I'm going to overlook that moment of insanity and pretend I didn't hear you say that."

She turned quickly, quirking an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"I can tell you right now that you won't be the third wheel. Jake doesn't treat people like that. He cares about you just as much as he does me." If not more by the looks of things…

"I just don't know."

I knew there was no point in continuing this conversation. One of the few things Bella and I had in common was the fact that we were both stubborn, something we inherited from our father.

So I dropped it and started some pointless conversation about school.

Bella seemed to know what I was doing and went along with it.

We pulled up to the house at the same time dad. He didn't look too pleased when he saw us.

"Shit," I grumbled, grabbing my things and getting out of the car quickly.

My dad was a pretty laid back guy, but he certainly had his moments.

I shook my head as images of how he looked when he finally came to realize just what all happened between us girls and the Cullens.

I'm pretty sure if they weren't immortal and long gone, Jasper and Edward would've been dead and gone.

"Why are you just now getting home?" His eyes narrowed as Bella and I followed him into the house.

The tone in his voice was frustrated, but there was something in his eyes that seemed a bit eager to hear where we had been. At this point I think dad would settle for us getting into some kind of trouble, so long as it was legal of course.

"We went to see Jake, dad." I plopped on the couch, tossing my bag to the ground.

He stopped, turning to look at the two of us in disbelief. "Jacob? You went to see Jacob? Oh girls this is great." He broke out in one of his famous Charlie Swan grins. "Did… did you two have a good time?"

I shrugged. "It was nice to see him again. I hadn't realized how much I missed being in that house."

He nodded, scratching his chin in thought. "This will be good for you girls, I can feel it."

"I'm going to start making dinner." Bella made a quick exit out of the living room and into her former haven of the kitchen.

I say former because she hardly eats anything anymore, so all her efforts usually go down the drain. I'm not better, but at least I put forth some kind of effort.

I may be in the fucking hole, but I'm not as far gone as my sister.

"I take it she didn't have a good time?" Dad watched Bella, frowning when he only saw a shadow of her former self.

"Dad," I leaned forward and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm going to try and make Bella better okay? Maybe between me and Jake, we'll do her some good. I mean, I know I'm still fucked, but I'm going to try okay?"

"Baby girl," He placed his other hand on top of ours and looked at me. "I know you want to help Bells just as much as I want her to get better, but you really need to focus on making yourself better."

"Dad, you and I both know that I'm in a bit better position than Bells is right now."

"Are… are you still taking those pills?" His voice dropped slightly, not wanting Bella to hear him.

"Yea, I'm still taking them." I reassured him, but failed to mention that they weren't exactly helping me all that much.

"Good, I just want my girls to start feeling better. You're strong Eve, so I know you'll be able to help your sister."

I knew my dad was just trying to be nice, but it didn't stop that annoying pang to shoot through me again.

"Yea dad, it's my job to take care of Bella, I know." I stood up, walking away from him and heading towards the kitchen to help said sister. She was already boiling water and was pulling things out from the fridge to make a salad.

"Need some help?" I offered, coming up to stand beside her.

She merely shrugged, handing me things. Bella had always had this thing about people helping her. She always tried to be the independent one and do things on her own.

That was before Edward came into her life though.

Their relationship always struck me as a bit dependent on Bella's part and I never liked how controlling Edward was. Oh sure everyone else played it off as love, but I saw it first-hand. He said jump and she'd say how high.

Oh she tried to hold her own, but she was no match for the beautiful vampire.

And I wasn't any better.

I was pretty fucking hooked on Jasper that much I couldn't deny, but he never treated me the way Edward treated my sister.

Jasper never crawled through my window at night or waited for me in front of my house like a puppy. Jasper knew a thing or two about personal space and didn't hover and judge my every move.

What the hell does that matter now?

Right, it didn't.

Everything he ever did, that he ever told me, none of it mattered anymore.

He was gone.

He was never coming back.

Bella and I silently worked together in the kitchen making a meal that dad would eat the bulk of anyways.

When I said I was doing better than Bella in the eating department it was only by a minute stretch. Sometimes I couldn't even look at food without getting sick.

After Bella's pasta and my salad combo was done we sat around the table, the two of us picking at our plates while dad desperately tried to have another conversation with us.

Try as he may he didn't really succeed all that well.

Instead he dropped it and started reading the newspaper.

This wasn't the way our family was supposed to be acting. It wasn't the way we behaved normally.

But those days were long gone now.

I don't know if anything about Bella and me would ever be normal again.

After we all ate dad retreated to his favorite chair and soon the sounds of the sports channel flowed from the living room.

He would spend the remainder of his evening there until he ultimately fell asleep.

No words were needed as I helped Bella clean up the kitchen before making my way upstairs to my room. Bella did the same, shutting her door slowly behind her.

I honestly had no idea what she did in her room all night, but it wasn't really my business what she did. If Edward hadn't taken away every 'reminder' of him I'm almost certain she would spend her evening staring at his picture or listening to that damn lullaby.

Bells hadn't been as sneaky as I had been so she had no hidden treasure left over from the 'good days.'

It was only eight, but I was beyond tired and wanted nothing more than to just curl up in my bed and sleep the night and most of tomorrow away. I didn't have much to do this weekend and if Jake decided that he didn't want to see us I had to some sort of back up plan.

Sleep was my only alternative I suppose.

Fuck, I really needed to get a life.

I didn't even bother changing out of my clothes I was that exhausted. I unzipped and kicked off my boots, tossing them and hitting my dresser on their way down.

Climbing into the bed I turned the light off, the moonlight spilling inside, and crawled underneath the blankets.

As soon as my head hit that pillow I was out. I barely remembered closing my eyes before darkness clouded over every sense and muscle in my body and I drifted off into a deep sleep…

"Is this really what you want?"

"Yes," I grabbed his hand. "I only want you."

His laughed, pushing me away from him. "Well I don't want you Evelyn, I never did."

"Jasper please don't leave me this way." I tried to stand up, but I was too weak. Reaching up I could feel something thick and hot on the side of my neck.

My stomach clenched when I realized that it was blood seeping out from where he had bitten me.

"You…you fucking bit me and you're just going to leave me here!" I didn't feel fire spreading through my body so I knew there was no venom in my system, but I didn't know which was worse.

If there was no venom and he was leaving me here weak on the cold floor then I was going to die slowly and painfully.

"Of course dear Evelyn, you told me to bite you after all. I never agreed to change you and draining you would be a bit cruel, even for me. So you will die slowly I assure you."

"But," I choked out. "Why? Why would you do this to me?"

His lips twisted again as he came back over to me, pulling me up roughly and crashing his lips to mine. I didn't kiss him back, but he didn't seem to care.

His lips moved from mine and down to my neck. I gripped onto his shoulders as tight as I could when I felt him lick some of the blood that had dripped down my neck.

"It would be such a shame to let this blood go to waste, especially since it tastes so fucking sweet." He swiped over my neck again, his grip tightening around me. "The plan wasn't to kill you girls, but surely they wouldn't be mad if I just killed you. It would make things a hell of lot easier."

"Where's Bella?" I grew frantic, trying to move away from him but it was to no avail.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it darlin', she's being drained; I'm sure at this very moment as well. Edward can't resist her blood either, so she's probably already cold and dead on the floor somewhere."

"Answer my fucking question!" I pushed against him again, but he only held me tighter. "Why are you doing this?"

"It was a mistake to ever get involved with you Evelyn. I was too consumed by my need for your blood that I fooled myself into believing that I loved you. I could never truly love you though. We come from two different worlds and we could never exist together."

His words destroyed me. Everything he had ever promised me, it all had been a lie.

I had nothing left now.

I loosened my hold on his shoulders his smile growing wider when he realized that I was giving into him.

"There's my girl, always giving in so easily."

I didn't respond to him, there was no need to anymore.

He had me, he was going to take me, what other choice did I have? I could never outrun him, no matter how badly I wanted to live.

"I fucking hate you." I whimpered as I felt his teeth sink into the side of my neck again, but this time he didn't pull away from me.

For so long I thought that this had been what I wanted.

I had been so fucking wrong.

"It's all on you Evelyn, this is your fault…. All your fault."

My fault, the last words I heard before things went dark.

I had lost. Everything I loved would be gone forever.

My eyes slid shut as Jasper's teeth sank into me further as my life was literally sucked away….

I shot up quickly in my bed, clutching my hand over my chest tightly as my breath came out in short pants.

"Mother fuck," I squeaked out, running my hands through my hair and pushing it away from my sweaty forehead.

I stumbled out of the bed, glancing at the alarm clock to see that it was little past two in the morning, and made my way towards my bathroom.

Once there I turned the light on, wincing as the bright light flooded the small room as I turned on the shower. I was waiting for the water to get as hot as I could possibly stand before stripping quickly and stepping inside.

The emotions that should've hit me in the private confines of my shower never emerged and I stood there for a good twenty minutes, just letting the hot water wash over me as I prayed desperately for the visions in my head to go away.

In all the months since they left I had never had a nightmare about Jasper or any of the other Cullen's for that matter and now, when I try to make some attempt to get better, he decides to start haunting my fucking dreams?

Talk about bad fucking timing.

My hands shook as I washed my hair and body, eventually getting out as the water started to run cold.

Wrapping a towel around me; I padded back out to the bedroom after brushing my hair to find some pajamas to change into. I purposely avoided looking at that bottom drawer, knowing exactly what was in there.

I knew it'd probably be best to get rid of the damn picture, but I didn't possess the strength to do such a thing.

As much as attempting to move on would be the good thing, parting with that picture would be like killing a part of me.

Yes, I was officially losing my mind if I thought getting rid of a picture would be so life shattering.

"Mother fucker," I groaned grabbing an old sweatshirt and shorts; slipping them on slowly. "You can never leave me alone can you?"

I knew I was talking to no one and there was no way Jasper would ever hear my hateful and desperate pleas to him, but it felt good none the less.

I was making my way back to the bed when I heard it.

Though it had been months of the same old thing, tonight it scared the shit out of me.

Bella's shrieks were nothing new, but I found my heart racing when I heard them the second time. So much so that I practically tripped over my own two feet as I tried to get to her as fast as I could.

I swung the door open just as dad came up the stairs, rubbing his hand over his face.

"I can handle it dad, it's okay." I held a hand up to him, stopping him from coming any closer. I knew he hated seeing Bella right after she had her nightmares and I couldn't blame him.

Though I had become somewhat numb to the things around me the images of my sister crying and so desolate made my heart clench every night.

Charlie nodded, making his way back downstairs. He would never admit it, but I knew it killed him to be upstairs during one of Bella's episodes.

I didn't think sleeping downstairs was any better, but if it brought him some kind of peace then I wasn't going to hate him for it.

Hell if I was in his shoes I would've sent Bella and I to the psych hospital a long time ago.

No father should ever have to see his kids walk around like a pair of fucking zombies.

I was trying, dear God I was trying, but I wasn't a miracle worker.

How could I when I was in desperate need of a miracle myself?

Opening the door and walking into Bella's dark room was like walking into her personal hell. I crossed the room quickly, kneeling on the edge of the bed as Bella thrashed about.

I always had to be careful when I approached her. She was liable to give me a black eye if I touched her the wrong way.

"Bells," I whispered, gently touching her shoulder. "Bella, baby wake up." I gave her a gentle shake.

She screamed louder, her eyes snapping open at the sound of my voice.

"Eve!" She cried, flinging her arms around me, almost knocking me off the bed. "Oh God Eve…" She sobbed, clinging onto me tighter. "You…me…it was awful!"

What the hell? "Bells, sweetie, tell me what happened." I pulled her off of me for a moment, pulling away the tangled blankets and leaning back against the headboard.

Bella didn't say anything at first, but rather she crawled up next to me and stared at me with a terrified look.

It was scaring me. She normally wasn't this upset after her nightmares.

"Bells," I hedged. "Tell me."

Taking a deep breath, her voice broke as she told me about her dream. "You were in my dream Eve. God it was so real. Edward was killing me and he was telling me that… that Jasper was doing the same to you. That he… that he was off somewhere killing you and there was nothing I could do about it."

My eyes doubled in size. How in God's name could it be that we were having the exact same nightmare? There was no fucking way. Unless someone was out there infiltrating our dreams, but even then who'd be doing that?

As stupid as it was, I allowed my mind to go down that path thinking that maybe they were closer than Bella and I thought.

Could it be? Could vampires even do that kind of shit?

Dear God I really hope not. If that was the case, we were both shit out of luck because that'd mean we weren't going to get any better.

"I didn't even care that Edward was killing me Eve." Bella's voice brought me back to my cruel reality. "Once he said that you were in danger all I could think about was how this was my fault and how I would never get to see you again. I… I can't even imagine life without you. You're my sister, I need you Eve." She started sobbing all over again and I did the only thing I knew would calm her down.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in tighter to me and rocked her as she sobbed against me. Her tears were wetting my sweatshirt, but I didn't care.

My sister needed me. She needed to know I wasn't going anywhere and that I wasn't leaving her.

"Shh sweetie, I'm not going anywhere. I promise you Bells." I spent a good ten minutes calming her down until her sobs ultimately turned into sporadic sniffles.

"Will…will you stay with me?" she whispered, I cringed at how small and weak she sounded. "I don't think I can handle it tonight on my own Eve."

I nodded, leaning over to grab the scattered blankets and waited for her to lay down and get situated before doing the same.

Bella and I used to do this all the time when we were kids. When we only saw each other a few times a year growing up, we made sure to spend as much time together as possible.

We had this innate bond; me being the one who always wanted to protect my sister and take care of her.

And that's exactly what I was doing right now.

I lay on my side while Bella did the same.

"You look tired Eve," Bella noted, her lips twisting into a frown.

"I'm fine." I lied. I was still shaken up by that nightmare. I knew I should tell her, but I didn't want to upset her even more.

"Are you sure?" She seemed hesitant. Bella had never been one to deal with things like this well.

"I just had a bad dream, that's all." I slid my eyes closed, but the tears still spilled over.

Great, just fucking great

The emotions were finally kicking in and they couldn't come at a worst time.

I was supposed to be the strong one. I was only supposed to break in the confines of my bedroom, not now in front of my sister.

"Oh Eve," I felt Bella's hand on my cheek, brushing away some of my tears. "I wish I could help you." She sighed softly. "But I… I can't even help myself right now."

And that proved my fucking point.

Bella wasn't strong enough to handle herself let alone try and help me.

I didn't need help.

I just wanted to make my sister better.

She curled in closer to me and started drifting off right away. "I love you Eve."

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Bells. Rest, things will be better in the morning."

I knew that was a lie, but I had to give her some sort of comfort and that was all I was capable of.

It was so hard, especially after having that damn nightmare, to find some kind of light in this shitty situation.

I really hoped that seeing Jake would prove to be something good for me and my sister, but by from the looks of things Jasper and Edward weren't ready to let us go.

That or we weren't ready to let them go.

I'm guessing it'd be safe to assume the latter, being as they were still lurking in our minds.

Not only that they were fucking haunting our dreams.

I wasn't sure if either of us had the strength to move on, but I sure as hell wasn't going to give up without a fight.

I'd love to know what you guys thought & I promise not to keep you all waiting as long for the next chapter.