Chapter 5- Control
Edward's Point of View

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The howls that had once been erupting from Jasper at an irrepressible rate had now subsided to a low growl. He was regaining control of his thoughts, emotions, and his mind. I could breathe easy now.

I pulled the stolen car over once I was sure that there was no one around for at least a couple miles and opened my door.

What…what have I done? Jasper asked himself.

Alice sat beside him, her arms wrapped tightly around him, still. But unlike before, she left them there for the purpose of trying to comfort rather then restrain him. She was trying her best to soothe him, now. She did not want him feeling like this.

"Alice…" Jasper murmured. "I'm...I'm so sorry"

"It's okay, Jazz, everything is okay," She whispered reassuringly into his chest, having not moved an inch.

I knew that once Jasper regained complete control of himself, that he would be very upset. How upset, however, I did not know. His mind may be open to me, but his decisions are as indefinite to me as they are to him until he actually decides upon them.

I got out of the car and took a few steps into the forest surrounding the tiny road. I took out my cell phone and held down the speed dial button.

It read: Bella.

She answered on the second ring.

"Bella?" I asked as I heard the other end answer.

"Edward!" She gasped, her voice lathered in relief. "What happened? Is everyone okay? Did you get hurt? Is Jasper--?"

"Everything is fine, Bella," I stated reassuringly, my tone edging towards patronizing at her worry. I had told her not to worry, but her, being Bella, had worried. It was just one of the many things I loved about her. "Are you okay?"

I had felt very anxious about leaving Bella in a café, alone. With her bad luck, anything was possible.

"Yeah." She sighed in relief. "I'm fine."

"I love you," I whispered quietly. " I'm sorry you had to go through that"

"I'm fine, Edward, honestly," she said, her voice unconvincing. "… I love you, too. But are you sure everything is okay, Edward? I mean, if something happened to Alice or you or someone in that store…I... I just don't know what--"

"Bella," I sighed out. "Please, please, please stop worrying about us. We're all fine. I promise."

"... Well, okay," she responded. "I trust you."

I smiled at that. "Stay right where you are, Bella. I'll be there to pick you up in ten minutes."

"I'll be waiting."

I pressed the end button and heaved a huge sigh before pressing another button and bringing the receiver back to my ear.

"Carlisle," I said, my voice taking on a smoother, emotionless tone. A perfect poker facade.

"Edward?" He asked, his voice lathered in concern. "What happened?"

Of course. Carlisle was not one to be easily fooled by my seemingly perfect mask.

My words began to melt into one another, completely incomprehensible to the human ear as I rushed to explain the events and our situation.

"Can you come pick Alice and Jasper up?" I asked after I had finished summarizing the events to date.

"Of course. I'll be there shortly."

I shut the phone, placed it in my jacket pocket, and walked back towards the car. Jasper and Alice were leaning against the hood of the car, their hands intertwined. Jasper's face expressed a range of emotions, one of the more prominent ones being guilt. As I neared them, they looked up.

"Edward I-," Jasper began.

I raised a hand to cut him off.

"We'll talk later, Jasper," I stated, keeping my voice in control despite the anger I felt. I desperately wanted lash out at him and Alice -- both of them were at fault. Perhaps even I was at fault, having not sent Jasper home when I knew he was struggling. "Carlisle is on his way to pick you both up"

"I suggest you go hunting," I said, unable to mask some of the bitterness I felt towards my newest brother.

Alice shot me a bitter look of her own.

Leave him alone, Edward. You of all people know just how badly he feels right now.

"I'll see you later," I blatantly told them both, not responding to Alice. I did know how he felt, and yet I found that my anger was not contained in the least bit. I was engaged to a human -- my singer, no less, and yet I could control myself. If things got too hard for us, I did the smart thing and left or backed away. Jasper knew what he was putting at risk the entire time.

I walked quickly to the driver's side and slid into the seat. I was nearly shaking with rage as I turned the car around and sped back towards the highway.

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Author's Note: I finished that very quickly, to my surprise. (Thank you, Meg, for editing!)
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Next chapter, coming soon!