A/N I want to thank everyone for reviewing and adding my story. I am truly humbled by it!

I also want to thank abbymickey24 for pimping me out and for talking me down from my freak out! ;D She is really a gifted writer and I'm thrilled that she reads my stories…even the sad ones! lol

Previously

A hush descended on the crowd, shock being the single emotion I could feel. I didn't care what they thought; I only knew that I needed to get to Bella. The vampire stared at me with his mouth hanging open. He quickly shook it off and yelled, "We've got a winner!"

As I got closer to the stage, I noticed Bella sinking to her knees, covering her face with her hands. All the emotions I felt from her earlier were slamming into me again. When I reached her, I pushed the vampire out of the way and placed my jacket around her shoulders. I felt gratitude along with her other emotions as she raised her face to mine. I saw her eyes widen in amazement as she stared into mine.

"Angel?" she whispered before her eyes rolled back into her head. I reached out and gathered her in my arms before she could hit the floor. Angel?

Angel? I knew that Bella and I had never spent any time together, but I figured she would've recognized me. Angel? I am about as far from an angel as a being can get. I looked behind me and noticed that Peter and Charlotte were still sitting in their seats, although he had to hold her there. Marcus was following behind me, making me wonder why he was so interested in Bella. These thoughts ran through my head as I carried her down a dark hallway.

Suddenly the piece of shit that auctioned Bella off cut in front of me. He stood with his arms crossed against his chest. I could feel his arrogance with a tinge of fear underneath. "Hey! What about my money?"

Shit! I had forgotten about the $100,000 I had offered. Sure…I had millions stashed in banks all over the world, but I didn't have nearly that amount on me. I turned my head and glanced at Marcus. I smiled when he nodded his head.

"I'll take care of it James," he answered. He looked at the vampire and narrowed his eyes. I had to laugh when all I felt was fear. James knew I was laughing at him and I heard a low growl coming from him.

"Four hours," he snarled at me, "that's all you get. Don't forget…she belongs to me. She's my whore."

In a flash, I passed Bella to Marcus and had James pushed up against the wall, my hand wrapped around his neck. "Listen Dick! I paid good money for some quality time with the human and that's what I'm going to get! I'll bring her back when I'm done with her. Is that understood?" I was beyond pissed, but I knew I had to stay in control. This pile of shit had taken an innocent girl and turned her life into a nightmare. I wanted to give him a beat down and tear him apart, but managed to keep myself in check. I had to pretend I didn't know who Bella was.

I tossed him to the side and turned back to Marcus, taking Bella back into my arms. "Thank you, Marcus. I'll pay you back."

Marcus nodded his head and glanced down to Bella's face. "Don't worry about it right now, Jasper. Just do what you need to do and remember that you have my full support." He looked at James and spoke in a menacing voice, "Come on, James. I'll get you your money."

I still couldn't figure out why Marcus was helping Bella, but decided it didn't matter. I needed to know how James got his hands on Bella. I carried her out the back door and then noticed my problem. I had ridden my bike and knew there was no way Bella could ride with me. I was afraid that she would wake up on the way and freak out.

It was then a limo pulled up to me and the chauffeur stepped out. He opened the back door and motioned for me to enter. "Mr. Volturi told me to take you wherever you needed to go. Your friends will take care of your Harley."

It suddenly dawned on me that Peter knew something like this was going to happen. That was the reason why Charlotte rode with him instead of riding her own bike. It pissed me off that Marcus and Peter knew what was going on, but neither one thought to let me in on it. I would get to the bottom of that later, but now I needed to get Bella back to my house. I realized that I was still standing outside the limo looking like a tool so I gave the chauffeur a nod and slid in, still holding Bella in my arms.

As I stared down into her face, the past came rushing back to me. My mind replayed the night of her birthday party and I felt my anger building. Bella stirred in my arms and I knew I needed to get a grip on my emotions. I didn't want her to wake up before we got home so I sent her some lethargy to keep her out of it.

Before I knew it, we were pulling up my driveway. I looked out the window and saw Peter and Charlotte standing in the doorway. The chauffeur opened my door and I stepped out into the night. "Thanks for the ride," I told him and turned toward my house. Peter and Charlotte stepped back to let me pass and I carried Bella to the living room. I laid her down on the couch and felt the couple standing behind me.

"Major, look at the track marks on her arms. This girl's been using," Peter whispered before I could cover her with my jacket.

My eyes were drawn to the many scars littering Bella's body. I could feel the anger building back up when I thought about how her body had been used. I looked into Peter's eyes and saw the sorrow that was there. It was one thing to be a vampire and receive bite marks, but Bella was a human…I shared his sorrow.

Charlotte gently took the jacket from my hands and covered Bella with it. She turned to me, hatred in her crimson eyes. "Jasper, we're not taking her back. I'll fight every motherfucking vampire out there if I have to."

Peter put his arm around his wife and pulled her to him. "I have to agree with Char, Major. It's only a matter of time before someone slips up and drains her dry."

I sat on the couch next to Bella, running the back of my hand down her cheek. I didn't want to imagine what she had gone through, but the scars and track marks told the story. I was pulled between wanting her to wake up so she could tell me what the hell had happened to her and wanting her to stay unconscious, so I didn't have to know. One thing I was sure of was that it was our fault, my fault, that she was in the position she was in. I was going to make it my responsibility to keep her safe.

I looked into my true family's faces and knew what I had to do. "When she wakes up, I'm going to talk to her. I'll let her know that she can stay here with us and that we will protect her." I could feel her slowly regaining consciousness so I motioned for Peter and Charlotte to leave. I already knew she was going to freak out when she woke up and I didn't want her more alarmed faced with two crimson-eyed vampires. I sat in a chair in the corner of the room and waited.

I could feel my body tense up when Bella's emotions began to hit me. First it was confusion, then it was shock and then humiliation hit me full force. My hands gripped the arms of the chair so hard I could feel the wood splintering. When reality hit her, she covered her face and began crying. I felt a pain where my dead heart lay.

I got up and walked slowly to her. "Bella?" I could feel her embarrassment and it just made my guilt build. "Bella, please look at me…" My voice had dropped to a whisper. She still wouldn't look at me so I gently moved her hands and tilted her head back. I knelt down in front of her and sent her waves of calm.

Bella finally opened her eyes and looked at me. "Jasper, what are you doing here? Are the others with you?" I could hear the apprehension in her voice and knew my answer would help her with this emotion.

I shook my head, knowing this was what she wanted to hear. I would explain everything to her, but I needed to know her story first. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours." I waited for a response, but all I got was a blank look from her brown eyes. I sighed, "To answer your first question, I need to answer the second one first. No, the others aren't with me; I'm not with the family anymore."

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. I knew this would shock her. All she had ever seen was happy couples living a happy life in a happy family. "Alice is ok, isn't she?" she asked me, her voice a whisper.

I let out a deep, un-needed breath. There was one thing that I had to do before I told her the story. "Bella, before I get started on that story, I just want to apologize for what happened on your birthday."

Before I could get any further, Bella interrupted me. "Jasper, there's nothing to apologize for. I know you weren't going to attack me."

It was my turn to be in shock. "W-what?" For the first time in my vampire life, I stuttered. This slip of a girl, a human girl no less, made the most feared vampire stutter.

Bella took my hands in hers and we stared into each other's eyes. I could feel her determination as she spoke the words I'd longed to hear. "I knew then, just like I know now, that you weren't the one that wanted to drain me. I saw his eyes turn black right before you jumped at him. I never blamed him for his bloodlust either. It was a chance I took every time I was around you guys. It's just what you are."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. For so long I had wanted someone to believe in me, someone who didn't doubt me or my control. It absolutely floored me that everything I had wished for came from a human. I could see it in her eyes, and feel it in her emotions, that she was telling the truth. She honestly didn't blame me and knew that it was Edward who was actually losing control that night.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn't realize I had stood and started pacing until I heard her gentle voice. "Jasper?"

I sat back down next to her and turned to face her. I had to tell her how much her words meant to me. "Bella, I've waited so long for someone to believe what really happened." I stopped and thought about that fateful night, the night that changed everything. "Sometimes I doubt myself and think that maybe I was going to attack you, it all happened so fast. You don't know how much it means to me to hear that you didn't blame me."

I stared into her dark brown eyes, watching as different emotions coursed through them. "Jasper? What happened?" she asked, with apprehension in her voice.

I thought about Edward and Alice, how they had planned her birthday party even against her wishes. That was how it always went…the family did whatever the two 'gifted' ones said, no questions asked. I leaned back into the couch and closed my eyes. The memories were painful and I dreaded reliving them, but I knew I would never lie to Bella. I would never treat her the way Edward and Alice did, acting like they knew what was best. I took a deep breath and dove in. "The week before your party, I could feel annoyance rolling off of you every time anyone mentioned your birthday. I knew you didn't want the party and tried to talk Alice out of it. Of course, Alice being Alice thought that turning 18 was a rite of passage that should be celebrated and Edward agreed. I knew it was a mistake, but couldn't convince anyone of it."

I opened my eyes and glanced at her. She nodded her head, as if to tell me to continue. "When you walked down the stairs, I felt happiness, love, indifference and apprehension in the room. I figured the indifference was from Rose," I had to smile when I heard her snort, "yeah…well, I knew the apprehension was from you. I was prepared to send you calming vibes if you needed them, but you seemed to be handling everything ok. I was having a good time; I always did when you were nearby. Your emotions were always so honest and true, I enjoyed soaking them up. Not once, while I was around you, did I ever feel the bloodlust."

I looked at Bella and noticed the shock in her eyes. "Edward always acted like you were going to drain me the first chance you got! Why would he do that? Why wouldn't he let us be friends?" She shook her head. "I just don't understand."

I could only shrug my shoulders. Those were some questions I didn't have the answer for. "Bella, I don't know what was running through his mind, but I do know how he felt about me. I was always portrayed as the loose cannon in the family, but honestly? I was the most stable next to Carlisle and even then, he didn't have all the right answers. He ruled from his heart and not his head, whereas I looked at things from all angles and decided on the most logical."

"Anyway," I continued, wanting to get my story over with so I could hear hers. "When you opened that envelope and got that paper cut, I could feel bloodlust coming from someone in the room. It took me a few seconds before I narrowed it down to Edward. I was lunging at him, to get him away from you. Possessiveness was radiating off of him. I should've hollered for Emmett to grab him, but I thought I could reach him first. That was when he threw you against the table. I'm not for sure what happened after that because Emmett and Rose grabbed a hold of me and drug me outside. I tried to explain to them that you still weren't safe, but unfortunately they believed the worst of me."

Bella interrupted him, "I tried telling them that it wasn't your fault, but after Carlisle sewed me up, Edward took me home."

"Well, he must've made up his mind to leave on the way home because when he arrived, he told the rest of the family that they were moving. Once again, I tried to explain what had happened but Edward kept saying that we had to leave, that we were a danger to you." I snuck a peek over at Bella just in time to see her roll her eyes. I had to keep myself from smiling. "I told them that we couldn't just leave you unprotected, but it fell on deaf ears. Even Emmett sided with me. Unfortunately, we were outvoted. I was angrier than I had been in years. I just couldn't believe that they would just up and leave, especially just because Edward ordered it. They headed east and I headed north."

I could feel anger coming off of Bella. So much in fact, I expected to see puffs of smoke coming out of her ears. "So, not only did they fuck me over, you got screwed too," She laughed harshly and once again I had to wonder what had happened to her after we all left. "I'm not the same innocent little girl that would blindly follow Edward and Alice, Jasper."

"I can see that, Bella. Now, do you want to tell me how James found you?" I asked. I took her hand in mine and gently squeezed it.

"It's not a very nice story, Jasper," I didn't say anything, but ran my thumbs in circles on her hand. "Did Edward ever tell you guys how he broke up with me?" I shook my head. I knew this was the beginning of her nightmare and tried to brace myself. "I didn't figure he'd have the balls to. Well, after the party I noticed that he was pulling away from me. He would just drop me off after school and not even stay the night. I thought he felt bad over what had happened and hoped he would get over it. I knew he could be overly dramatic, but nothing prepared me for what would occur." She sat back on the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest. She pulled her hand out of mine and wrapped her arms around her legs.

As Bella told her story, I could hear my family's growls which matched my own. I couldn't believe that this little sweet and innocent young lady had been put through so much hell. What made it even more horrifying was the fact that I couldn't feel any emotions coming from her…nothing. She told her story in a monotone voice, as if it were something of no consequence.

I could hear scuffling in the back room and knew Peter was having to hold Char back from bursting into the room. "I'm going to tear him limb for limb and dance around his pyre!" Char was ready to tear James a new one, but she would have to stand in line. I wanted first dibs on him.

Paul was going to be next. The wolves from La Push were supposed to protect humans from our kind, not hand them over like a feast on a platter. Not only did he betray Bella, but he also killed his leader. I think that's what pissed me off most about him…that he could go against his pack and kill his Alpha. How he managed to do that I'll never know. He'll never get the chance to explain.

Next on my list was going to be Edward. That motherfucker would pay for abandoning Bella. Leaving her to fend for herself in a world of mythical creatures was abhorrent, just because he was too big of a pussy to change her. He should've been there to protect her since he was the one that brought her into our world. The way he had broken it off with her was royally fucked up too. Not only did he leave her in the woods alone, he had reinforced her feeling of unworthiness, of not being good enough.

I recalled all the scars covering her young body, all evidence of how she had suffered. I knew that James had let other vampires drink her blood to intensify their orgasm, but he had also got her hooked on drugs to control her. He had turned her into a drugged-out sippy cup.

My thoughts were interrupted by a gentle caress across my arm. "Jasper? Are you ok?" I could hear the fear in her soft voice and knew my eyes had turned black. I closed my eyes and swallowed the venom my rage had produced. When I felt I was back in control I turned to her. I wanted to pull her onto my lap and put my arms around her to comfort her, but was afraid of her reaction.

"Bella, you don't know how sorry I am that you've had to go through this. But I'll tell you this, it can all end tonight. You can stay here with me." When I saw her eyes widen in alarm, I quickly added, "I've got more than enough room. You can take your pick of all the bedrooms."

I was shocked when I saw Bella shake her head. "Jasper, I really appreciate the offer, but I need to go back." She had that blank look on her face again. "You don't know the fuckery my life has become. I don't need to go back, I have to go back. James is having Charlie watched and if he gets the idea I'm not coming back, he'll kill him. I'm not going to let that happen."

"Bella, you can't expect me to take you back to that hell-hole. I'm sorry but I can't do it." I was flabbergasted that she would even entertain the idea. No way in hell was I handing her back over to that sadistic bastard. No way in hell!

Bella glared at me. "Listen to me Jasper and listen good. I will be returning to James, whether you give me a ride or not. It's my fault that Charlie's in the danger he is and I will not risk anything happening to him. Do you fucking hear me?"

"But Bella, James…" I started.

Bella sank back into the couch and took a deep breath. "Look, I really appreciate the fact that you want to help me, truly I do. But this is my choice and I need you to respect that." She chuckled humorlessly. "Don't worry about James killing me. He won't. Like he's told me a million times, I'm too valuable to him." Bella stood up and let my jacket fall to the ground. "I know you paid good money for me, Jasper. Let's just get this over with so I can go back home."

I was speechless as I watched Bella start to remove her dress. She looked so mechanical, like she had done this a million times. Once again, I couldn't feel any emotions coming off of her. I reached out to stop her. "Bella, this is not why I did it. I would've given James even more money if it meant that I could keep you safe."

"Well Jasper, I'm sorry you wasted your money," she whispered. "You shouldn't have…I'm not worth it."

I could feel my anger about to spew over. This is what Edward had done to her. This is what James was doing to her. Making her feel like she wasn't worth more than a fuck. I knew I had to get the hell out of there before I did or said something I would regret later. Charlotte and Peter would be here to watch over Bella while I got my shit together.

I ran out the back door, headed for the woods behind my house. I wanted to head straight for James, but had to consider the fact that he had someone watching Charlie. I was sure that word would get back to whoever that was that James had been attacked, ensuring Charlie's death. I needed to have a powwow with Peter and Charlotte. We needed to formulate a plan to free Bella.

In my mind, I made my hit list.

James

Paul

Edward

One day, in that order…

A/N well…what did you think? I know I'm going to get a lot of flak for sending Bella back to James, but never fear…for once I have a plan! Lol

Please review…