A/N: Who's proud of how fast I'm being at updating? ... *looks around* ... So, just me then? That's okay-I'm proud enough for all of us.

I have big hugs for all those who alerted, favourited, and reviewed me. You get big sloppy kisses. And huge props go to the gals at Project Team Beta. Without you, I'm nothing.

Who's excited about this 'book cover' picture thing we've got now? I know I am! I spent all last night photoshopping :) :)

Many of you have already guessed where this chapter is going. I apologise for the cliffie. I'm really not normally a cliffie person, I swear! But... let's get on with this show, shall we?

It began snowing at 2:46am. It only lasted until 4:31am, but that was enough. The damage had already been done. The sidewalks and roads were slick with ice by the time the Mayor woke up and ordered the plow out.

Not long after the lamp in Chief Swan's bedroom came on, my cellphone rang.

"Alice." I was still unsure exactly how to speak to her. In the last day or so, her emotions had seemed to settle down, but I didn't think she was exactly "over" what had happened between us. It would take more than a couple of days to return to normal.

"Come home, Jasper," she ordered without preamble.

"No, the roads are treacherous. I'm going to wait and drive Bella to school."

"In what?"

"I can drive her truck."

"Yeah, that will go over well," Alice muttered.

I ignored her comment and was about to hang up when she began talking again.

"I have three reasons why you should come home."

"Enlighten me," I mumbled.

"One, you can't just turn up on her doorstep. Have you even planned anything to say? You can't tell her that you walked there in a snowstorm."

I considered arguing that point. I was sure I could come up with a reason.

"Two, you look like the abominable snowman. You can't go to school like that. You need to come home and change your clothes."

I looked down, huffing. She was right on that count. I was covered in about a half inch of snow, since I hadn't moved since the snowfall had ended.

"Three, have you seen Bella's truck? Nothing will ever hurt her when she's in it. It's practically a tank. She'll be fine."

"You can never be too cautious," I objected.

"Regardless. Look down, Jasper." Her voice was smug. I took a glance down at the driveway and saw Bella's father emerge from the garage with snow chains. He headed straight for the orange contraption with a direct purpose. "See—extra protection," Alice pointed out.

"But, I..."

"Trust me. She will get to school in one piece without you. She has been through much more dangerous situations without your help before now, you know."

I growled lowly. "You know, that really doesn't make me feel better."

I watched quietly while Chief Swan attached the chains, making sure he was putting them on correctly.

"Come home," Alice repeated.

I sighed. "Fine."

"It wouldn't hurt to snag a deer or two on your way home," she suggested.

"I'll be fine until tomorrow."

"So stubborn." She sighed as I ended the call.

Glancing at the time on my phone, I decided I would be late if I hunted on the way home like Alice suggested. It wasn't like I was actually thirsty, but I promised myself to get at least a snack that night.

As it was, I had time to spare. I was ready for school early and joined Emmett out on the front steps as we waited for the girls.

"Hey, man," he grunted. "Been out doing your monkey impressions tonight?"

I raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"You know…hanging out in trees?"

"Oh, yes."

He turned towards me and curiosity was seeping from him. "Can you tell me what it's like?"

"What what is like?"

He sighed, frustrated. "Having a Pereche. What does it feel like? I mean, are you happy?"

I considered that question. Was I happy? My life had certainly been simpler before I met Bella. I had been perfectly happy with Alice. Things between us had been wonderful. Was I happier now? Perhaps being around Bella made everything seem right with the world.

"Yes, I believe I am."

He looked at me curiously. "Believe?"

"Well, there are some obvious obstacles in my life right now, but it's worth it. When I'm near her, it's like I'm suddenly the "glass half full" guy. I almost don't recognize myself. Instead of thinking about the obstacles, all I can focus on is the future. It's like I know that being with her will make me the happiest I've ever been. Just the potential of that seems to have heightened my mood exponentially."

"Does it hurt?"

I nodded. "The further I'm away from her, the more my body seems to ache. It's as if there's a pull in my chest. Something is tethering me to her."

"That doesn't sound too pleasant."

I gripped the pillar opposite of where he was leaning. "Not exactly, but it's just incentive to return to her, I guess. The relief that floods through me when I can see and smell her again is intense. In that second, you forget the discomfort you had earlier. It really is a strange feeling when you try and explain it."

"Yeah," he said smiling. "I don't get it."

"I don't expect you ever will."

"I'm okay with that. I don't want anyone but Rosie."

I sent him a sad smile. "Yeah, I know that feeling."

"If you could go back in time and stop yourself from meeting her, would you?"

I hesitated. The potential was intriguing as I'd still be happy with Alice. However, if I had never met Bella, I wouldn't feel complete. "I really don't know."

The door opened as the girls emerged. Rosalie immediately gravitated towards Emmett, and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her. I don't think they even realized that they were doing that half the time.

Alice hung back awkwardly. We glanced at each other but didn't say anything.

My siblings were frustrated the entire journey to school as I kept asking Alice to check Bella's future. I wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to crash. No matter what I did, I couldn't change their moods.

"Enough!" Rosalie snapped after the sixth time. "I'll turn this car right around and don't think I won't."

"Yes, Mom," I muttered and managed to keep my worries to myself for the remainder of the journey. Instead, I concentrated on how the pulling in my chest was dissipating somewhat as we drove.

To my relief, Bella was already parked when we pulled into the parking lot.

"Told you," Alice said softly.

I nodded my acknowledgment. "Yeah, yeah."

She darted around the car and grabbed my arm. "You didn't really think I'd lie to you about this, did you? About anything?"

"My head tells me you wouldn't," I said with a sigh. "It's not always my head that is making the decisions right now."

Her light laughter filled the air as Emmett and Rosalie stopped next to us.

"What?" Emmett chuckled. "Is Little Jasper calling the shots now?"

"No, it's not like that at all." I glanced across the lot at where Bella was inspecting her truck. It appeared that she had just noticed the chains on her tires.

"It's instinct, you pervert," Rose pointed out, slapping her husband lightly on the arm.

I left the three of them standing by the car and strode across to meet Bella.

The students around us were generally frustrated—by the annoyance that snow naturally brought with it, I guessed—or excited. I sensed that several snowball fights were in the making and gripped my notebook tighter, ready to use it as a shield if necessary.

Bella's emotions were different though. She was filled with love as she examined the tires, and I couldn't help but smile. My pace slowed unconsciously as I watched her, letting her have her little moment in what I was sure was appreciation of her father.

Suddenly, panic sprung up from two directions. The first flash of panic came from one of our classmates—Tyler, I believe his name was. He had just entered the parking lot in a mini-van and was currently skidding on a patch of black ice. He cranked the steering wheel frantically in a vain attempt to get the vehicle under control, but he wasn't able to make a difference to the trajectory without traction. He was going much too fast, and the van seemed to be spinning.

The second spike of panic came from Alice though. My head jerked around to look at her as she shook herself out of a vision. She locked eyes with me and whispered the one word that made me move.

"Bella."

I tried to keep my run to a human pace, and to not project my own fear and panic on those around me, but I was most likely unsuccessful.

All I did care about was getting to Bella in time because as soon as Alice warned me, I could see what was happening. The van was spinning still, but at its current trajectory, it was going to hit her. Hard.

Bella just noticed that there was an approaching vehicle. She was frozen to the spot when I snatched her into my arms and pulled her out of the way. We ended up between her truck and the neighbouring car as my arms locked like a vice around her quivering body. I absorbed most of the force of our landing on my side, but her shoulder hit the ground. I quickly rolled us both so she was resting on top of me. As predicted, the van hit right where Bella had been standing before sliding to the side and impacting the green Camry on the other side of us. Cradling Bella's head, I pushed off the ground with my heels, retreating another eight feet before the Camry enveloped our landing spot. The crunch of metal on metal sounded its death blow, and all was quiet. Shock echoed around us from all sides.

Bella's breath escaped her lungs in a rush, and she blinked rapidly several times. It took her several seconds to register where she was.

"Ja—Jasper?"

"I've got you." I commanded my arms to loosen their grip on her, and she turned, taking in the carnage behind us.

She gasped as she realized just how close she had come to being an insignificant part of the twisted wreckage. She turned to me with fear-filled eyes.

"It's okay," I reassured her. "Nothing will hurt you." My grip tightened protectively.

"Jasper?" she whispered.

"Mmm?"

"It's a bit too tight. You're hurting me."

I instantly dropped my arms, and she pulled back slightly to look at me.

"Ja—Jasper?" Bella stuttered. "Are you okay? Are you in pain?" She scrambled out of my lap, which caused me to growl lowly and reach out to her.

Alice approached hesitantly. "Bella? Maybe you should come with me—away from this mess."

My growls grew progressively louder as Alice led her a few yards from me onto the grass. They were now loud enough for humans to hear. Bella kept glancing at me, worriedly.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked Alice softly.

"Uh, adrenaline," Alice replied, and she began looking Bella over for injuries.

I don't know what happened, but something inside me snapped. Ensuring Bella's safety was my job, and I needed desperately to be doing it myself. I was on my feet before I could hold myself back.

When Emmett blocked my path, I growled even louder. "Man, you need to calm down. People are watching."

"No," I snarled. "Get out of my way. She's mine. Alice shouldn't be touching her."

I barely noticed the sirens of emergency vehicles in the background and the stares of other students as I pushed Emmett out of the way as if he weighed nothing. I dropped to my knees in front of Bella and ignored her weak protests that she was fine before touching each bone to check for breaks or contusions.

Behind me, I heard one of the bystanders rush to open the door of the van to assist Tyler.

"Don't breathe," Alice hissed, but she was too late. The scent of freshly-spilled blood permeated the air. Even as I kept my eyes on Bella's face, I felt my body tense, and my vision developed a distinct red gloss.

The shock on Bella's face was enough to tell me that my eyes had turned to black. Trembling, I struggled to keep my gaze on her. I wasn't going to leave her and go after the delicious scent.

I wanted it. I wanted it so bad. I hadn't tasted human blood in years, but knowing it was so readily available made me want to snap. I clung to the last thread of sanity that I could muster. I could feel a snarl building in my chest, and my lips pulled back to reveal my teeth involuntarily.

Bella's breathing and heart rate spiked as fear ran through her. "Jasper?" she whispered, and I felt myself being torn in two. Part of me needed to ensure that Bella was unharmed, and a more dominant part was ready to bound over the destroyed cars and drain Tyler dry.

Bella's eyes were wide as she took in my expression. "Oh my Lord," she muttered under her breath as her hand covered her mouth in shock.

I regretted having foregone my hunt this morning.