A/N: Wow you guys. I should have changed the rating to M a long time ago. The hits I got on that last chapter were insane! Same with the people putting the story on alert.

So, here we are... the climax. (Yeah, yeah, my dirty mind is saying that the LAST chapter was the climax... shush, brain, there are children in the room!). And I hope you appreciate how fast I got this chapter out, too. Five days, people. Not five months like one of the gaps was. This is mainly because I've had this chapter plotted to the nth degree for ages now. Since about chapter 11, this was always exactly how it was going to end. There'll be one more chapter (which I'm writing right now) and then an epilogue.

Oh, and what am I reading? - I just finished "Better than Pie" by savannavansmutsmut. It was awesome.

Previously...

My cell phone began to beep continuously, indicating an infinite number of missed calls and text messages. More messages than I normally received in a month. Somebody—most likely Alice—had been desperately trying to get in contact with us.

And that was when I felt it. Someone was nearby—just within the range of my gift—and getting closer by the second. And it didn't feel like a casual visitor. All I felt was anger, desperation and some of the most intense bloodlust I had felt in a long time.

It was Edward.

This was it. It was time to man up. The last time I fought Edward, I had let him get the best of me. I had ruined my reputation as one of the most feared fighters in the vampire world by being almost bested by a vampire who'd never been in a real fight in his existence. This time, I would not fail. Failure was not an option, as it meant life and death. Not for me, but for Bella – my whole reason for existing.

I shrugged to myself. Really, if Bella died—a thought that sent an incredible amount of pain through my extremities—I would probably die myself. Not from suicide, mind you. I was beginning to believe, especially since we had consummated our relationship, that anything that harmed her would harm me as well.

Protect Bella at all costs. Save Bella, and save yourself.

I had about forty seconds before he would be here.

I climbed out of the bath, carrying Bella out with me.

She looked at me in shock. "Wh—what's going on?" As she looked into my serious face, fear began to creep over her.

"There's no time," I rushed out. "He's here. Get dressed. Lots of layers to hide your scent. And stay inside with all the doors and windows closed. I don't want him to be able to smell you any more than necessary."

I was almost at the bathroom door when I turned back and pulled her to me, kissing her firmly. "I love you. I'll keep you safe," I assured her, sending her all the love I possessed for her. I shuddered as I turned away from her.

Fifteen seconds away.

"I love you too," I heard as I moved through the cabin. I tried to ignore the fear she was feeling and concentrate on the task at hand. It hurt me to move away from her when she was so scared, but it was in her best interest.

I didn't have time to waste. At full speed, I threw a pair of jeans and boots on. I left my chest bare. It was a trick which often worked to intimidate the enemy – they saw all my scars and realized just how out-matched they were. Without their confidence, half the battle was already won. Now, Edward had seen me shirtless many times before, so he wouldn't scare as easily. But if he was as feral as he felt from here, maybe he would forget that logical side of himself.

"Please come back to me in one piece," was the last thing I heard from Bella as I exited the cabin and waited for her attacker in the clearing out front. Her voice was soft, almost like a prayer as opposed to something I was supposed to hear.

Five seconds.

He was approaching from the southwest. He must have known exactly where we were before even leaving Washington. I could hear Bella in the bedroom, dressing, and my chest clenched. Just minutes ago I had been the happiest I could ever recall feeling. I had truly made Bella my own, and we had both been luxuriating in the morning-after bliss. I could barely believe that she had wanted to let me make love to her, but I hadn't felt an ounce of regret from her. She had been confident in her decision, and that made me even more certain in the solidity of our bond.

Now I stood here, needing to force myself into the right mindset to fight for her—to fight for our relationship. Light snow was still falling, and the fierce winds were swirling it around the clearing. Dark clouds graced the skies overhead, and thunder echoed in the distance.

I could hear Edward smashing through the forest now. He was normally a lot quieter when he ran, but the monster controlling him didn't care about stealth. It was a shame, really, that I would have to kill him. This wasn't like him. He wasn't this monster—he had fought for almost ninety years to ensure he remained civilized.

I lowered myself down into a crouch and let controlled fury filter through my whole body. I was careful not to let myself go completely feral—Bella's safety was at risk here, and I couldn't risk her getting caught in the crossfire. My muscles were coiled to attack, and I sprung the second he burst through the treeline. He was heading straight for the door to the cabin, and I hit him from the side. He hadn't even really registered I was there until he fell to the ground—all he seemed focused on was getting to my beloved. That was unacceptable.

He whipped his head around to look at me, his head flicking up tufts of snow, and growled at me. His eyes were completely black; I couldn't see any of the Edward I knew behind them.

He clawed down my chest and snapped his teeth at me as I tried to get a grip on his newly reattached arm. I only managed a fracture in his marble skin when he rolled out from under me and sprung to his feet.

I followed him upright and looked directly at him. "Edward. Calm down and I won't have to kill you." It was a blatant lie, and he probably knew that. I was not letting him out of this altercation with his life.

A brief spark of recognition flashed through him, which gave me hope. Perhaps he would give up and this would be an easy fight.

No such luck, apparently. He charged at me, arms open like a newborn fighter. He went to grab me around the chest, and knowing he would use his ability to his advantage, I waited until the last second to decide which way to dodge his attack. As I spun away from his trajectory, I took the second before he turned around to push lethargy at him. It didn't drop him to the ground, but it slowed him up a bit, which was helpful against someone with Edward's innate speed.

He charged me again, intent on biting me, and I grabbed his arm and shoulder and flipped him over onto the snow-covered ground. The thud as he landed was like an earthquake, and any birds who hadn't already been frightened off flew out of the trees as one, directly into the thunderous clouds.

Before he had time to get up again, I grabbed him by the hand and flung him at the trees, being careful to hold onto his hand for as long as my grip would last. It wasn't a complete severing, but the hand wasn't completely connected to his body when he hit the tree, causing it to fall.

While he was righting himself, I looked up to Bella. She was standing in the front window, watching everything, terrified. I caught her eyes and tried to ease her fear, but I didn't think I was successful.

I looked over at Edward. He was striding toward me, holding his hand to his arm in an attempt to reattach it quickly. I sent him some more lethargy and a healthy dose of fear.

"I know what you're trying to do, Jasper," he growled, and his voice was rough and unrefined. Hardly Edward at all. "I'm strong enough to fight it. You think after all these years reading your mind I don't know the chinks in your armor?"

I could feel his confidence. He wasn't fading as much as I would have expected, so his theory seemed to hold some weight. He crouched into an attack stance and I mirrored him. I could see his legs twitching toward me when his head snapped up, distracted, and his nostrils flared.

I smelled it too.

Bella.

I whipped my head around and saw her exit the cabin. Her arms were wrapped around herself against the force of the freezing wind.

"Bella, get back inside! It's too dangerous!"

Edward's lips pulled back to reveal his bared teeth, and a snarl ripped out of him. His muscles tensed, and just as he sprung, I grabbed his injured hand with a roar, swinging his body around until it tore off.

He shook his head to clear it, just like in a cartoon.

"Leave her alone. She's mine!" I growled at him.

A glint shone in his eyes. His voice was gravelly as he spoke, and a line of venom was leaking from the side of his mouth. "Really? Pereche, right? The only thing important in your life? Your one and only?"

I didn't answer him. I forced my knee into his chest, enjoying a bit too much the sound of his torso cracking slightly under my weight. Bella's heart rate was almost dangerously high; I needed to get this over with quickly before she passed out or went into shock.

Just as I tried to get a grip on his head, Edward thrashed around, ending with his gaze set on my girl. "I'm sure, human, that he has told you all about his mate waiting for him at home." His speech was obviously directed at Bella, and her head jerked up.

I was distracted by Edward's reveal. The one thing I was too nervous to tell Bella, and he had just spit it out at her.

Bella was filled with confusion as she registered what Edward had said. "Jasper?" she whispered.

I turned slowly to look at her. "Bella, it's not…"

Her eyes flicked between Edward and I, and I moved toward her to comfort her.

Edward was on his feet the second my grip loosened, and I realized my mistake. He'd used the information against me. He'd delved deep into my mind and found my weakness.

"Don't listen to him, Bella," I told her in a soothing tone, and crouched defensively at the bottom of the steps. I heard the soft thud as Bella pressed herself against the heavy wooden door. "I'll explain everything later. I know you trust me."

"Trust?" Edward sneered. "How could she trust a man who forgot to tell her that he was married?"

Bella gasped behind me.

"Shut up, Edward."

"Oh, yes, dear, delicious Isabella. You know Alice, don't you? Jasper's wife. They've been together—what is it?—sixty years now, Jasper?"

Bella whimpered and I couldn't help turning to look at her. Our bond wouldn't allow me to just let her cry with no comfort. I had to help her. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks as she caught my eyes and sent me the most heartbroken look I had even encountered.

I took a step toward her and began filling her with a cocktail of trust, love and peace.

"Don't manipulate me, Jasper," she warned, stopping me in my tracks.

"Bella, please. It's not like he says. You know how I feel about you."

She shook her head and wiped angrily at her tears with the back of her hand.

"I love you more than I ever imagined I could love anyone. You. Please remember that. It's you."

From the other side of the clearing where he was collecting his hand, Edward chuckled evilly. "Never show your weakness, Jasper. You should know this. Now, if you'd be so kind as to step away from my lunch, we can be on our way."

Anger swelled through me. He had no idea what he was dealing with. He'd never been in love. He'd never had a mate. And he definitely had never had a Pereche. He underestimated just what a man would do to protect the woman he loved. Even if she was mad at me. Even if she was questioning her own love for me. Even if she left me after this was all through, there was nothing I wouldn't do to protect her. To my dying moments that would be my only goal. Edward just saw this as a game and a really good meal.

"Not a chance," I snarled, and sprung across the clearing, using all the force of my power to cripple him in fear.

He fell to his knees, his hands gripping his head in an effort to fight my gift, just as I landed. For good measure, I kicked him in the head, with a whooshing sound that mirrored the sound of the wind through the trees. A dead tree branch fell in the woods not far from us, and I heard Bella gasp in fright.

"Mine! She is mine!" I screamed at him, kicking him in the side.

He attempted to grab my leg as it went past his head, but I was too fast for him in his semi-incapacitated state. While he was thrown off-balance, I tackled him onto his back. He squirmed, attempting to push me off him, but he lacked the required strength to overpower me.

My hands gripped each of his elbows, squeezing tighter and tighter before forcing them off at an unnatural angle. The screeching sound of vampire flesh being ripped was satisfying and only fueled my need for him to be gone more.

With only half an arm on either side, all he could do was buck his hips and bat the stumps of his arms at me when I leaned back and wrenched both his legs from his body. I then inclined down and bit into the joint between his neck and shoulder. He tried to head-butt me, and I ripped more flesh than was absolutely necessary from him with my teeth. I spat it so it landed on his forehead. He thrashed his head, dislodging the flesh. A silver venom trail was left down the side of his face.

This ended now.

The wind and the sleet seemed to calm, as if we were in the eye of the storm.

Something came over him. I looked at his resigned face. Even without his mindreading, he would have known his life was over. The monster was nowhere to be seen, and staring back at me was the face of my brother.

I steeled myself, forcing back the remorse which was starting to creep in. This was the only way to keep Bella safe from him. It was how it had to be.

I gripped each side of his head, ready to rip it from his body, and closed my eyes. I had done this thousands of times before, but I didn't want to watch my own brother's eyes as I forced the life from them.

I steadied myself in preparation and a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, the thunder so close I could feel the vibrations in the air.

"Stop!" Bella cried, and I could hear her running across the snowy grass toward us. "Don't kill him."

I didn't let my fingers relax around his head, but I opened my eyes and looked up at her. She looked like an angel with the snow swirling around her and sticking to the hair flying around her face.

"Don't kill him," she repeated, softer this time. She still harbored a great deal of anger for me, but it was currently overridden by compassion, bravery and determination. "You might have been a killer in the past, but you're not that man any more. I can't make you go back to that place when there's another option."

"There is no other option." My voice was hard. I knew this was what I had to do, and I needed to ignore my fraternal emotions to get the job done.

"There is," Bella said with a whisper, and she rubbed her fingers through my hair, soothing me. "Change me. Change me now and he'll no longer crave my blood."