Jasper POV

Starve?

But that would mean hurting Alice. If I died, it would hurt her. And I couldn't bear to hurt her. I couldn't. I loved her and if I hurt her it would kill me.

"Jasper? Jasper, baby, calm down." Alice was holding my face in her hands. I realized I was hyperventilating in my panic. "It's all right. We won't let anything happen to you."

I tried to calm down, afraid I was scaring her. When I finally got my breathing under control, I relaxed against her shoulder.

"Are you okay now?" She stroked my back. I nodded.

Suddenly she gasped and grabbed the trash can, holding it under my chin just as I started to throw up. I was grateful for her gift at that moment, because I would've vomited all over her.

Carlisle gave me a cup. Looking down at it in confusion, I realized it was filled with ice cubes.

"We have to get some fluid into you," he explained. "I doubt the water in the ice will help at all, but we have to try something."

Alice's hands rubbed gentle circles on my back as I sucked on an ice cube and laid my head on her shoulder.

"Your fever feels higher." Peter's fingers touched my forehead. "Carlisle, should we put a cloth on his head or something? We have to try and cool him down."

Carlisle didn't answer at first. He was busy squeezing just a little bit of blood into another glass.

"Jasper, I want you to try and drink this after you finish the ice. We'll see if this helps. Peter, that's a good idea. We can try that in a little while, after we see if the blood makes him sick."

I swallowed the last bit of ice water and Alice reached for the blood, tilting it to my mouth. I drank what little there was and waited to throw up.

Ten minutes later, nothing had happened.

"Can he have more now?" Emmett broke the silence.

"Not yet. We need to wait a few hours." Carlisle placed a cold, wet cloth on my forehead. It felt nice, and I sighed.

"You rest for a bit," he ordered. Then, before I could even close my eyes, his cell phone rang.

"Aro?" His voice was hopeful as he answered. "Did you? That's wonderful. How long will it take you to finish it?"

There was a pause, and then, "Wednesday? We can certainly wait until then." Carlisle sounded relieved and happy as he talked a little more and then hung up.

"He's working on your cure right now, and he thinks he'll have it done by Wednesday." Before I could answer, he continued. "But Jasper, you must understand. It won't be a short recovery. It will be long, painful, and you will be on bed rest."

My dead heart sank. "Bed rest?"

"We don't know how it will affect you at first," he added. "It will probably hurt."

I could stand a little pain in order to recover.

"I owe you an apology, Alice." Peter spoke. "I believed that because of what you said to Caius, we wouldn't get the cure for weeks. I am sorry."

She smiled at him. Alice was so forgiving.

I dozed off after that.

Wednesday, we were driving to Volterra to get my cure. I'd gotten sick five times yesterday, and we were in a hurry to get it. I was dozing restlessly in the car with my head on Emmett's shoulder. He didn't seem to mind my closeness at all.

Knowing I couldn't walk, Emmett wrapped me in a blanket and carried me when we parked. I kept my eyes closed.

"Jas, open your eyes." He nudged me gently. "We're about to go in there."

I looked at the big doors. Alice smiled at me and held my hand. "You can be healthy again, Jasper," she said excitedly. "And you won't ever have to go through this again."

"Young Jasper has gotten worse," Aro observed. A vial of a bluish liquid was in his hands. "This cure is much needed."

I noticed that Caius was angry, and his expression was sour, probably because he wasn't allowed to force us to give something in return.

I yawned, feeling very tired. When was Aro going to stop talking and give us the cure? Then I realized that was what he was talking about.

"It will be agonizing for a few days, more than likely. Nausea, headaches, back pains after the first few days. Drowsiness, and paranoia. Separation anxiety. That's all I can say right now, and none of those are completely certain. But this will help you be completely healthy again. It'll be awhile, but it will. I can promise that."

"Thank you, Aro." Carlisle took the little vial. Aro held up a hand to stop us from leaving.

"Wait a moment. You have to take several with you. He'll need to take one every three days." And he filled Carlisle's arms with medicine. Then he pressed the original vial of venom into my hand. "You must give this back to Maria."

As we turned to go, Caius spoke. "Peter, stay behind for a moment. Your companions can wait outside."

Charlotte looked horrified, but Alice propelled her out of the room, pushing gently.

I wanted to cry and kick and scream to stay with Peter, but Emmett hurried me after the others.

All I heard was soft voices from the chamber. My vampire hearing was basically gone since I'd gotten sick. I hated not being able to hear anything.

Fifteen minutes and thirty five seconds later, Peter returned.

"They… they made me tell them the history of our battles with Maria and tell them where she is now. They want to keep an eye on her to make sure she's being careful."

"Are they going to kill her?" My voice broke. She had willingly saved me, and even though I hated her, I wouldn't want her to die by the hands of the Volturi.

"I don't know."

Carlisle came to my side as we left the castle and got in the car again. "Jasper, you must drink this now. It needs to work quickly."

I obediently took the little vial and opened it.

"Drink it," he urged. "Whatever happens at first, you'll be all right."

I drank the liquid.

This doesn't hurt at all, I thought in confusion. Maybe it won't hurt.

That is what I thought until the burning began and darkness washed over me.

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