A/N: Here's the next chapter. This one was a little challenging. It took me forever to come up with the idea. I had to debate and debate for days. I basically ended up coming up with a couple ideas. I pitched them to a few friends, my boyfriend, and then thought about which one would make the most sense, etc. Finally, I made my decision at the last minute and I wrote it out. So here is the next chapter of ALATT. Enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen: Desperation

JPOV

Time went on.

We never brought up that night, but there was no need to.

We spent every other night together from then on.

She would stay on campus until I arrived for my classes. We would talk on the way to each class and she would meet me at the end of the next if I had more than one, then I would meet her in the same park or at her apartment after my last class.

We always ended up in her apartment on the couch.

I knew so much about her suddenly.

Her favorite movie was Gone With the Wind because she loved the Civil War, which made me laugh. She was taking an entire class on it!

Her favorite book was To Kill a Mockingbird because of its unique message and the depth.

Her favorite bands included Muse and Jimmy Eat World, but I found out she loved singers like Taylor Swift, Josh Groban, Jason Aldean, Michael Buble, etc.

I learned that she had written songs before, loved to work out her frustration by banging on her brother's drum set for a while.

She taught me to play guitar one night. She showed me on her own guitar, which felt tiny in my arms. I bought my own the next night to play with her. She taught me more each night when we didn't have something else to talk about.

We did homework together sometimes, though we never got much done around our conversation.

Without exception, I spent every night watching her sleep on the couch. It was so beautiful, so peaceful, so addicting. It was fascinating!

She always slept in a tiny ball, so small it fit on one cushion on the couch. One fist was next to her chin, the other was a foot in front of her eyes or holding mine. She crossed her feet to keep them warm or other times, when she got hot, she tucked them under my leg for the cold. She liked the blankets tucked under her chin, and the rest draped over her shoulder.

She slept soundly without any disturbances. Still, quiet, stunning.

I watched her that way each night.

She never questioned me when she saw I was awake at any hour of the morning though.

She would get dressed every morning; I made her breakfast, and then we both left. She always hugged my waist before we separated while I didn't even know how to respond.

That was my last memory of her until our next meeting, which always came.

We were inseparable on the weekends, even if we behaved like hermits too. We hid away in her apartment with the television on or some music. We went to the park once the sun was down and we never did anything else.

I liked it that way.

She mystified me.

In a good way though!

The weather got colder and colder soon. I learned how much Alice despised coats. She put up a good argument when I showed up at school with three coats in her size. Eventually, she surrendered and she wore a coat from then on. One success on my end at least!

Of course she introduced me to new music each week too. She liked enough bands and artists to lst me two lifetimes!

I forced her to promise to play a song she had written and accidentally mentioned once before Christmas Day. I mentioned that my birthday was December 21st, even though I hadn't celebrated it in so long.

My artist for that day was Dierks Bentley. It wasn't one of her favorites, but it was something she listened to.

I left for Yale around six, driving at top speed the whole time. I was always anxious to see her and that night was no exception. I pulled up to the lot to see everyone outside, screams rang in my ears, panic on every face.

Everyone!

My heart in its infinite silence swore there was something wrong.

The swat team was there too...

Alice's truck was present.

She was there to see me; she was in danger!

I jumped out of my car, leaving the keys in the ignition and the engine running. "What's going on?" I demanded fiercely, running in the opposite direction of everyone else. I was searching for Alice desperately. I couldn't hear her, smell her, or see her anywhere.

Panic began to shoot through every inch of me.

I was shaking.

Not from the blood I could smell everywhere. I could see it covering people's shoes.

I grabbed Shelton's arm as he tried to pass. "What happened?" I demanded again.

"Shooting," he answered, but his tone was calm enough to tell me that he wasn't in the building when it occurred.

"Goddamn it!" I yelled. "Where's Alice?" But I never waited for an answer. Time was too precious now. I had to know. I began to shove people out of my way, running at a sprint to get to the building, faster than I should have.

I knew she was inside. Nothing else mattered.

A policeman stopped me. "You can't go in there."

"I have to," I replied, trying to push past before I even spoke. I was ready to lose control and break his neck just to get past!

I had never felt such urgency.

I had to find Alice now. It was a necessity.

"You can't." The man gestured for three others to escort me to safety. Their definition of safety.

I would never be safe without Alice.

I didn't know what I was doing until it was too late, and then I didn't even care.

The man collapsed on the floor. My throat was inflamed, but not from his blood this time. I needed to find Alice. I didn't give a damn about anyone else or the sound of shots across the building. My only worry was if one had hit my Alice.

Alice, Alice, Alice.

Bodies were scattered in various wounded states. People ran past to get to safety.

I ran in, desperate.

It had to happen in the largest building too! There were too many places for her to be.

"Alice!" I screamed.

Everything was wrong.

I had to find her.

I would have cried. No tears came, but I had all the right emotions.

"Where's Alice Brecht?" I demanded as another group trying to escape passed me.

Alice as my only thought. I had to know where she was. She was the only reason I was ever happy. She was the best friend in the world.

I followed the bloody foot prints toward the back of the building. They grew more and more frequent and the stench of blood was worse and worse as I walked on. I couldn't smell Alice alone though. I needed to.

For the first time, I wanted my throat to burn as long as it meant she was close and she was there.

It had to be her!

I broke into another sprint, just trying to catch one hint of her scent--any. I moved fast enough not to be seen and quiet enough not to be heard, and just slow enough to be able to inhale every scent that came my way.

Desperation.

I could not lose her. Not like this.

Not yet.

"Alice!" I shouted.

I paused at a series of hallways. She was through one of them. I couldn't make any mistakes, not if she lost her life because of it.

"Come on, come on, come on," I muttered, breathing in each gulp of air fiercely to taste her. "Alice!"

"Jasper!"

It was faint. I moved fast enough to follow the echo down two hallways. I could not lose it!

I found her crumpled on the floor, drenched in blood. She was covered in sweat, shaking, and she burst into tears when I appeared in front of her.

"Sh, sh, it's all right, my Alice," I breathed out, ripping off my belt to tie around her leg. I had to sound calm for her. The blood made my mind throb. I pulled the leather tight, holding her close every second. She was shivering, but not from my skin this time. The amount of blood around her was too much, all hers. She couldn't lose much more.

I put my arms around her gently. "Okay, I'm going to pick you up. I want you to close your eyese. Don't open them until I say."

Alice nodded quickly, wrapping her arms around my shoulders with the last bit of strength they held. She cried out when I lifted her, but her eyes were obediently glued shut. I kissed her forehead and darted off towards the closest ambulance that I could hear clearly.

I appeared out of nowhere.

Through the chaos, no one noticed.

"Help!" I yelled, setting her down on the ground. "You're safe, my Alice. You can open your eyes," I whispered, rocking her back and forth gently. I tightened the belt as two EMTs rushed over to us.

"It got her artery," I told them.

"She has to go to the hospital now." I knew that. Why did they waste time? Seconds were what made up minutes, weren't they? They mattered too.

"I'm going too." I stood, Alice in my arms still, weightless.

She buried her face in my chest, fading from consciousness slowly.

"I've got you," I promised her.

She nodded weakly.

Her tears warmed my body, but they made me feel more cold than ever before.

I set her down on the gurney as gently as I could, but I wasn't allowed to ride with her.

I leapt in my car, which was left alone without being towed in the chaos, to drive just as fast behind the ambulance. I could not leave her or let her be alone. I didn't want to lose sight of her ever again after this, not once no matter how short.

I grabbed my phone, dialing the only number that came to mind.

"Jasper," Carlisle's voice answered.

"I need you to come to Yale-New Haven Hospital."

"What happened?" He was too calm. It made my anger worse.

"It's Alice. Please."

"Jasper, it's an emergency room. You can't go--"

"I don't give a damn!" I yelled. "Alice was shot; she lost a lot of blood. Please, Carlisle. I don't want some idiotic doctor there touching her or for her to be prioritized lower because she can be given plasma, then she won't be as bad immediately. Please..."

There was a long silence that couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds. "I'll be there in twenty minutes," Carlisle answered.

I hung up as I reached the hospital. I ran alongside Alice, holding her hand. It was covered in blood, like her clothes.

"She needs surgery soon, but not yet," one nurse told me. "Others are worse. You need to go to the waiting room." Others were dying and in worse condition than Alice, but they weren't Alice.

I would have punched her too, but that wouldn't help Alice any and her blood...

It was starting to burn my throat even worse.

I kissed her forehead and watched her being steered away from me.

It hurt to be apart from here.

I ran my hands over my face. Her blood was the last thing on my mind after she was hurt, but I needed to take some precaution.

I washed my hands and face and rinsed the blood out of my sweater in the bathroom, trying to stop shaking. Then I went to wait for Carlisle out on the curb.

He arrived on time and went inside without more than I glance at me that I didn't acknowledge.

I stared ahead with my hands folded in front of me, the smell of Alice's blood still fresh on them. It felt as if I had killed her. She was the only thing on my mind. She was hurt because of me.

Carlisle came out after what seemed like hours. Then I jumped to my feet. "How is she?" I asked--my own problems didn't matter and I could tell he would have asked about me. "How bad?"

"She'll be fine. She can leave in a few days. She's very lucky you found her when you did."

I breathed out some relief. "Can I see her yet?"

"They want to talk to her first," he answered, his eyes on the black Mercury that obviously belonged to a detective. "They need to sort out as much as they can while the shooter still has hostages."

"No," I snapped. "No. She doesn't need that."

Carlisle stopped me from entering the hospital again. "Jasper, use some common sense! She was almost killed by him and she wasn't the only one hurt here. The hospitals are filling up with more and more each hour. The bullets ricocheted and hit her three times in the same leg. They already know you fractured a policeman's cheekbone and broke his nose." I looked away in fury. It wasn't my intention to let Carlisle find out about that. Self control wasn't important though! Not when Alice was in danger as she was. I still believed my actions were justified. The fact that Alice was alive now proved that. Hadn't Carlisle said she was lucky I found her then?

"You're not in the position to argue about things, Jasper. You'll be lucky if you can get out of this. They all have to talk to the FBI. Alice can't be an exception and her injuries aren't the worst."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "She doesn't need cops to work her over if she can't see me without bursting into tears," I replied. I wasn't about to let them injure her even more after all of that! Mentally or physically, it was damage to her.

"I'm not saying it's right to force her to speak after what she's been through. That's just the way it works. Alice is still asleep. You should go home, change, hunt, and they'll be done by the time you come back. I'll stay to make sure they don't upset her too much."

"I want to be there when she wakes up."

Carlisle put a gentle hand on my shoulder. He saw this kind of thing daily at work. None of them were as important to him as Alice was to me. He was just trying to help... "She does need you, Jasper, but you won't be able to help her if you're struggling." He nodded towards the car with another smile. "I'll stay."

I glanced in the door, wishing I could just see her to make sure she was truly going to be all right. I reluctantly nodded. "All right. If she wakes up, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't rush. She'll be fine."

I didn't reply.

If I was going to leave, I wanted to do that and hurry back as soon as I could. I hated leaving. I felt as if I was abandoning her.

No. I would never do that. Ever.

Hope you liked the idea and enjoyed reading it. Please review!