AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they make it worthwhile to continue even when things gets rough. I sure needed them to finish this chapter.

Sorry you had to wait this long for an update, I truly hit a wall or something. I had a finished chapter three weeks ago, but it sucked so much I didn't want to torture you with it. So I started over, and I think this one is a lot less sucky! =)

It got a bit long, as I wanted to voice both Bella and Jasper and couldn't bear cutting either one of them out. Just think of it as 2 chapters in 1. ;-)

Hope you'll like it!

Chapter 6 - Unwanted


Jasper:

Time seemed frozen, almost warped, as I watched the car swirl across the asphalt.

Only pausing for a brief moment in horror, I sped up, running so fast it felt like flying. Barely in time, right before the car would've been obliterated by a large tree; I managed to get one hand on the rear bumper and slow the forward momentum, bringing the car to an abrupt stop. The front section wrapped around the tree trunk but that seemed to be the extent of the damage. I exhaled in momentarily relief, before I heard Bella cry out in pain as the windshield broke. Though the sound worried me, I was glad to be hearing her at all; if Bella had survived the crash, it meant that Alice original vision wouldn't come true.

Before another thought could cross my mind, I was attacked. I felt a sharp pain on the back of my shoulder followed by the too familiar sting of alien venom mixing with my own. The bastard had bitten me! I hadn't given the other vampire much thought until that moment, my sole focus had been on Bella, and with my extensive experience a lone vampire could hardly provide a challenge. Well, he had my attention now! Awakening the animal inside me fully, all thoughts of Bella's wellbeing vanished in an instant. Fury triggered by defensive instincts like this made me a more efficient - more dangerous fighter.

In a calculated motion, I grabbed his jaw to tug him lose and threw him over my head while simultaneously ducking and spinning around. He dropped to the ground a few leaps from me, his light crimson eyes furious. I crouched, prepared for the circling and weighed attacks that were customary for vampire fights, but he just came charging right at me without finesse, giving me easy access to restrain his arms behind his back. What a stupid little newborn. I estimated his age to around two years old, clearly untrained and now that his increased strength had begun to fade – a ridiculously easy target. His trashing stilled as my sharp teeth gently graze his neck from behind.

"Who are you and why are you chasing this human?" I spoke slowly into his ear, my voice dripping with menace.

"What do you mean? It's a human - I just want her blood." He stumbled over the words but I could feel no confusion in him, confusion that should have been present had he been surprised by my question. No; I only sensed fear and determination.

"You're lying," I said, my voice icy, and increased the tension on his arms, stretching them almost to the breaking point. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." I pulled a bit more, a pained growl his only reply. "Now, let's try again, why do you want her? Who are you working for?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" he answered in a rushed voice, the alarm he suddenly felt clearly showed I'd hit close to home with that last remark. He tried defiance next. "You have no right to restrain me, I haven't done anything wrong."

I smiled humorlessly at his naivety. "You truly are young. There's no argument that can save you here – just tell me what I want to know, and I'll let you go - or don't, and this ends right here."

"I'm not alone" He threatened me. "The rest will be here any minute." He put on a confidant façade but I could sense fear beneath his bravado. I was beginning to seriously lose patience with this guy and decided to get this over quickly if he didn't answer within the next minute. Suddenly, a low pained moan coming from the car rang in the silent night. My eyes looked up, my attention shifting to Bella for just one second. That was all he needed.

With my focus diverted, the newborn seized his chance and jiggled out of my hold. Reacting instinctively, I bit down, a large chunk of his shoulder coming lose. He cried out but managed to leap away from me. With one hateful glance back over his shoulder, he darted across the road and into the forest on the other side. I debated chasing after him, but if he in fact had back-up approaching, I'd be leaving Bella here up for grabs. I sighed in defeat, irritated and annoyed at myself for allowing him to escape.

Turning towards the car I could hear Bella stir around in there, her fear spiking. I stopped, suddenly frozen as a statue, when her movement caused the scent of her blood reach and stain the air around me. I stopped breathing at once, but the scent had already reverberated through my every cell. Before the word 'NO!' had fully formed in my head - within the thousand of second, I was onslaught by Edward's emotions yet again. I could feel how this blood was the most delicious thing in the universe; how it would be the most amazing thing I'd ever experienced to taste even one drop of it. The emotion fought to take over, and I was locked in tense internal struggle. Don't think about it! - Oh..the taste of it, filling you up - Don't think about it. - The beating pulse pumping that warm delicious blood…

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT!

Something Alice had said trickled through the cracks in my tense stand-off; I know, it's firming up. It sparked something inside me.

Alice had seen that I could handle this, she'd known I'd save Bella and resist the temptation to drain her myself, or she wouldn't have sent me here. I'd never bet against Alice. Fighting the urge to fulfill the promised satisfaction drinking her blood would give me, that thought provided the strength I needed to shift the balance towards resistance. Using all my willpower, drawing from emotions of love, family and the humanity I once had, I managed to step by step push the memory of Bella's birthday to the back of my mind. I waited a moment testing my control before I relaxed. For someone watching me, it wouldn't have seemed like more than a moment of hesitation before I continued approaching the car.

Bella was freaked out, but calmed some after recognition sparked in her large brown eyes as they met mine. I couldn't sense any relief, only shock, and her fear-level still spiked through the roof. Not entirely unexpected, considering her unlikely rescuer. I got her out slowly and the poor girl passed out almost instantly. Running as fast as possible without juggling Bella too much, it wasn't long before I found a car parked on the driveway by a small house. Fueled by necessity, I repressed my guilty conscience and I pulled the locked door open, placing Bella in the back-seat. I vowed to repay this favor later whenever I got the chance. Driving swiftly back to the wrecked car, I grabbed Bella's packing and a small first-aid-kit from the back. As soon as I found one to suit my purposes, I checked us into a small, slightly ragged motel. I got Bella gently settled on one of the small beds, suddenly unsure how to proceed. Not able to come up with anything else, I sat down besides her, taking in the full extent of her injuries.

Watching her broken body, her bloody arms and tangled hair spread out on the bed, I finally broke free from my deliberate practical state - fear and worry stirring inside me, and truly saw Bella for the first time tonight. She looked haggard - older, as if life had been rough for her – far from the young girl in love I remembered. Oh Bella, what has happened to you? The tenderness I suddenly felt surprised me, and more than anything else tonight made it easy to resist her blood.

Though already asleep, I sent a strong wave of calm into her system that took her into a deep, almost coma-like state. There was no need for her to feel the pain of this if I could help it. Jasper, the pain killer. I smiled a little at the irony.

Her arms and hands were sliced pretty bad, and glass shards were still embedded in her skin. She wore a long sleeved shirt that I realized had to be removed before I could treat her arms. Hoping that she'd forgive me for this intrusion of privacy, I gently ripped it, leaving Bella in only a white laced bra. Though I tried not to look, my vampire eyes would remember even the shortest of glances as if I'd photographed her. Even worn and broken like this, there was an ethereal beauty about her, something I hadn't noticed before. With a tang of guilt I realized this was the first time I'd actually looked at Bella and just seen her. Just Bella, instead of her plus the delicious blood she carried or emotional high she provided.

Pushing that unsettling thought away, I diverted my attentions to her wounds and started patching them up. I took my time, cleaning them thoroughly, and though a few of the gashes begun bleeding again when I removed the dried blood and glass splinters, I had no difficulty resisting it as long as I refrained from breathing and didn't let my mind wander to much. It was uncomfortable, but I had other senses to guide me. When there was nothing more I could do for her, I pulled the cover over her and tucked her in. Before leaving her side, I brushed the hair away from her face, her eye-lids flickering as she felt my cold hand on her cheek.

I started thinking about last night's events. Why would a lone newborn specifically seek out Bella? It made no sense; he had to have been sent by someone, but whom? Alice kept a loose watch on Victoria but would have noticed if she planned something this big, so she was out of the running. I debated the issue back and forth for a while, without reaching any clarity. Letting out a resigned sigh, I left the room, flipping my phone open and pushing speed-dial 1 in one fluid motion.

"Alice? I got there in time, Bella's safe." I blurted out as soon as I heard the click on the other end signaling answer. I couldn't help but feel a little elated as I said the words.

"Yes…? You know I've already seen that" Alice's voice sounded cold and dismissive and a ripple shuddered down my spine in shock. "So why are you calling me? I told you not to." She continued in the same remotely detached voice. What was wrong with her? Yes, she'd told me when we broke up not to contact her – but then she'd called me…Did I actually repulse her this much?

I took a deep breath, controlling my emotions. I hadn't realized how much I'd begun hoping this incident would help bring us back together before that hope now shattered into a million pieces. Fine.

"Sorry to disturb you then," I iced back, mimicking her tone perfectly. "All seeing as you are, of course you already know why I'm calling; why was he attacking her? Who made that newborn?"

"I don't know-"

"That's impossible; a decision had to be made in order to send him here." I interrupted her impatiently.

"Clearly, it's not impossible, as I haven't seen anything except the attack," I heard a faint trace of something I couldn't quite get a hold of in her voice beneath the hard surface, that guilt again perhaps? Or the trace of a lie? "Maybe it derives from Bella's previous invisibility, or my visions are faulty somehow – I don't know!" Alice continued, her frustration caused her to temporarily drop the cold, calculated tone at the end. I knew how responsible she always felt when she got a vision to late or when there was nothing she could do alter the course of events.

"Oh, I'm sorry Alice, I didn't mean…" I said, slightly mollified.

"It doesn't matter," The dismissive tone was back in full force. "Like I said, don't call me - I'll call you if there's something you need to know. Or I'll call the others." She paused for a moment, deliberating.

"And Jasper… quit hoping." With that she hung up.

I couldn't stop staring for a long time at the display that had just said "call ended", even after it had turned black. It was the equivalent of a cold, determined slap in the face. To some extent I felt humiliated that she had to tell me this all over again, though with a slightly rougher edge to it this time. Embarrassed, I realized that I'd progressed absolutely nothing over the last year. I felt mad at myself and a furious and disappointed with Alice.

How could she take this all so lightly? Clearly our past meant nothing to her anymore, but I thought at least the threat against Bella would bring around her involvement. Thinking of Bella brought her to the forefront of my consciousness and made me focus. Hearing the steady pace of her breathing from inside the room relived me and the rage calmed, but I sensed something essential shift inside me.

You got it Alice; I'll quit hoping, starting right now. I guess I should have known I wasn't cut out for a happy ending.

Not ready to return to Bella, I decided to go hunting. There was no reason testing fate here by not taking necessary precautions, and I had chosen this motel especially for its location so close to the forest.

I didn't wander far, and after I'd satiated my thirst several times over with a dear and a couple of small game I begun migrating back towards the motel. It was early morning, and I suspected Bella would wake up soon. A dark amusement sparked inside me when pondering how that conversation would pan out.

Hi Bella, sorry for almost killing you and destroying you relationship the last time we met. Yeah, this would be an interesting day.

I took a different path back to the room and stopped cold when I crossed a familiar scent a couple of hundred yards from the motel. The newborn. And this time, he hadn't been alone. Cursing out loud I broke into a full run, thinking this was becoming a bad habit of mine.

From inside our room – I could hear Bella cry out in pain.

I probably should have cut it off right here, but…I couldn't leave you with another cliffy now, could I? ;-)


Bella:

I woke up feeling like I'd just barely survived a heavy weight championship match against – I don't know, Mike Tyson? – Though both my ears seemed to be intact. Barely.

I could hear a faint dripping on the window seal and the light seeping through the edges of the window cover stung my sleepy eyes, despite the sun being shielded by clouds. The bulky pillow under my head felt hard as a rock, probably more so because my head hurt so much, and had a faint scent of…ehw, mildew. This was not my pillow.

A strange feeling that there was something vital escaping my growing consciousness made me fight the reluctant eye-lids and open them more than the thin slits I'd allowed until now. I scanned the small room, trying to make some sense of my surroundings.

It was comprised of two single beds separated on either side of the room, the one I lay in were closest to the window and the other one looked unused. The dark maroon bedspread tucked tightly on the edges clashed hideously with the faded medallion-patterned yellow-green wallpaper. Facing the bed on a low cabinet sat a small and sadly outdated TV. My dad would have protested loudly if he'd been forced to watch a game on that thing. The painful twinge in my chest at the thought of Charlie quickly rounded off my assessment.

The room was just downright depressing.

And why was I here, all alone, in this depressing motel room? Utterly confused, I tried to wade through my sluggish memory. Images began resurfacing; the dark night, something white gleaming in the blackness…Like diving headfirst into cold water, it all came crashing down on me at once with the last lingering image showing a pair of beautiful golden eyes.

Jasper had rescued me. Jasper was here?

I shot up into a sitting position and groaned loudly as it proved much more painful than I'd imagined. I looked down at my arms, heavily bandaged, and realized that Jasper must have taken care of me last night. I felt immensely guilty thinking of how much he would have suffered doing that, and secretly wondered how exactly he'd managed it.

Suddenly, the window shattered, and in a flash of movement I could barely detect, I was lifted of the bed and held tightly in a pair of cold, hard arms. I couldn't catch a breath as his quick swirling movement pressed the air out of my lungs. When he stopped still a few seconds later, seeming to relax slightly, I finally got a clear view of Jasper's tensed face. Of course it was Jasper, who else had I expected? I barely had time to relax nor ponder that thought further before his intense eyes bore down on mine and his tall frame towering over me raced my heart. The feel of his cold chest pressed against me felt familiar and safe, however, and it brought back a surge of unwanted, painful memories from a time long lost.

It also made me aware of my lack of clothing. Despite everything else, I couldn't help feeling embarrassed.

"Bella, are you all right?" He asked forcefully, and I couldn't stop myself from flinching. The sound just hurt my head too much. Jasper apparently interpreted it differently and the next thing I registered were me situated back on the bed and Jasper just as quickly seated on the other one, as far away from me as the room allowed. Across my lap lay a red hooded sweater.

He diverted his eyes as I pulled it on clumsily, but they locked on mine as soon as I'd stilled my movement, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm so sorry….of course you're afraid of me," he said, his eyes betraying some underlying emotion I couldn't quite get a hold of. "But I won't hurt you – I promise. Though, I understand if you don't believe me." A sad smile softened his expression.

"No Jasper, that's not it – of course I know you won't hurt me!" I blurted out. My groggy mind struggled to find words, I wanted so badly for him to understand this so I could go on thanking him for rescuing me. "I never blamed you for what happened on my birthday, didn't they tell you?" I suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute, can't you feel my emotions? You should know I'm not afraid of you." I looked at him expectantly, thrilled at discovering this obvious solution.

Jasper was taken aback, and then he let out an amused chuckle. "I'd forgotten how quickly you add things up, Bella. And, yes, you're right – I don't feel any fear from you, I guess I assumed to quickly." I felt relieved that we'd cleared that up and opened my mouth to thank him for saving me, patching me up and…well…eh, not killing me again–

"You're welcome" he interrupted with a knowing crooked smile. "And you don't ever have to thank me, Bella, I'd do it again today if I had to – in fact, I almost expected it would come to that." He sighed, all trace of humor gone. "I think we're safe for the moment, but we really should get going as soon as possible".

Ignoring the last part, I glared at him. "You know, that could get really annoying if you keep it up!"

His eyes sparked with amusement but he kept the rest of his face blank. "I'm sorry Bella, I'll try not to do that again - though you're the one who pointed out I wasn't paying attention." He smiled, taking the edge of his overly formal tone. I felt relaxed by this easy banter - or maybe he was just using his power, regardless I was grateful and returned his smile tentatively. An awkward silence filled the room as we both struggled with how to proceed; too many questions filled the short space between us. I supposed a more rational person than I would've assaulted Jasper now, demanding a full enclosure of last night's events, but I wanted to keep this moment unstained for as long as possible.

There was a Cullen sitting ten feet away from me!

I'd never expected to ever see - let alone be in the same room with one of them again, and wanted to relish in this fleeting reunion-reminder-whatever as long as possible. I just knew that as soon as we'd start talking about everything else, this peaceful bubble would explode. Instead, I just watched him; my eyes taking in the beautiful features I'd almost believed were a fiction of my imagination - light honey eyes, pale skin. As I inhaled, my nose filled with his lovely scent, and it all felt so real again, like color had been added to black-and-white pictures. God, I'd missed them so much. The feeling became almost too much to handle making my heart feel expanded and squeezed tight at the same time.

Jasper raised one eyebrow questioningly, obviously sensing my emotional change but leaving it up to me to decide if I wanted to talk about it. When I said nothing, he broached a new topic.

"How's your head? I patched the rest of you up the best I could, but though I have a medical degree I've never actually practiced it on a human before." He looked just a little bit embarrassed. "I think you'll be fine, but regardless we probably should get you to the hospital to make sure. Get a head-scan."

Ugh…hospital. "Thanks again Jasper, for everything - it must have been painful for you, I'm sorry for that. But I think you did a pretty good job!" I searched my head for something to say to ease his concern. "And, my head doesn't hurt that bad, really…there's no need- I just collided with the air bag, no big deal - it doesn't even qualify on my top-five-list." I smiled a little to show just how unnecessary a trip to the hospital would be.

Jasper's wry smile told me he knew I was lying about the pain-level. Trying to distract him with something else, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"How did you know?" Too late I realized that this topic would most likely dissolve the bubble far too quickly. Oh well.

He understood at once. "Alice."

"Alice" I agreed – "of course." It made perfect sense. Or…did it?

"Why you? I mean, why didn't she come herself and why are you here alone? Where are the others? Why-"

More questions bubbled up inside me; why hadn't she reacted earlier? This wasn't the first time shit had happened since they'd left me. Where had she been when Laurent attacked me, when Victoria returned? Why hadn't she stopped Edward!? The ever present anger grew with each question until it seared inside me like an ugly monster.

"Bella, why are you so angry?" Jasper's puzzled voice only opened the floodgates even further. Somehow I hadn't realized until now how much I'd resented the rest of them for leaving me behind like a used toy just because Edward asked them to. For not even caring enough to say goodbye before they left! I guessed I'd missed them too much to event look at it from another angle, but now that bent-up rage had access to a Cullen and wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity.

"Why did she react now when she wouldn't bother earlier?" I shouted at him, wincing at the pain my own voice now caused my head. "Why didn't she stop HIM!? If she had, last night wouldn't even have happened."

Anger became intermixed with sorrow and hurt and betrayal at the thought of the last couple of weeks. A thick lump formed in my throat, making the next words come out coarse and ragged. I stared at Jasper, daring him to provide a satisfying explanation.

"Why didn't she care…?"

There you go, at long last! Was it still somewhat sucky or…? =) I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one (or two, hehe), so please REVIEW!

Happy Easter!