Disclaimer: As always I own absolutely nothing...sadly enough.

AN: I rushed this out feeling just a wee bit quilty you had to wait so long for the last one, hehe, so please excuse any errors resulting from the scant proofreading.

Hope you'll enjoy it! =)

Chapter 7 - No sugar coating


Bella:

Why didn't she care…?

The words seemed to expand and fill the small room as I stared him down. When I wouldn't proceed further, Jasper carefully walked the few steps separating us and slowly, with deliberate movement placed one arm on my shoulder.

"She cares – of course she does." He said softly, concern evident on his features. "We all care about you."

The words did nothing to soothe the burning emotions inside me; I could feel them soar eagerly in wait of another explosion and my head throbbed painfully with every heartbeat as I recoiled from their meaning. I couldn't believe him.

Though, as his hand stayed firmly on me, the coldness of his touch trickled down through the thick fabric of my sweater and chilled me in an almost comfortable way. The confusion and something else I couldn't quite grasp pushed the anger back with every second passing as we kept our frozen stance. When he'd approached me, I'd expected some manipulation of my emotions to kick in and calm me, but any interference from him remained absent. Why? Perhaps he sensed I needed to sort my feelings out alone in order to move past them?

My disbelieving stare prodded him onward.

"Alice visions are often…complicated." He continued, "when it comes to him, she saw merely glimpses and only when it was already too late. He made some very quick decisions." Jasper's jaw tensed and undercurrent fury radiated from him that resonated seamlessly with my own. His anger felt comforting somehow.

"Alice is not perfect" he said tightly. "…but I know she always chooses to act toward the best possible future she can envision, when given enough time to do so. I think you know that too."

His gaze locked on mine, calm understanding showing in his eyes, and something else flickered breifly by…almost like trust or faith – trust in me to accept the situation as it were and handle it. I wanted to be able to exercise control and act maturely, as he believed I could - something that would've been much easier before, but now felt nearly impossible. I didn't know how to reign in and leash the fury that had been my constant companion for the last couple of weeks and thinking about it only made things worse.

Trapped in his deep stare while the seconds ticked by one by one, I felt shame and guilt for my earlier shouting stir and rise to the surface. It wasn't right, I realized albeit a bit late, to take all this out on Jasper. We hadn't been that close before to begin with and – well, Jasper was the one who'd returned and saved my life last night after all. He deserved better than this and I managed to used that feeling as a distraction from the fury. Jasper nodded infinitesimally as if to prod me forward, obviously sensing every turn of my emotional roller-coaster. It made me feel strangely transparent, and I didn't enjoy it.

When my control grew and anger faded dimly to the background, he backed away from me, increasing the distance between us once more.

"I'm sorry" I said, my voice tense. I knew he understood.

He nodded, a soft smile on his lips. "Don't worry, Bella…clearly there are lots of things we need to discuss - for one I didn't understand what you meant with 'bothered earlier', but I'd prefer if we didn't linger here longer than absolutely necessary." Watching – or perhaps sensing – my confusion he continued hastily in a more serious tone.

"Before I broke in through the window earlier, I caught the scent of the vampire chasing you last night; he's still on your trail and had been watching the room during the night. I don't know what he wants, why he's after you, but I got the feeling last night that he's working for someone else. It's clear he hasn't finished whatever mission he was tasked." He took a brief pause. "And... he wasn't alone."

A shot of pure fear skittered up my spine as I remembered the vampire's cold red eyes intent on my destruction. Jasper said nothing in response to my emotion, suddenly lost in thought - his eyes lingered unfocused on the sharp glass shards surrounding the window frame, a troubled frown on his forehead. I got the odd impression that he took not knowing the enemy's agenda as a personal failure, which seemed utterly incomprehensible to me and I figured I must have misunderstood his expression. I watched him curiously for a minute, thinking of how little I actually knew of him when suddenly his low voice startled me out of my revenue.

"I don't know your plans, but for now I suggest we stay together and leave this place without further delay - throw them of the trail if we can mange it…" He met my eyes again. "If that's all right with you?"

The question surprised me. Edward, nor Jake come to think of it, would never have asked for permission to protect me. Now trusted with the decision, I felt conflicted. On the one hand, I didn't want to put Jasper in danger by whomever it was who wanted to kill me this time. It had nothing to do with him and if he got hurt protecting me… I shuddered. On the other hand, I felt reluctant to let him go – I hadn't had enough of this glimpse back into my lost life - there was still so many things I wanted to know, wanted to ask him. Though thoroughly undecided, I settled on a compromise.

"I don't know my plans either to be honest but – for now…" I emphasized, very deliberately, earning an amusedly raised eyebrow from him. "...I guess we can keep company".

Within ten minutes, we were settled in a black SUV, all checked out, packed and ready to go. I'd even gotten time to wash up and brush my teeth and felt grateful for Jasper thinking of getting my stuff from the other car last night. Having access to clean clothes and my bathroom bag made me feel a lot less like a fugitive.

"Where'd you get the car?" I asked with trepidation once he steered us out onto the high-way, wanting to distract myself from the surrounding trees and houses blurring past us in high speed. "Grand theft auto?"

His lips twitched slightly. "I bought it off the motel owner".

"Oh."

"The one last night however, I did...borrow, but I got the motel owner to return it with a generous fee, so I don't think they'll mind" he continued, looking at me expectantly, an amused smirk playing over his lips. Did he just...tease me? I gaped at him in surprise, before I gathered myself and closed my mouth in embarrassment and scowled at him.

"Will you answer my questions now?" I asked, perhaps with a little more heat than necessary. I did not know how to act around him, being the weird sensation of a long lost friend and a complete stranger combined that he was.

He looked me thoughtfully for a long moment, all amusement gone from his eyes, before answering - picking off right where I derailed earlier.

"I was the only one close enough, so Alice called me and told me you would die if I didn't get to you in time to prevent the car from crashing…I had only a minute or so to get going, and feared I would be too late." He smiled wryly as he felt the wave of gratitude I sent him. "Thank you Bella, but that's really not necessary."

"Why wasn't Alice with you? Were you hunting that far off?" His light golden eyes darkened at my questions.

"She…" He hesitated, his knuckles turning impossibly whiter as he clasped the steering wheel tight. "Alice left the family more than a year ago, Bella. The random phone call is all we get from her… before three weeks ago, we hadn't heard from her since she left." The pain was still evident in his voice though he tried to conceal it.

"She left you?" I whispered, disbelievingly.

"Yes."

I could tell by his tone that he'd understood that I meant him specifically.

"How could she?" I murmured, more rhetorically than anything else.

I had hard time grasping the concept, for what I knew of vampires - they mated for life. Though, I thought the next second, Edward hadn't…and apparently neither had Alice. But they'd been so happy...so connected and perfect for each other...

"Wait…Was it because of me? The birthday party?" My stomach squirmed as the obvious explanation suddenly dawned on me.

"Only in parts I think, and not because of you - don't think that Bella! My behaviour on the other hand…well, it probably spurred her decision making, but that was –unfortunately – not my first slip since we met..." He glanced at me briefly, taking in my reaction with slight apprehension before continuing.

"And knowing Alice, I believe her visions played a large part. They always do. Though, whatever the cause…it doesn't matter now." He sighed, probably contemplating the mysterious ways of small pixie-sized, psychic vampires.

I disagreed with him on that. The cause mattered greatly in my book, but the hurt in his eyes silenced my questions. It surprised me though that he'd stayed with the family even after she'd left, I'd always gotten the impression that he was there because of her. Suddenly afraid of what else might have changed made me disrupt his contemplative silence.

"What else is there, Jasper?" I murmured desperately, earning a confused look from him. "Please…tell me everything." when he said nothing I prodded further. "Maybe starting with you guys leaving Forks?" He hesitated and met my eyes appraisingly for a second before he gave in.

Twenty minutes, and I don't even want to think of how many miles later I thought wryly that I should have befriended Jasper as soon as I'd started falling for Edward if I'd wanted to spare myself a lot of confusion and heartache. He was relentlessly honest - no sugar coating, no evasiveness. On the downside, I was now back to battling the raging beast that soared inside me, fully unleashed. Surprise.

Subtly skipping past the disturbing action itself, I'd gotten the whole story of how Edward had forced them all to leave me, without even saying goodbye - even threatening them physically or by the use of his power if they wouldn't comply. He confirmed what I'd recently deduced about Edward pigheadedly leaving me to save me whilst still in love with me, lying and manipulating everybody to further that insane course. And then leaving them behind, hurting them with his darkness the few times he visited. Jasper hadn't been able to be around him at all during those rare occasions. And of course, Alice leaving and the large hole they both left behind.

It broke my heart thinking of all that pain. I guess I'd foolishly imagined them all going on just like before, just in another city - like never changing characters from a book. All of their lives had changed irrevocably, because of me. Jasper had been frustrated when he felt my guilt, insisting that it was because of him, and because of Edward, but I wasn't convinced. Rosalie probably hated me more than ever now, I thought sardonically.

When he got to the events of the last month and his subsequent departure I felt confused. Alice hadn't seen me? How was that even possible? The cause and full extent of Edward's actions had thus been hidden from her for some reason and that knowledge softened my anger towards her momentarily. When he finished with the call he made this morning though, any trace of that concession had completely evaporated.

I kept my eyes straight forward at the winding road, lost in thought as I watched the pale sun glow fleetingly between the thick cloudbanks. I wanted to ask more questions, though I know it was futile at this point. Jasper had no further answer as to why, so I quenched them for now and put away for later consideration.

I wondered how to tell him my story; he deserved to be repaid with the same honesty as he'd shown me and learn exactly what Edward had done, but I didn't know how to begin or how he would react. I noticed Jasper watching me now and then from the corner of my eye but he just waited me out. Time passed slowly as the day matured into early afternoon.

The sudden buzzing sound coming from my bag made me jump and my heart rate momentarily double its pace when it shattered the eerie silence. The next second I recognized the familiar tune of my selected ring-tone and calmed down, one hand covering my racing heart and a faint blush on my cheeks.

"Maybe you should answer it, it was ringing all night" Jasper suggested when I didn't proceed. Deciding that it would be even more disconcerting explaining my odd behavior to Jasper than having this conversation, I grabbed the phone and answered without even checking the caller ID.

"Hi Jake."

"BELLA!?" The roaring voice seemed to fill the whole car and I felt myself shrink back against the seat.

"What the hell is going on? I've called you like a million times."

"I've been sleeping-" Knowing Jake, I though less would be more. "What's so urgent?"

"You're on the god damned news! Apparently, someone found your car wrecked, no driver and a lot of blood. It has the police suspecting foul play and they've put out a missing person alert on you. They're broadcasting it all over. Why didn't you call me? I've been worried sick!"

"Oh crap, now the police are after me too?" I unguardedly let out. Sensing his confusion and realizing it would soon be followed by growing impatience, I sighed and told him everything; including the presence of my current company - all the while downplaying the danger as much as possible. From the corner of my eye I noticed Jasper lifting one eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh that's just GREAT-" Jacob was overdoing it just a bit with the sarcasm after taking everything in, momentarily stunned to silence. "First your ex-vampire-boyfriend ruins all our lives, and now you're getting cozy with his brother?"

"He saved me, didn't you listen? Besides, Jasper's not like that -" I begun but Jake cut me off.

"Isn't that what you said about Edward? And look what he was capable of." He seemed to consider something for a second. "Wait a minute…Jasper?…isn't that the one who TRIED TO KILL YOU?!" Glancing over to him briefly, I saw Jasper flinch infinitesimally beside me.

"Jacob, calm down, you don't have to worry about him – trust me!"

"I don't understand you Bella" his voice now hollow and dejected. "trusting them – even after all this." He sighed deeply before continued in a harsh tone I unfortunately knew all too well. "I really hope you survive." And with that, he hung up the phone.

The car suddenly felt too quiet.

"OK…that went well…" I said, a little embarrassed.

Jasper just looked at me, a contemplative frown on his forehead. "Bella…who was that and why did he know so much about us?" He said, his tone sounding close to a father's rebuke to a petulant child, which annoyed me to no end. He had no right to censure me.

"And what did Edward do exactly?" He added, unable to keep his curiosity from showing.

I don't know exactly why – probably as some form of defensive mechanism, or perhaps the lingering anger from before broke free from its restraints without warning – but something ugly just came over me, making me want to lash out.

I smiled viciously, unable to stop myself. "Oh, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet." I spat, though a small voice of reason inside me pointed out that I was being completely unfair. I shrugged it of easily.

Jasper looked taken aback at my change in tone and demeanor, the perplexed frown on his beautiful features only egging me on.

"That was just my ex-boyfriend and werewolf Jacob Black, whom I was fucking when Edward spied on us through the window a couple of weeks ago." My voice was drenched in causal bravado.

"That was, of course, before he went crazy and killed that girl and oh, here's the best part; tore one of my best friends – another werewolf – in pieces in the belief he was obliterating my boyfriend. But his failure didn't last long, don't worry, because when Jacob laid eyes on the dead girl's sister, he imprinted! Yep! Leaving me all alone, just like Edward clearly had planned all along."

The tension in the car was palpable, the only sound my panting breath and the low murmur of the engine.

Now that the words had poured out of me, they seemed to have taken whatever madness that'd overcome me with them, leaving me void and ragged in its wake. The voice of reason gained footing and screamed at me loudly, pointing out with indisputable logic that this most likely were the worst possible way to explain things to him. Yeah, definitely no sugar coating.

Jasper just stared at me as the words died out, his mouth frozen on some word I'd probably never get to hear.

Then, without warning, he rapidly turned the car to the side of the road and hit the brakes, making me test the safety of my seat-belt a bit too thoroughly for my liking, especially since I was still bruised and sore from the similar experience last night. Before I had time to react to the pain, he was leaning over me – dark, hard eyes boring down on mine and I watched my shocked expression reflected back to me from within their deep core.

For the first time today, I was actually afraid of him. My pulse raised painfully and I had a hard time breathing as his relentless stare kept me captive for a suspended moment. In a low menacing voice that raised goosebumps on my skin, he growled at me.

"He did what?"

As always, your comments are most welcome! =)

A few unrequested explanations for the interested:

You may have noticed the similar cutoff compared to chapter 6 – not a coincidence. The way I see it they are tiptoeing around each other, holding everything contained until they for some reason can't keep it any longer. And Bella's overemotional self is bound to shake Jasper up when interacting this closely.

I hope you accept my angry Bella, though I promise I won't keep her this bipolar forever. She's been through a lot and I figured that when reaching her limit she'd either go apathetic as in New Moon or be searing with rage. And well, she'd already tried the first one… ;)