Chapter Twenty
Jasper
"That would be me"
Victoria whirled as she heard my voice behind her and her eyes narrowed in disbelief,
"You? The great Major Whitlock claiming a human girl with a paper ring? I don't believe it. You're just covering for your brother Edward. Couldn't he work it out? Did he get lost on the way? I always thought he was a coward, sent you to fight his battle for him did he?"
"Oh no, I fight no ones battles but my own and that's my mate you are threatening Victoria."
"Liar. Your mate is the Cullen woman, Alice. I saw you together or did you forget?"
"I don't forget things Victoria but Bella is my mate not Alice Cullen so if you threaten her you'd better be ready to fight me."
I could see her thinking about this and deciding I was perhaps too much of a threat to be ignored. she made to run but I was there before she finished the first step.
"Going somewhere? What's the matter? Don't you want Bella any longer?"
"She's not Edwards mate so no"
"Now you see the trouble is that if you threaten The Major you'd better be prepared to finish the job cos he's a real nasty fucker"
Peter stood behind Victoria, a huge smile on his face and in the distance running hard came Edward.
Victoria's eyes flickered from me to Peter and on to Edward before returning to me.
"Too late to pull out now Victoria, the threat was made, my mate injured"
My arm snaked out so fast it was a blur and took her by the throat pulling her into an embrace and sinking my teeth into her neck. As a chunk of flesh dropped to the ground I twisted her ravaged throat and her head came away in my hand. Peter tossed me his lighter as Charlotte caught Bella who was about to fall. As the flames licked around Victoria's broken body Edward halted at Bella's side and put his hands out to take her from Charlotte.
"Back off Cullen before I do to you what The Major did to your friend."
Edward turned on Peter with a snarl but Peter just looked at him with a smile and crooked a finger.
"Come on then, show me what you've got Cullen"
Edward hesitated and Peter burst into laughter,
"A fucking coward, I should have known. Fuck off Edward before you get hurt."
"I came to save Bella. I insist on talking to her"
I stepped to face him and lifted a finger,
"You don't get to insist anything Edward. Bella's had enough. If you want to talk to her you wait until she's recovered"
"Yeah, then she can tell you to fuck off personally Cullen."
Edward rounded on Peter but found himself on the ground with a boot in the throat.
"Are you sure you want to continue this? Only I'm not like the Cullens. I finish what I start."
Edward looked over at Bella who was sitting on the ground in Charlotte's arms then shook his head slowly.
"I didn't think so."
Peter took his boot from Edwards throat and he got slowly to his feet.
"I still want to talk to Bella"
"Yeah well take a number there's a fucking queue."
They stood facing each other as I knelt down at Bella's side and touched her cheek with my hand. She pressed into it flinching as her jaw moved and I could see it was almost as bad as it had been when she had it wired.
"Do you want to speak to Edward?"
She hesitated then nodded, taking my hand and writing on the back as she had before.
"Yes please"
I nodded to Peter who moved for Edward to pass him and he too knelt beside Bella. I put her hand on top of his reluctantly, every fibre of my being telling me not to.
"She can't speak so pay attention"
He looked at me as she started to spell her words out to him, I watched interested to see what she would say,
"Go home Edward, Jasper won, you lost."
She took her hand away and put it back on mine.
"Take me home please."
I nodded and picked her up from Charlotte's tender hold carrying her in my arms her head on my shoulder out of the culvert and up onto dry ground.
"I'll get transport Major. Wont be long"
Char disappeared while Peter stripped off his jacket and wrapped it round her shivering body.
"She's gonna catch her death if we don't get her warm and dry soon Major."
The cold from my body wasn't helping matters but she wouldn't let go so I couldn't put her down. A hand came over my shoulder and put another jacket tenderly round her,
"I'm sorry Bella and I see you're right. Goodbye."
Edward walked slowly away as Peter pulled his jacket closer around Bella.
Bella
I was relieved when I heard Jaspers voice challenging Victoria and even more so when I knew she was dead. All that was left was to tell Edward it was over then I could perhaps get dry and warm and stay in Jaspers arms for ever. I was shivering so violently even with two jackets around me but I couldn't let go of Jasper. I was scared he might melt away that I might find myself back in that office, all this a dream. My teeth started to chatter which sent pain shooting through my jaw and as I shuddered my ribs ached terribly, God I felt terrible then a calmness and peace stole over me, was I dying? I looked at Jaspers tense expression and knew he was responsible, soaking up my pain and giving me peace in its place. I wanted to object but I couldn't form words, then I felt myself lifted, Char had arrived with a car and inside it was warm and cosy. Laying in Jaspers arms I drifted slowly off to a place where there was no pain, no cold, no discomfort.
Peter
Char had turned the heater on full and the warm air was starting to fog with the damp from Bella's clothes, We needed to get her in the warm and some dry clothes before she caught pneumonia so as soon as we saw a motel sign I got her to pull over.
"I'll get a room you drive in until you find somewhere to get Bella some dry clothes and a hot meal."
As soon as we had a room to take Bella to Char drove off, once inside I went through thankful I'd asked for a room with a tub.
"Strip the wet stuff off her and I'll run a bath, try to warm her up."
I saw The Major take the jackets off her as I went through praying the water would be hot enough. He carried her through as I turned the taps off and was about to lay her in it when I stopped him and addressed Bella.
"Honey I need you to feel the water and tell me if it's too hot."
She opened her eyes and dipped a hand in the water before nodding,
She didn't seem worried about being naked in front of us and I guessed she was just too cold and suffering too much pain to care much about anything. All I could see was a body battered far too much for such a small frame, bruises still covered her left side and her jaw was badly swollen but she clung tightly to The Major who had eyes only for her. I nodded and he lowered her slowly into the water keeping his arm around her shoulder and gripping her hand with his other. The shaking eased almost immediately and she stopped looking quite so pale. When she opened her eyes they found his and stayed there so I went out to wait for Char,
"Call if you need me"
He nodded not breaking eye contact.
