Sorry for the epic delay on this. My muse just wasn't hitting me on this story for a long time, but she smacked me in the head with an idea earlier today and I've been typing as fast as the words can pour out of my head ever since. Here's a new chapter. Also the usual disclaimer: SM is the stage; I am merely a player.

Chapter 6: Damsels in distress are more trouble than they're worth.

Garrett could hear the cackling of Victoria long before they arrived on the scene. Isabella was mid-air, about to land hard on the ground, and probably break every bone in her body. Allen was able to snatch her out of the air before too much damage could be done, but she was completely unconscious.

Allen stole away with her back towards Jasper's building while Garrett dealt with James and Victoria. Before he could even say anything to them, Jasper appeared. "Where is she?!" The Major demanded.

"Allen got her, she's injured, but I'm not sure how badly. He's taking her back to your place," Garrett explained as he wrapped his fingers around Victoria's neck and squeezed until he could feel her skin cracking.

"You picked the wrong woman to hunt, Hunter," The Major hissed.

James merely smirked as if he didn't care at all. "Hey, she was there, and she smelled good. You know I don't care about much else."

Jasper grabbed him by his pony tail and yanked his head to the side so hard and fast that it disconnected from his body. Victoria would have screamed if Garrett hadn't crushed her larynx. All that came out was a gargled wailing that closely resembled nails on a chalkboard.

Once Jasper was done dismembering James, he assisted Garrett in tearing Victoria apart, too. The duo had wreaked enough havoc in New York, it was high time they were taken care of anyway. They dumped the pieces in a barrel and set it alight. The least these two would do is keep a couple homeless people warm for a while. If they could stand the smell of burning vampire, that is.

Back at Jasper's fortress, Allen was having a hard time reviving Isabella. "What's wrong with her?" Jasper demands.

"I don't know, Major. She just won't wake up. I'm not a human doctor y'know. I don't know how to treat her."

"There's only one vampire that does, Major," Peter suggested. "And you know what you have to do."

Jasper shook his head. "No, I'm not calling Carlisle Cullen for this."

"What choice do you have? How are you going to explain her injuries to the human doctors? A vampire tossed her in the air and she bumped up against a building a few times before being caught by another vampire and while she didn't crash to the ground, his rock hard body likely didn't help anything. Yeah, that'll go over real well. I'm sorry, Boss, but it looks like you don't have a choice. Either call him here or bring her to him."

"I won't have him knowing the ins and outs of this place. Let's get her to him. Call on the way." They descended in the elevator to the basement level where the garage was. As Jasper was carefully placing her in the backseat and securely in his lap, he turned to Peter. "She'll want her dog. Captain, go get him and bring him to the Cullens."

Peter sighed. "You know it's just going to growl and bark at me the whole time," he complained.

"Use your gift on it, then," Jasper retorted. "Or knock it out, I don't care. I just know that the first thing this woman is going to be concerned about when she wakes up is that damn dog. Go get it and bring it to the Cullens."

Peter felt as though he had the hardest job of all. Convincing Carlisle Cullen to let The Major into his home was going to be a cakewalk compared to coaxing Isabella's dog out of her apartment. He ran at top speed to her place and wrenched the door open. The dog started barking incessantly and growled at Peter. "Jasper," Peter addressed, putting his hands up. "Wanna see Bella?" He continued to growl menacingly. If it weren't for being a vampire, Peter might have actually been afraid of this canine. "C'mon buddy, let's go see your Mama."

Those words quieted him down right away. "Yeah, let's go see your Mama," he repeated, trying to coax him out of his bed. Jasper warily walked towards him, but stopped just to the left of the door and sat down. Peter was confused until he saw the dog was looking at his leash hanging on the hook. "Smart dog. I just might like you after all."

He hooked the leash onto the dog, thankful that this was far easier than he expected it to be. He wondered if Isabella had taught him to trust anyone that said anything about seeing his Mama. He ran at a fast human pace, a bit miffed that he couldn't run faster unless he wanted to carry the dog, and the speed would likely spook him and that wouldn't work in his favor. Instead he ran the few miles towards the Cullens, stopping once for Jasper to pee on a hydrant.

Jasper arrived at the Cullens in a few minutes and managed to convince Carlisle to come to the door. "Please she's been hurt, and you know I can't take a human that's been injured by a vampire to a human doctor."

"What did you do to her?!" Carlisle demanded.

"Nothing. James and Victoria did this. Garrett here got there just in time to keep her from falling to her death after being tossed as high as a building. Please, I don't know what to do, and she won't wake up. I know she's hurt, but I don't know how badly."

"Alright, bring her in, I'll grab my med bag," Carlisle agreed, stepping back to allow Jasper in. "They stay outside," he added, pointing to Allen and Garrett.

"Fine, guys, let me know when Peter gets here with the dog."

"You're picking up Jasper?" Esme asked. "You're actually that thoughtful?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Contrary to what you believe, I'm not a monster, Mrs. Cullen. I may have only exchanged a few words with Ms. Swan, but I know she loves that dog more than anything, and the first thing she'll want when she wakes up is to know he's okay."

Carlisle set about checking her injuries. "She's got some bumps and bruises, but overall she's not badly hurt, thankfully. Not even any broken bones, though Garrett may have bruised a rib or two when he snatched her from the air. Could have been a lot worse. She might just be in shock, and that's why she's unconscious. I don't see any head injuries of any kind."

"Oh thank god," Jasper rasped, relieved. The tension he was carrying in his entire body was released. "How long until she wakes up?"

"Only time will tell, I'm afraid. I can set up a drip to give her nutrients and keep her hydrated; it may be a day or two. Major Whitlock, you're welcome to stay here for the duration, if you like. I think we can put aside our differences and arguments until she's better, don't you? I know we all care for her a great deal."

"Yes, Carlisle. That would be good of you. Thank you." Jasper was shaking Carlisle's hand when Peter arrived with Jasper the dog. Ignoring everyone else in the house, Jasper went right for Bella and yipped at her still form. He whined a bit then looked at the others, as if for answers to why his Mama wasn't awake."

"She'll be okay, Jazz," Esme said, patting him on the head. "Do you want a treat?" Jasper yipped happily and followed Esme to the kitchen where she had a jar full of chicken jerky. She handed him a small piece which he carefully took from her hand and pranced off to another room to enjoy. "He's such a sweetie," Esme commented. Once he was done with the jerky, he went back to Bella's side. He whined at her once more, but then hopped up on the bed and curled up at her feet.

Both Jaspers refused to leave Bella's side for hours. "C'mon Jasper, wanna go for a walk?" Rosalie said, attempting to get Jasper outside. She knew he probably had to pee at the very least. And he definitely needed to eat something. Finally, showing him his leash got him off the bed and following Rosalie out of the room. She and Emmett took him on a nice long walk through Central Park.

Meanwhile, Bella remained silent. Her breathing and pulse were even. A few bruises were beginning to show on her skin, but otherwise her injuries were overall superficial. Carlisle brought in a portable x-ray machine and took some scans of Bella's skull to ensure she didn't suffer any traumatic brain injuries.

"She has a few healed contusions, likely from playing too hard as a child, but nothing recent, and there's no brain swelling. Like I said at first, she's just in shock, which can often cause a human body to shut down like this. In time, she'll wake up. We just have to be patient," Carlisle explained, while also attempting to assuage The Major's worries.

"Thanks, Doc," Jasper replied, giving Carlisle a half-smile.

Another twelve hours passed before Bella stirred. "What happened?" she mumbled as she awoke. Carlisle, Esme, and the Jaspers were all in the room.

"You were attacked," Jasper said, deciding to speak up first. "Do you remember James the bartender from the club you went to the other night?"

"Jasper?"

"I'm right here, Bella," Jasper replied, inching closer so he could take his hand in hers.

"Not you… the dog. Is he okay? How long have I been out? I'm sure he's hungry and needs to eat."

Jasper hopped up on the bed and snuggled up to Bella, licking her face. He was just as happy to see her awake as she was to see he was okay.

"He's hardly left your side except when we can convince him to eat something or go for a walk," Carlisle explained, patting the pooch on the head. "You're at our house. You recognize the room? This is where you stayed that night after going out with my wife and daughters."

Bella blinked a few times and took in her surroundings. She recognized the guest room, and the pajamas she was wearing. The same ones that Esme had lent her the last time. Then she saw the IV connected to her left hand. "What's this for?" she asked.

"You were in shock and we weren't sure how long you'd be out for. That's just to make sure you didn't get dehydrated and got some nutrients. You've been out for almost two days."

"Two days?! Holy crow! Um… What happened with James? Did he get away? Did the police catch him? I don't remember much." That was a lie. She remembered everything. She remembered too much. James was a vampire, as was Victoria, and probably the Cullens and even Jasper Whitlock.

It wasn't some feuding mafia families she'd gotten dropped into. It was feuding vampires. Just her luck. But could she let on that she knew? Or was James just full of shit? In all truth, it made sense. It explained why they all had such cold and hard skin. Or why none of them ever seemed to eat or drink around her. They just pretended to. What it didn't explain was the difference in eye color. If they were all vampires, why were Jasper's, James', and Victoria's eyes all red or burgundy while all the Cullens had golden yellow eyes?

"You went through a traumatic experience, Bella. It's no surprise that your mind has blocked it out. You may remember everything, you may remember some flashes, or you may never get your memories back of that night," Carlisle told her. "But you don't have to worry about James or Victoria.

"The police got them?" Bella asked.

"No," Jasper replied. "I did." Bella could see the anger and hatred towards the bartender and his girlfriend pouring out of Jasper in waves. In fact, his eyes were nearly black with fury. It was almost making her angry just watching how upset he was about it.

"You did? What do you mean? You… you killed them?!"

"Bella, they were going to kill you. It was a miracle that I got there when I did," Jasper answered. "You're not going to like this, but James had been stalking you. Ever since he met you at the club the other night. He's been following you around, keeping a distance so you didn't see him, but he was there. I caught on to his behavior and had a couple of my guys keep an eye out to make sure you were safe.

"I know you didn't ask me to, and I know you're probably upset with me for even thinking it, but I just couldn't see you fall victim to him. James is… was a predator of the very worst kind." Bella visibly gulped at Jasper's words. "And I know you told me you wanted nothing to do with me, but I just couldn't let anything like that happen to you, not when I had the means to do something about it.

"Now that you're safe, I'll leave you be. I can tell you're angry."

Before he could get up from his chair, Bella reached over and placed her hand on his. "No. Stay," she commanded. "I'm angry yes, but not at you. While I don't like that you were having me watched, I understand that you had the best intentions, and truthfully, if your guys hadn't been there, I'd probably be in a lot worse condition than I am now. And based on what you said of James, possibly dead.

"I can't help but be grateful for you, Jasper. You've redeemed yourself a bit in my eyes. Who brought Jasper the dog over here?"

"My guy Peter. The one in the suit you met the other day. You put the fear of God in him might I add. I knew you'd be asking about your dog the second you woke up, so I had him go and get him from your apartment. He's good with dogs."

"Thank you for doing that. It means a lot to me." She smiled at Jasper, seeing him in a new light. "Poor buddy," she added, cooing to her dog. "I bet you growled and barked and fought the whole way here, didn't you? Did Peter make it out unscathed? Jasper does not let other people take him unless they know what to say to calm him," Bella stated.

"Um, he said something like, 'wanna see your mama' I think. I don't know the exact words he used, but I know he tried a few different phrases and that one worked."

Bella nodded. "Good thinking on his part. He must have used the word 'buddy' in there, too. He responds positively when you say something like 'hey buddy, let's go find mama,' or something similar. I trained him to trust people who use those words.

Jasper smiled. "You're clever, Bella. Many dog owners wouldn't think to do that, I'd bet."

"Yeah, I wanted him to be able to defend himself in a way if I wasn't around. Not that someone determined enough couldn't subdue him one way or another, but I trained him to not make it easy for them. On another note, Carlisle, where'd you get all these med supplies?" Bella looked around and saw in addition to the IV, there were a few monitors in the room, tracking her pulse and so forth.

He smiled. "When I'm not moonlighting as part of the 'goon squad' for my Wife and daughter's shops, I'm a trauma surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital. Mr. Whitlock knew to bring you here as he knew I'd be equipped to handle your case."

"Oh I see. And um, not that I'm complaining, but why here and not the Hospital itself?" she asked.

Jasper and Carlisle exchanged a glance. Jasper chose to answer. "Let's just say that the nature of the situation with James and Victoria warranted a more discreet treatment. If we took you to a hospital, they'd ask questions as to how you were injured. I figured, rather than creating some lie about it, it'd be best to have you treated privately. Plus, I wasn't sure of your insurance situation, being new to the City and all."

"Oh yeah… health insurance. I should probably get on that, huh? Well, thank you again. I… really don't know how to repay you all." Bella still thought it odd that they wouldn't have brought her to a hospital. Unless everything James said was true, that is. If it was, she didn't know how they'd explain a vampire attack to a human doctor.

"How about getting up and showing us that you can walk, still. You were pretty banged up, but most of your wounds were superficial. I didn't find anything broken. You may have a couple bruised ribs from where Mr. Whitlock's guy snatched you away from James, but otherwise unscathed. Just want to make sure, though."

"Sure thing, Doc," Bella replied, grinning at Carlisle. She'd no idea he was a surgeon. It was a delightful surprise. But it also brought to question James' assertion of them being vampires. How could a vampire be a trauma surgeon? Wouldn't he be surrounded by blood all the time? Then again, maybe it was ideal. He'd have a nearly unlimited supply of blood-bags at his fingertips at any time.

Nothing about any of them indicated vampire, though. To her, vampires were ruthless, cruel and monstrous. None of them, not even Jasper and his goons were like that. Then again, Hollywood had been wrong about many things. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she threw the blankets off of her and turned so her feet could touch the ground. It had been a couple days since she'd been up and around and she did feel a bit sore. Carlisle and Jasper offered steady hands for her to take. As she took their hands, she felt only coolness from Carlisle, but an electric spark from Jasper. Not unlike a static shock, though it wasn't painful, it felt like it touched her soul.

Jasper's eyes were twinkling as she connected her palm with his. As she stood up, she remembered feeling a similar, but milder jolt when she touched his hand earlier, to keep him from leaving. Carlisle took the lead on helping her out of the room and Jasper took up the rear, ensuring that if she fell, he'd catch her.

In the kitchen, Esme was whipping up some chicken broth and crackers. "Hi Bella. How are you feeling?" she asked. The caramel haired woman smiled affectionately at Bella, further confusing her to the idea that she could be a vampire.

"Um, okay, I guess. I'm a little sore, but that's to be expected, all things considered," Bella replied. Jasper the dog trotted along at her side. "Might be a while before we can go on our legendary runs, buddy," she said to him, patting him on the head. He merely panted, grinning at her. Clearly he was happy that she was up and about.

"Well in the meantime, my family and I have no problem taking him out. In fact, we love it. It's not often we get to spend time with dogs. They're usually afraid of us." Esme cleared her throat right after speaking, indicating to Bella that she probably didn't mean to say that.

"Yeah, Jasper trusts anyone that I trust, so since I've liked you from day one, so does he. Plus it doesn't hurt that he gets lots of treats from you," Bella answered, winking at Esme.

The soup was ready and Esme set it on the breakfast bar for Bella. Carlisle and Jasper helped her into the stool and stood regiment on either side, ensuring she didn't lose her balance and fall off. "You know I'm not made of glass, right?" she commented as she tucked into the meal. "Wow this is great, Esme. Thank you."

"You're very welcome. I'm just glad you're alright."

Bella nodded and continued eating in silence. She had a lot to work through in her mind. As far as the people around her knew, she didn't remember a lot about what happened. As far as they knew, she didn't remember being told by James that not only were vampires real, but Jasper Whitlock and all of the Cullens were them, and wanted something from her. James had said something about her being Jasper's mate and the Cullens wanting her to be their queen.

"Either way you'll be a vampire," he'd said. If what he'd said was true, either Jasper or the Cullens were going to turn her into a vampire, somehow. She thought he was completely off his rocker, Victoria too, until he picked her up as if she weighed nothing and tossed her in the air so high that she saw the top of a skyscraper. Not even her creative mind could have made that up.

But none of the Cullens nor Jasper had given Bella any indication that they knew what James had said to her. Then again, they did seem a bit relieved when she lied about not remembering much.

As she contemplated the information rolling around in her head, she remembered her conversation with Angela where she learned that Jasper Whitlock was the man that bought her paintings and commissioned the new series. "Jasper," she began. He had some 'splaining to do.

"Um, me or the dog?"

"You… I had a chat with a friend of mine the other day and she informed me that you recently purchased a series of paintings. That you paid a hefty sum of five hundred thousand dollars for said paintings."

"Um, who do you know that would know that?" he asked.

"Said friend also mentioned that you commissioned the same artist to supply the artwork for an upcoming restaurant that you're opening. And for this series you're paying double what you paid the first time. Is that correct?"

"I… wh-what?" he stuttered. Either he had no clue or he was an incredible actor.

Standing up, Bella continued. "I am very careful, Jasper. Very. I have never connected any of my art with my real name. Not even when I was doodling in sketchbooks as a kid. I always knew I wanted to be an artist, but I also always knew that I never wanted to be famous. My friend Angela Weber has handled all of that for me for a very long time." Bella saw a spark of recognition in Jasper's eyes upon the mention of her friend. "She's incredible. She only lets me pay her ten percent for everything she does. But everything she does includes my anonymity. Angela goes to great lengths to ensure that nothing ever connects back to me. And it never has. No one knows my face; no one knows my real name. Until now.

"Somehow, the very minute I arrive in New York City I pretty much literally run into the one person in all of the country that bought my art. What are the odds of that, do you think? So tell me, Jasper. How in the hell did you figure out that I'm Destiny?"

Jasper shook his head. "Wait a second. You're Destiny?!"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Oh like you didn't know. I'll admit you put on quite a show. 'oh what a beautiful and well-behaved dog' and all that bull-shit. But then it all started to make sense. The sneaky shopping spree, the security detail, the fact that suddenly you were there to save me from some freak and his squeaky bitch of a girlfriend. So what was it all for… to protect your investment? You somehow knew I hadn't finished the new series yet and wanted to make sure I did so you'd have what you're paying for? What?"

He put up his hands as if to surrender. For the first time in his immortal life, Jasper was afraid of a human. "Honestly, Bella, I had no idea. I swear. It's sheer happenstance. A lot of happenstance, mind you, but I promise. I had absolutely no clue that you and Destiny are one in the same."

Bella glared at him, daring him to even think of lying to her. "I swear to every god in the history of the world if you're lying to me…"

"He's not lying," Esme interjected. "I know you haven't known us long, and I know you're aware of the quote un-quote family feud going on between us and his business, but I have known Jasper for a very long time. He's telling you the truth."

"I agree," Edward added. "I'm a pretty good lie detector. His surprise when you identified yourself as this Destiny person was completely genuine."

"Jasper is a pretty good judge of character," Bella added, patting her dog on the head. "He growled at you when we first met, and only stopped when I told him to. And I'll wager that while the Cullens have all taken turns taking him for walks since my attack that you have not volunteered once. Yet at the same time, you're the one that thought to have him brought here. Care to elaborate on that, Mr. Whitlock?"

"I'm dangerous," he replied. "I'm sure the Cullens have told you at least that much about me. I have a reputation not only in this city, but around the world for being ruthless, aggressive, and will stop at nothing to get what I want. However, all of that is different when I'm with you. Just simply making eye contact when we met was all it took for me to make a complete one-eighty."

"Okay… what's that about?" Bella asked.

"It's a connection that I feel. I know you don't feel it or understand what I'm talking about, but I can only say that in time, it'll all make sense. I went about this all wrong, I tried to force a semblance of a relationship on you when clearly I should have been letting you call the shots. You're definitely a woman that can take care of herself and does not like others to make decisions for her."

"You're absolutely right. I hate when people act on my behalf. Well, Angela is the one exception to that rule, but for obvious reasons." Bella decided to come out with a half truth about what she remembered James saying. "I remember something that James said to me."

"Oh?" several of them chorused.

"Yes, he said that you wanted me for your mate, Jasper. He said mate not wife or girlfriend or even fuck-buddy. Mate. It seemed a rather specific word. And I don't think he meant it as 'friend' like in England. What did he mean?"

Jasper shrugged in response. "I guess he saw me trying to dance with you at the club, and then when I interfered that day in the park when he was harassing you. He must have known that I was… am… attracted to you. His word choice is odd, but I'm sure that's all it was."

He was lying through his teeth, and Bella knew it. But, the fact that she could tell when he was lying now also told her that he was being honest before. He didn't know she was Destiny, and now she'd just outed herself to possibly a bunch of vampires.

"I have more questions," Bella declared.

"Let's all sit down in the other room," Carlisle suggested. "While I'm thrilled that you're so stable on your feet, you should take it easy, Bella. Doctor's orders"

She nodded in acquiescence and followed the group out to the living room. They all seated themselves around the room, leaving Bella the large chair that was practically in the middle of the room. "We'll gladly answer any question you have, Bella. Fire away."

"Why do all of you have the same eye color?" she asked of the Cullens. "And Jasper, you and all of your cronies have the same color, too, only it's like a dark red. Both yours and the Cullens' eyes are colors that I've never seen before.

"You all have such pale cold skin that's hard as a rock, and I've never seen any of you eat or drink anything. Esme, earlier you said that dogs usually are afraid of you, and something tells me it's not because they can sense you're a cat person.

"Bella what are you trying to ask us?" Alice asked. She couldn't see Bella's decisions, so she had no idea what she wanted to know. Edward couldn't read her mind, so he was blind to her thoughts, and Jasper couldn't read her emotions to get any indication of what she was getting at. They were all flying blind.

"I lied before," Bella confessed. "When I said I didn't remember much about the attack. I remember everything. Every single second. Every word out of James' mouth, every cackling screech out of Victoria's. And being thrown so high up into the air that I saw the top of a skyscraper." Everyone remained silent, and eerily still. "James told me you all were vampires. I didn't believe him of course, but then he went on and said I was some prime piece of property and that Jasper wanted me for his mate while The Cullens wanted to make me their queen.

"It wasn't until I was mid-air that I thought he could have possibly be telling me the truth. So was he? Was he telling me the truth? Are you all vampires?"

A/N: Oh snap, she knows! How do you think they'll react?