A/N: Looks like trouble is brewing for our couple. Who knows what will happen next since we have the three nomads in the area along with Edward throwing his tantrum. Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 12 – The Body Count Rises

Over the weekend three more victims succumbed to wild animal attacks and a fear settled over Forks and the surrounding area. Bella worried for her father and his safety, the Cullen's worried about the town knowing exactly what was causing this, and Jasper feared for Bella. He never wanted anything bad to happen to her and it seemed as if the danger was circling and getting closer. The danger of the beasts attacking her coupled with Edward's return had him wanting to lock her away where no one else would be able to find her. It appeared the nomad they had all believed to be leaving was in fact still there and wreaking havoc on the area.

Charlie had to work extra hours and went on tracking parties with other law enforcement officials, but unfortunately after several hours of trying to find it, they were no closer to tracking it down than they were to locating Bigfoot. They weren't even sure what they were looking for. They found a couple of human footprints, but ignored them because whatever this thing was, there was no way it could be human; although, Charlie was beginning to think that it could be the work of some deranged lunatic. It wouldn't explain how the victims were basically ripped to shreds the way they were, but being a cop, Charlie knew stranger and more gruesome things have happened in the past.

Growing more and more anxious as the weekend progressed, the only reason Bella didn't forbid her father from going into work is because she knew it wouldn't help, and he wouldn't listen to her if she had tried to do something like that. It seemed almost surreal for her right now. She hated coming up to Forks and had refused to visit the small rinky dink town, and now here she as living in it. She had convinced herself that she would never see JW again, and now he had declared them mates and she wasn't fighting the title. And now something else threatened their peacefulness and joy. A rogue vampire was killing people and making them his or her meal and everyone around their sleepy little community believed it to be the work of a wild animal. In a way she guessed that was accurate, but she couldn't help the tremble of fear that worked her way through her body. Would this thing get her father? Would it hurt Jasper and his family? Would it get her and separate her from the life she was attempting to build after leaving her scatterbrained mother? She didn't know and she had to believe that anything was possible.

The dream she had the other night plagued her over the weekend and the thought of seeing red eyes terrified her to no end. However, it wasn't only the bright eyes that she held a healthy dose of fear for, but she also found herself less than anxious to see Edward. Maybe it was the warnings or the way he just appeared the other day or even the way he had appeared in her dream and approached her… she wasn't sure. The only thing Bella knew for sure is that she was scared of the man she had only met briefly and she was hesitant about ever going to Biology class again.

As she had done several times over the weekend, Bella shot up in her bed Monday morning, her dream once again pulling her from her peaceful slumber. Her eyes moved to and fro scanning the room for anything that should not be there, for any hint that something encroached on her personal space, but everything seemed normal and the only intruder was one she had invited.

Jasper could sense her emotions zinging all over the place as she slept and knew from experience over the weekend that she was having a nightmare; and as much as he wanted to free her from its grasp, he wasn't sure how to do it. It wasn't for lack of trying on his part, but when he had tried to awaken her previous times, she would swat him away and never open her eyes or have zero reaction to his attempts, and he learned that it might be best to let her dream. A couple of times he had tried to influence her dreams by sending calm and peace her way, and it seemed to help, but it never stopped the nightmare, and as Bella shot up to a sitting position finally awakened from her dream, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close so that she knew he was there for her. Kissing the side of her head, he whispered, "It's alright darlin', I'm here."

"JW?" Bella asked, her dream still on the fringes of her subconscious.

"Yah honey, it's me. Same dream?"

A small whimper escaped her lips as she nodded. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly and whispered, "Yah. Both of them trying to take me and…" She stopped unable to go on.

Pulling her closer, Jasper cooed, "I will not let that happen to you. I will always protect you… even from Edward."

Bella turned her head slightly to look him in the eye over her shoulder, "We have Biology together."

"We can always see if something else is available, or maybe Alice could transfer into that class to keep an eye on him," he offered, and yet there was still that feeling in the pit of his stomach that left alone even for a day, Edward was still dangerous. There was no telling what he would do in order to get to his singer, and even if the younger man had decided not to partake of the decadent blood crying out to him, Jasper knew it would only be a matter of time before he succumbed, and if he didn't, Edward could still pose a threat to Bella. If anyone was going to bite the brunette, it would be Jasper and Jasper alone. Even the thought of someone else contemplating biting her sent sparks of jealousy running through him. No, he would be the one to bite her, but only when the time was right and when she was ready, not a moment before… and if Edward wanted to lay one drop of venom on her, Jasper was sure he would rip the other vampire to pieces.

Frowning at the strange feelings stirring in her, Bella muttered, "Um, JW are you alright?" One minute he was comforting her and the next she felt jealous, anxious, irritated, pissed off, etc.

Jasper ran a hand over his face and breathed in Bella's scent in an effort to rein in his swirling emotions, "Yah, sorry bout that, but like I was sayin' we could see what we could do about gettin you out of there."

"Let's see what's available," she agreed. The thought of being in the same class with Edward did not sit well… not between the warnings and her dreams. Glancing at the clock to see what time it was, she groaned. She still had two hours before her alarm would go off, and yet she honestly did not think she could go back to sleep.

Pulling her a little tighter into his arms, Jasper fell backwards into the bed and situated her so that her head used him as a pillow, and once she wiggled her way into a more comfortable position, he started to comb his fingers through her hair and humming softly to her. He always kept one ear trained on Charlie since it wouldn't do for the chief to find some guy in his daughter's bed, regardless if it was her boyfriend or not. The other man was still snoring and Jasper to wonder sometimes what it would take to actually wake up that man.

"I didn't know you could sing," Bella smiled listening to the melody her boyfriend emitted.

Jasper chuckled, "Darlin' that isn't singin, it's humming. There is a difference."

Bella glanced up, "Ok smartass, then can you sing?"

"Maybe."

"That's not an answer."

Smiling, Jasper nodded, "I have in the past. My mother used to like it when I would sing and play guitar."

"Do you still play?"

"Sometimes. Maybe, if you ask nicely, I can play for you sometime. I'll warn you though, I'm a bit rusty."

"I'd like that." She placed her head back on Jasper's chest and relaxed, refusing to let sleep claim her again and asked, "Do you think that other vampire will ever move on?"

"I want to say yes, but whoever it is has been here longer than I thought they would, but don't worry. If it doesn't move on, it will eventually be caught and dealt with," Jasper declared knowing full well that there were things around here that would guard the human population… and he didn't only mean his family.

"Do you mean you or one of the others will kill it?" There was a finality in his words and she found herself curious.

Jasper paused for a moment to contemplate how to word things so that he did not spill the secret of the tribe, but still answered the question. He never wanted to lie to her, but there were some things that he had no right or permission to divulge, "Things have a way of keeping order and protecting the people around here. If my family doesn't get this vampire, there are other things in place which will get it."

Snickering, Bella said, "You sounded almost mystical and spiritual right then."

He kissed the top of her head, "Ya'll could say it's a spiritual matter."

A yawn escaped her mouth and still she fought her sleepiness, "Sounds interesting."

"You wouldn't believe how interesting this place really is," he spoke quietly and rubbed his hand up and down her back. It wasn't much longer before he heard her even breathing and he realized she had succumbed to slumber once again. Whispering so that he would not disturb her, and so she would not be able to hear him, he said, "No matter what the wolves say or do, I will be the one to take care of you."

A couple hours later while she got ready for school, the southern vampire went and picked up his car, leaving before anyone could say anything to him. Edward may be a jealous prick who thought he was superior to him and others in the family, but that would not stop Jasper from being with Bella, and he would do anything and everything he could to make sure Edward stayed away from the brunette.

Cullen home…

"Not much more time. I have to make her see that Jasper is a monster and will kill her. I have to. I'm the only one that can help her, that can make sure she is safe," Edward mumbled to himself as he wrote in one of his many journals. He trusted in himself, believed he could control himself. In fact it wouldn't surprise him if the "animal" attacks were actually Jasper slipping up in an effort to not attack Bella. That had to be it, and since Edward not had not been around his adopted brother all that much lately, Jasper had been safe from anyone learning his secret. That would stop today though. He only had a few hours left before school, and even if it took until Biology class, he would get Bella alone so that he could talk to her and convince her that Jasper was one of the most dangerous men she could be around. She had to know the truth.

When the time was right, Edward climbed into the car with the rest of his siblings minus Jasper. He was upset, but he would get the warning to her and do whatever it took to convince her that Jasper was the wrong person for her.

Quileute reservation…

Sam walked up to the house of Billy Black, having been called by his leader the night before. Waiting until Jacob had left for school, Sam rang the doorbell and waited for the other man to answer.

Knowing who was on the other side of the door, Billy quickly wheeled his through the kitchen in order to let the other man in. Normally he would have talked to Sam over the phone, but with the urgency and sensitivity of the case at hand, he wanted to talk to him in person. Turning the nob, he let the door swing open and greeted his visitor, "Sam. Thanks for coming. Come inside and shut the door."

Complying without question, Sam entered the home and sat down at the kitchen table after his elder had wheeled himself and stopped there, "Is this about the supposed animal attacks."

"Yes, you know as well as I do that this are not animal attacks. We need to do what we can to protect the tribe," Billy declared. "Have you been able to find out if it is the Cullen's breaking the treaty? I talked to Charlie Swan this weekend. It turns out his daughter knows one of them and has decided to… date one of them. Jasper I believe."

This surprised Sam because who would want to date a cold one knowing what they are. His only conclusion, or at least the most logical one, is that she didn't know the truth about the Cullen family and what they really were, "Is she…?"

"I don't know, but I will give her a subtle warning. It is not my place to tell their secrets just as they cannot tell ours."

"But if it would place her out of danger…" Sam insisted, however, he stopped when Billy held up a hand to halt his words.

Shaking his head, Billy told him, "Charlie is one of my best friends and I will do what I can to warn Bella, but we cannot go against the treaty, and telling Bella the truth about them would be breaking our word. They have kept our secret as long as the treaty has been in place, and we will keep theirs. Now, back to the attacks… is it the Cullen clan?"

Sam felt sufficiently chastised and he would go along with his elder's orders, but that didn't mean he liked them or agreed. Sighing, he shook his head and answered, "No. The smells in the area are different, but I can tell you that it is vampires doing this and there are three of them. The same three scents have been found at all of the crime scenes, so it looks like we have three vampires who don't belong here and have no idea who they are messing with. I have my boys on patrols around the clock. They won't come near the reservation. In addition, Paul and myself are doing sweeps around the town to see if we find anything or can track down the strangers."

"I know you and your pack are strong, but if we are dealing with three cold ones, then you need to be careful and no one should attack alone."

"Agreed. Now let's just hope Paul can remember that and not go off halfcocked like he usually does." Sam hesitated before continuing, "Given the circumstances, should we call the Cullen's to see what they know?"

"We can handle our business ourselves. I don't trust them because when it comes down to it, they may drink from animals, but how long before one of them breaks the treaty. No, we will wait and watch for now."

"Understood. And you will handle the Bella situation?"

"Yes, leave it to me," Billy stated solemnly. He never would have believed that a nice girl like Bella would have gotten involved with a blood sucker, especially when she had been back in town only for a week. This was fast and he needed to act quickly. He didn't want to even contemplate her body being added to the growing number of victims. She needed to stay away from the Cullen's and he prayed she would heed his warning.