A/N: Paul has been handled for now, but it looks like there is more to the story than everyone thought. Emmett and Rose have gone after James and Charlie is on his way to the hospital. What is going to happen from here? Enjoy!

Chapter 27 – Safe

Time. Sometimes it felt as if it moved quickly, causing the world to spin so fast that its inhabitants should have been thrown into space. And other times it felt as if it slowed to a crawl, making people wonder if the world was actually still in motion. One thing it never did was stop, as much as we wished and hoped it would sometimes do just that, it was perpetually in motion and forever moving forward into the future.

The moment Bella had learned of Charlie's abduction, time had seemed to slow to a crawl. She wanted it to speed up, for everything to happen at a faster rate, but it hadn't; however, when they got the call that he had been found, it felt as if the space/time continuum had started to move at a normal speed once again, wreaking havoc on super sensitive emotions and frail nerves. It felt as if her whole life flashed before her eyes, but that wasn't possible. That only happened when you were about to die. Right?

Memories of days gone by replayed in her mind. Christmases spent with her parents together, and then the times spent being shuffled from one place to another. The stance she took when she refused to return to Forks, only to recant that same demand years later when she offered to move in with her father once again. The memory of following a stray kitten and losing her way, and when she looked up, Jasper was there smiling down at her and leading her home… towards the light. It was all fresh in her mind.

Maybe it was a strange comparison. Jasper was no heavenly messenger sent to rescue her, he would probably be the first person to tell you that; and yet, he had ignored any warning that might have been going off in his head just so he could help her find her way. And he had been doing the same thing since that night long ago. For some odd reason, throughout the years, whenever she felt afraid, in need of comfort, or hell whenever she just needed to think things through, JW was the one that helped her. All she had to do was think about him or that meeting, his eyes, his smile, and she felt comforted… safe, and she knew everything would work out. Odd how one meeting could do that to her when she could not say the same thing about anyone or anything else. He was the only one.

And even though she thought about leaving the house and searching for her father on her own, or thought about what more she could do, Bella took comfort in Jasper's nearness and trusted him. Trust was not easy for her to give, but he had it the first night she met him. That being said, trust did not mean she wanted to sit back on her laurels and allow others to do everything for her. She felt inept and helpless. If she were a vampire, would she feel the same? No, she didn't think she would because then she knew she would not be some helpless human that Jasper and the others had to worry about.

Glancing out the window, she was surprised to find the car pulling into a parking spot at the hospital. Had she been spacing out the entire drive over? Not that the trip was a long one by any means, but she felt like she had just gotten in the car. Her eyes shifted to the profile of her mate. His jaw was clamped tight, and it looked as if he might be grinding his teeth. His muscles were taught and ready for anything that might come his way, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings.

Without looking at her directly, Jasper asked, "You ready? We need to get inside fast. Just in case certain someone's are watching, I don't want them to have a chance at gettin' to you."

"I'm ready," she muttered quietly, other words dying on her lips before they could escape. Now wasn't the time for a long monologue. Her father was inside, two vampires were out to get her, and this was not the time or place.

He wanted to use vampire speed to get her within the confines of the building, but doing that would draw too much attention. Cameras in the parking lot and surrounding the building could and would pick up the slightest movement, and if something appeared out of the ordinary… well it was something he didn't want to deal with again, not with his mate with him.

Throughout his time as a vampire, Jasper had seen the world change around him. Sometimes he felt like he was a part of it, and sometimes he felt like he was on the outside looking in. Fashion going out of style and then coming back in. Woman's lib, prohibition, the end of the Civil War, WWI and WWII, technology… so many things developed and changed, and yet there were times he seemed to just go through the motions. Looking for Maria to deal with her almost gave him a purpose, something to do to keep him moving and functioning. When he had met Bella, some tiny fragment in his world started to light up and it continued to glow brighter and brighter as it started to encompass a larger space. He woke up and he hadn't gone back to sleep since that night. He didn't want to, and he knew that if he lost her, that light would be snuffed out as blackness consumed him.

Walking to her side of the car, he opened the car door and took her hand. He needed that physical connection, to feel her warmth for himself. His emotions were running on high and he was coiled tight, ready to spring at anything that moved towards them. Her touch kept him grounded and level headed. As odd as that sounded coming from one of the vampires that had been the scourge of the south, the truth of it rang out in his need to touch her and have her near. Even if it would have been safer to send her packing and to never associate with her. They had moved past the point of no return and he couldn't let her go. The moment he had seen her again, it had already been too late.

His eyes scanned the area again for anything that appeared even slightly out of place, as his ears tried to pick out the faintest of noises that didn't belong. There was a wolf close by, but other than that, no other intruders were present. At least not yet. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he hurried her into the hospital. He wasn't going to wait for anyone else to show up.

"Hey JW?" Bella spoke softly, taking comfort in the cold embrace that held her close even as it guided her through the halls and towards her father.

"What is it darlin'?"

"Thank you for being here and for, well everything."

Jasper looked down at the woman beside him and gave her a soft smile she did not get the chance to see since her head was bowed. Stopping in the middle of the hall, he used one hand to lift her chin as he bent down to gaze directly into her eyes and whispered, "Honey, there's nowhere else I would rather be than with you throughout eternity."

A warm spread throughout her body. Bella knew this was not just words spewing from his mouth, but a proclamation and a promise. Heat suffused her body and a blush crept into her cheeks. She didn't know what to say.

Seeing her now slightly flustered appearance, he allowed himself another smile and gave her a small kiss, wishing it could last longer, progress, and he didn't have to worry about their surroundings or who might be watching and waiting. As he pulled back, he told her, "I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, JW."

Those words spoken, they continued on their way stopping again only when they had found Carlisle exiting a room.

"Carlisle? How's my dad?" Bella questioned almost afraid to hear the answer.

The patriarch of the Cullen family studied her for a moment before he answered, "He has suffered some minor blood loss and has a concussion. There is a large gash on the back of his head that I need to stitch. I have already applied lidocaine, which will numb the area, however, he is unconscious at the moment. They had already ordered the X-rays before I arrived, and thankfully the skull is intact. That being said, after I suture the area, I am sending him for a CT scan. Based on what I am seeing so far though, Charlie was lucky. He should make a full recovery, but until I get more test results, I won't have a full picture."

"Can I… can I see him?"

"Not yet. I only came out because I knew you had probably arrived. You can see him after I stitch him up."

Feeling the arm which was wrapped around her waist give her a small squeeze, Bella finally nodded, "Ok. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Bella. I'll come get you when I'm done here," Carlisle gave her a small reassuring smile and then re-entered the room.

It felt as if it was a terminally unending wait, but eventually the doctor emerged and found Bella and his son in the waiting room. The brunette looked on edge and even if Jasper wasn't using his gift on her, Carlisle knew that it was the southern man that was keeping her grounded and completely losing it. Not that he would blame her. This whole situation was a cluster, and Carlisle felt like he held some of the blame. Maybe he had been too lenient on Edward, or maybe there was something he could have done to control his first son more, but now it was too late and the perpetual 17 year old was after Bella, another man's mate.

Stepping into near empty waiting room, the doctor told them, "Charlie's head wound has been sutured. Sorry it took longer than expected. After I was done, CT was ready for him, so we sent him down there first. He is back in his room and waiting to be transferred up onto a floor. I'm admitting him for now. The concussion is a bit of a concern especially since he is not waking up, but he has been through a trauma and that can impact the situation, as well as the extended period of time it took to get him treatment. So we are going to be monitoring him for a while. You are more than welcome to go into the room and visit now though and then you can follow transport up to the floor when they come for him."

Bella stood to her feet and swayed a little. Although still concerning, it was a relief and suddenly her body felt almost heavy. If it hadn't been for Jasper's quick reflexes in catching her, she would have probably fallen to the floor. "Thanks JW," she whispered softly. Turning to Carlisle, she said, "Thank you again."

Jasper swung her up in his arms and carried her to her father's room amidst her protests, but he wasn't going to let her walk if she couldn't even stand up straight. Once she regained her composure and saw her father, then he would let her go. For now, he would allow himself to give into temptation and hold her as close as he could in public. He wanted so much more, desired more, and when this was all over, he would fulfill every dream and desire until they were both overflowing with pleasure. Willing the hardness in his jeans to go down, he opened Charlie's door and entered, setting Bella down in the only chair in the room.

Her eyes studied the man lying in the hospital bed surrounded by white. He looked chalky and pale, but she took comfort as she watched his chest rise and fall with even breaths, felt more at ease hearing the heart monitor beeping steadily. For all the times she refused to see him, for all the time they had been separated, this was still her father and she loved him. Leaning forward, Bella grabbed his hand and held tight, "I'm here dad. Don't worry, you're going to be ok now. Dr. Cullen is going to make sure of it."

Elsewhere…

They felt like they were running around in circles. Was James just playing with them? Knowing the area better than him, he was running and not making any progress. They had been through this meadow at least three times, albeit from different directions. If this nomad was supposed to be a master tracker, then why did he keep going in circles? It didn't make sense. That is unless he was playing them. Rosalie and Emmett would not let their guard down and were even more aware of everything around them. Something wasn't right.

Laughing to himself, James had decided to have a little bit of fun with the two vampires that dared follow him. Oh he knew where he was going, but they didn't need to know that. Sometimes it was better to toy with ones prey before attacking it. Looking over his shoulder briefly, he scowled. Where had the male gone? Only the female pursued him now. Well, if she was really that desperate for a man, why not let her catch him? He stopped suddenly and spun around, noticing how the blonde behind him halted about fifteen feet from him.

He found himself studying her. She was a stunning beauty, but didn't attract him like Bella or Alice did. Still, she did something for him and he decided he wanted to have a little nibble before setting her on fire. Laughing, he jumped high into the air and landed right in front of her, grabbing her arms before she could escape. As he licked the side of her neck, he spoke breathlessly, "Now that we're alone, I can show you…"

Before James could finish that sentence, Emmett had appeared from his hiding place and grabbed the nomad. Growling, he threw him to the ground and snapped, "You will pay for touching her."

He would have succeeded in ripping him apart with Rosalie's help, but for one factor. Running out of the woods, Edward tackled Emmett and allowed James to flee. His sister tried to catch him as did his brother when he got back to his feet, but Edward was faster. Both enemies had escaped.

"Let's go after James!" Emmett yelled and they doubled back trying to find the nomad's trail. They found it, but due to the circles, they could not be sure which one was the right trail to follow.

Edward dipped his head and pushed himself to move faster. He needed to get out of the area as quickly as possible. Why had he done that? The nomad wanted Bella for himself too, so why had he helped him? He could only attribute it to his mind's eye. He saw James's thoughts. The nomad had planned to flip Emmett over and rip his head off in one fluid motion. It was a trick James had done before successfully, and although Emmett was siding with Jasper right now, part of Edward still felt loyal to the Cullen's and he needed to prevent his brother's death. That was the only excuse he could think of, even if it did seal his death sentence in the eyes of his family. It didn't matter anyway. As soon as he had Bella, they were going to leave the area and no one would be able to find them. He only needed a little more time.