Hello! If you would've asked me if I'd still be writing Twilight fanfic in 2023, I'd have laughed but here we are and I'm truly loving it. Write what makes you happy y'all. Cheers!

Chapter 14: Phoenix

Bella could feel the tension rolling off Jasper. He hadn't moved a muscle since he started driving. Not a single one except to turn and keep the car straight. It was eerie.

"So yellow, huh?" she said, referring to the car. "Never really thought of you as a bright sunflower type of guy."

A corner of his mouth turned up and he chuckled as his shoulders finally relaxed a bit. He reached over and took her hand.

"He's not, believe me," Alice laughed from the backseat. "He doesn't even have a car. Just motorcycles. This one is mine."

"You have a motorcycle?" Bella gaped.

"Two," Jasper smirked.

"Okay, we make it out of this alive, I want a ride."

Jasper's good mood abruptly faded and he turned to look at her briefly before focusing back on the road. "You'll make it outta this alive, Bella. I promise."

She held his hand tighter and nodded. She just wasn't sure she believed it yet.

They arrived in Phoenix quicker than she ever would have on her own, and booked a room in a hotel. Once he had set their bags down, Jasper took Bella's hand once again and led her to the bed. "C'mon. You should get some sleep while you can."

She scoffed. "Yeah, right. Cause an obsessed vampire chasing me isn't enough to give me nightmares."

"I'll be right here," he said, lifting the covers for her and wrapping her up in them, before putting his arms around her and holding her to his chest. "I'll keep you safe."

She sighed, leaning into his embrace as he stroked her hair. She'd always felt safe with him. Always. She let her eyes drift closed and tried to forget about the nightmare her reality had become.

No sooner had she fallen asleep than Alice suddenly gasped, eyes wide and staring blankly ahead. Jasper knew that look. Bella followed him over to where Alice was sitting on the couch. "Ali, what is it? What do you see?"

"The tracker," she said, "he's changed course."

Jasper quickly grabbed a pencil and paper, placing the pencil in Alice's hand and the paper on the table before her. "Where will it take him, Ali?"

Bella was amazed as she began to sketch, never blinking or breaking eye contact with the blank TV screen in front of her.

"Mirrors. A room full of mirrors."

"Didn't you say her visions could change?" Bella asked, her heart rate picking up speed as the sketch began to look more and more familiar.

"If James changes his mind again, they will," Jasper explained, studying the sketch for himself. "She sees the outcome of someone's current path. If they make a different decision, her visions reflect that."

The way he spoke, the way they moved together completely in sync, it made her wonder just how often this happened. How long they had been relying on each other before they were adopted by the Cullens? Before Alice fell in love with Edward. Before Jasper fell in love with her.

Bella cleared her throat. Jasper turned his head from studying the drawing to look up at her. "So the path that he's on now leads him to a ballet studio?"

This seemed to snap Alice out of whatever she was seeing and she looked up at Bella. "You've been here?"

"I mean, I think so, yeah. I took ballet lessons as a kid, and the studio had an arch just like that."

Jasper's brows drew in sharply. "Was the studio here in Phoenix?"

"Yeah."

"Damn," his hissed, leaping up from the couch and pulling out his phone. "Emmett, change of plans. James is coming to Phoenix. I'm taking Bella with me... It doesn't matter where!"

Alice had moved to stand beside Bella, an arm wrapped around her shoulders as Jasper paced.

"I don't know," he continued, digging his fingers into his already messy blond hair. "It doesn't matter. Are Rose and Esme watching Chief Swan? Good. Bella and I will leave tonight..."

Bella's heart jumped into her throat. "We can't!"

"Bella, we're not staying here," he shook his head, panic beginning to coil tightly in his belly. It was very unlike him to charge ahead without a plan, but all he could think of was how to get Bella somewhere safe. "I'm not letting him get anywhere near you."

"My mom is here, Jasper," she argued. "She'll be back in town any day. We can't just leave her unprotected!"

"Alice and I will stay," Edward suddenly spoke up from the other end of the line. "We're already on the road, we'll be there this evening. Then you and Bella can go, Alice and I will watch her mother, and Carlisle and Emmett can continue searching for James. Would that be alright?"

Jasper sighed. It was a plan at least, and it was more than he had at the moment. As desperately as he wanted to put as much distance as possible between Bella and the tracker, he didn't want to leave Alice alone either. "Alright. Get here as quick as you can, you hear me?"

"We will."

Jasper took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. The intense emotions in the room were beginning to get overwhelming. They swirled around in his head, building to an unbearable pressure, one he couldn't do anything about because he knew both Bella and Alice would hate him for messing with their emotions.

But Alice saw the small act, and knew exactly what it meant. It had been his tell for years. He was the only vampire she knew who got headaches, and occasionally, even migraines. Then again, he was the only vampire she knew who was an empath.

"Jasper, why don't you go get us checked out? We can move somewhere closer to Bella's mother's house to keep an eye on things while we wait for the others to get here."

He glanced back at her. A rush of tenderness washed over him. She knew. How did she always know? He sighed, "Ali, we can't-"

"Jasper, what if my mom comes home early?" Bella said, digging her fingers through her hair. He wasn't sure if she had picked up the habit from him, or if he had picked it up from her, but it wasn't something he could afford to dwell on at the moment. He could feel the panic swell within her, though she was fighting to keep it under control, for his sake or hers, he didn't know. "What if James finds her there or is already waiting for her?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. She bounced slightly on her toes, and shook her head. "We can't let anything happen to her. This is all my fault. What if he finds her or Charlie..."

He took her hand, pressing a kiss to her fingers and then rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Hey, it's okay," he whispered, his features still cut into a frown. "He won't touch her. We'll relocate closer to the house so Alice an' I can take turns keepin' an eye on things, but far enough that you'll be safe. Alright?"

He looked to Bella, then to Alice, and both nodded.

"Alright. I'll go get us checked out. Will you be okay with Alice for a few minutes?"

Bella did her best to give him a real smile and nodded. Jasper took it the wrong way.

"I trust Alice with my life," he said, placing his hand against her cheek and stroking her cheek, "an' more importantly, I trust her with yours."

She shook her head. "No, yeah, I know. It's not that. I just..."

"What?"

"I can't lose you. Or my mom and dad. Or Alice. Or Esme and Carlisle. Or anyone in your family. My safety isn't the only concern here."

"Mi bella Bella," he smiled softly. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. Most important thing is keepin' you safe."

He quickly kissed her lips before stepping away from her and toward the door. "I'll be right back. You two be good while I'm gone," he tried to tease, but it fell flat as Alice rolled her eyes and Bella gave him an unconvincing smile.

When he shut the door behind him, Alice waited a minute before collapsing on the couch in a dramatic fashion. "I thought he'd never leave."

"What do you mean?" Bella frowned.

Alice shrugged from her position on the couch. "I'm sure you'll notice eventually, but all the emotions can overwhelm him. It gives him a headache."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense," Bella nodded, sitting on the edge of the coffee table to face Alice. She ran her fingers through her hair again and her legs bounced with a nervous energy. "It feels like this won't ever stop. Like my family, my human one and my not so human one, will always be in danger. What if he goes after one of you to get to me?"

Cold hands wrapped around her own and Alice smiled. "We can handle it. I promise. And we'll protect your parents too."

Bella took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'm glad Jasper has you," Alice added, providing a welcome distraction. "I haven't seen him this happy in a long time and I've known him over fifty years. I saw you coming, you know."

Bella could feel herself start to blush. "What?"

"I saw you. That's why I convinced the counselors to change his schedule so you two could have history together. I knew that's where you two would meet."

"Well, thanks," Bella nodded, idly playing with her fingers as she tried to find the right words. "Meeting him was... everything. It's been everything. Even if it all ends now, it was so worth it."

"This isn't how your story ends, Bella. I promise."

Bella smirked. "Is that the psychic or my friend talking?"

Alice giggled, and the light sound floated through the hotel room like a chorus of bells. "Both."