Grasping me close, yet gently, he jumped an impossible distance from the window to a tree across the backyard's clearing. I bit my lip hard to keep from making a noise, but I did tighten my grip around his neck. We jumped from tree to tree for a while before he threw me over his shoulder where I rode piggyback. Then, he dropped to the ground and ran.

Uncertain if he knew he was projecting or not, I could feel his joy and exhilaration emanating from him. And it soon was impacting me as well and I could not help the smile on my face.

After twenty minutes of running, I tried to speak into his ear, not sure if he could hear with the wind flying past us or not, but I placed my lips directly on his ear to help. "Where are we going? We have been running a long time."

He slowed at that moment and came to a stop. I still clung to his back, fear of falling to my butt if I let go. After a few moments, I could hear him chuckle as he reached around and pulled me back to the front where he helped me steady my feet on the ground.

"I took a long route here so that your scent would not carry directly here. If he finds you missing from his room, he will search for you. He is a terrible tracker but would still likely manage to follow the trail of his singer. I wanted to give you as much time as possible with your dad before he steals you away again."

Smiling, I lunged forward, arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you."

I stepped back and he dipped his head, fingers to his forehead like he was tipping a cowboy hat. "No problem, ma'am. Now, my dear brother was not exactly wrong on all points though. The wolves have declared this part of their territory and therefore, I cannot cross this line any further. You should be safe, as they keep regular patrols. Stay on this path and you will make it back to the house in about 5 minutes. I will wait until I hear you call out for your dad at the door before I leave. But then, I must go. I am already making the wolves nervous."

A growl in the trees behind me answered and he simply raised his eyebrow at me with a smirk.

Sighing and shaking my head I responded, "Thank you. You have done so much, and you didn't need to. In fact, I was not even sure you would understand earlier when I wanted – no needed – to get away. I just need some space for a while. Thank you. Now, I need to go see my dad and ensure he is in fact safe. And then, if I still have time, I need to have a few choice words with a certain wolf friend." I gritted my teeth and started to walk away before pausing. "Oh, why did you help me?"

"Well, sometimes my brother is a little too cocky for his own good. He needs to be taken down a few pegs every now and then to keep that gigantic ego in check. However, as part of the family, I am not supposed to do this. Helping you, well, that just allows me to backhand annoy him that I cannot truly get in direct trouble for." He smirked with a glint in his eyes and a waggle to his eyebrows.

Nodding, I tried not to laugh and then walked in the direction he had indicated. As promised, I was at my dad's house within 5 minutes. I opened the back door and yelled out, "Dad! You home?" I knew that Jasper was going to wait for that before leaving the area.

I allowed the door to close behind me when my dad called out from the living room. "Bells? You're here!"

After some shuffling, he was meeting me in the kitchen and gave me an awkward hug. Then again, his hugs were always awkward, but familiar. He was not used to showing lots of emotion. "Yes, I'm here. Thought I would visit for a while. I have missed you." The truth of that last sentence hit me in the gut and my eyes burned as they started to fill with tears.

He shrugged and cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I have missed you too. Wait, why did you use the back door? I didn't even hear your truck?"

I took a quick breath, realizing that slight mistake. "Umm, well, I was in town with the Cullen's and decided to come visit, so I walked over."

He met my gaze and lowered his eyelids, focusing on me. I held his gaze steady, knowing that he was testing me to determine the truth. I was not sure if he truly bought it, but he eventually accepted my answer. "Well, right. Just do not go walking through the woods too much. We have been having issues with wild animal attacks. Some people claiming bears and some wolves. Either way – you be careful."

I saluted him, "yes, sir!" A grin plastered across my face.

He shook his head but smiled back non the less. "So, you are staying for supper?"

"Yes. Um, would you mind if I stayed for a few days?"

"Of course. This is still your home." He then mumbled under his breath, "even if those Cullen's seem to have made you forget."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Well, what are you having for supper tonight?"

He looked sheepish, his cheeks reddening, and he lowered his gaze. I sighed with a small shake of my head.

"You have been eating out a lot lately, haven't you?" He did not respond but he did not need to. I knew he had reverted to his eating habits from before I had moved in with him over a year and a half ago. "Well, let's see what home cooked meal I can make you tonight then. Do you at least have food in the house?"

With that I opened the freezer and fridge. Frowning, I was afraid of most of the fridge contents. I was even uncertain what some of the blue and mushy items used to be. The freezer had better luck. I found some steaks, so I pulled them out to quick thaw in some water in the sink. Looking into the cupboards, I found some pasta sauce and noodles.

"Steak and spaghetti on the side okay with you?" He nodded, beaming at the thought of a home cooked meal. "Okay, then you put on some gloves and throw out the science experiments you have growing in the fridge, and I will cook dinner."

Mumbling, he did as I asked and once finished, took a beer out and opened it. He stood there, drinking it, and watching me. I could feel his eyes on me. It was irksome but knew that he was not meaning to annoy me. It was not his fault that I just realized I had been babysat and watched incessantly by vampires due to a crazed vampire out for my blood. I needed to dismiss him before I snapped though.

"Dad, why don't you go watch a game on TV. I will get this prepped and bring the food in there in a bit. We can watch in front of the TV if you like tonight."

He nodded, grinning and rushed back to his precious sports. I had no idea what I was going to be subjected to during supper – whether football, hockey, baseball, basketball, or some other sport I was not even aware of. But it did not matter. This mundane set of actions was almost cathartic.