Jasper's Redemption
Story Beta'd by Leggylover03. Citations given in last chapter.
'Well dang,' thought Bella, 'I've really done it this time.'
She was in the middle of the Selway-Bitteroot National Forest, all alone, had no way to contact anyone for help and had just managed to injure herself.
She was at the bottom of a ravine. She hadn't hiked down there, nor had she climbed down there. No, in true Bella fashion, she had fallen down the ravine.
Spitting out a mouthful of leaves and dirt, Bella first tested her limbs. They all moved successfully so she rolled herself onto her side and looked around her. Great, definitely stuck at the bottom of a ravine that looked as if it wasn't going to be any fun climbing out of. The rim was a long way up. Thankfully there was a decent slope to the wall, or she would likely be dead right now.
She pushed herself up and immediately bit back a scream of pain. A look at her jean clad leg told her why – she had a deep cut in her right thigh that was already bleeding badly.
'Just can't do anything halfway can you Bella?' She scolded herself.
Thankfully her daypack had been secured around her waist and now she quickly set to unstrapping it and bringing it around where she could dig out her medical supplies. Bella paused for a brief moment when she saw the nasty bruise forming on her lower right arm but then forced herself back to work. She couldn't afford to lose too much blood – not to mention who knows what the scent might attract out here…
Holding her breath as much as she could without passing out, Bella tried to trick herself into thinking she was just cleaning up spilled ketchup. It didn't work completely, but at least she was able to cut her pant leg open and clean the wound as best she could with some antiseptic wipes. Then she used butterfly bandages to try and pull the edges together before laying gauze over the wound and wrapping an ace bandage around her leg.
Bella was well aware of what could be out here but knew there was nothing that would stop the smell of her blood from permeating the air. The best she could do was try and find her way out of here and hope no creature found her first.
Repacking her backpack, she unclipped her water bottle and took a small sip. There was another in her pack, along with a day's supply of treatment tablets, but she knew it was best to conserve what she had. Besides…she was definitely feeling a little queasy from the blood.
Looking around her again, Bella knew there was no way she was climbing back up the path she had fallen. While there was enough of a slope to make her fall more of roll, it was incredibly steep. She considered staying put, but knew she wasn't likely to be found where she was. The ravine's opening was mostly hidden by vegetation and she'd followed a deer trail off the main path to take a bathroom break. She'd fallen on her return. No, Bella figured she either needed to find a way back to the trail or into a more open area for searchers to discover her assuming she couldn't make her own way out.
Surveying the area around herself, she found nothing usable as a walking stick. She was just going to have to go for it then.
So Bella rehooked her water bottle to her bag and then resecured the bag to her body. First checking the area around herself to ensure she wasn't about to leave any precious supplies behind, Bella twisted so she was on her knees, then slowly forced herself to a standing position with all her weight on her left leg.
She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and prayed the nausea would settle. It didn't but it did recede enough for her to try putting some weight on her bad leg. Once again she had to bite back a scream as the wound protested, but her leg held.
She was panting after only a few steps, but she forced herself to continue. Bella followed the ravine's path using what trees there were for support. It was slow going but she settled into a steady pace.
She refused to let herself rest other than to stop for a sip of water here and there. She could feel aches and bruises beginning to make themselves known and knew once she sat she wouldn't be getting back up easily.
Unfortunately the ravine twisted away from the trail, but there was nothing Bella could do about that.
After struggling on for several hours, Bella came to a grouping of three trees that looked like they might make a halfway decent shelter for the night. On the off chance it rained, maybe the tall pines would keep her dry.
Before sitting down, Bella tried to scrounge around for firewood. There wasn't much to be had, however she did find enough for a small fire. She'd decided she would wait to light it until she either heard predators, or the night got to its coldest temperatures. There was no point in wasting her meager collection before that.
Having taken care of her personal needs not long before finding this spot, Bella didn't worry about doing so before sitting down. She settled herself in the middle of the three pines, with her fire prebuilt in the open space between the trunks.
Bella pulled out her emergency blanket, opened it up and set it out so she could tuck herself in when she was ready. She did her best to check herself over – her leg had stopped bleeding; it was clear she was covered in numerous bruises but other than a few scratches on her face it seemed she had been successful in protecting her head. Her left arm though clearly had taken the brunt of a hit, the bruise that had started developing after the fall was now very vivid and covered most of her forearm. It had also begun to swell. Bella wondered if she hadn't broken it after all.
She wished she had a second ace bandage to keep the swelling on her arm down, but the one around her thigh was it. Looking through everything she had with her, Bella tried to figure out what she could turn into a wrap, but finally decided to leave it alone in the end. Yeah, she could cut up a shirt but she was better off using the clothing for warmth at this point. That decision made, she pulled out a granola bar and ate half of it before wrapping the remainder up and stowing it back in her pack for tomorrow. She considered preemptively taking a pain pill but figured she would just be wasting her meager supply if she took them while sleeping. Better to save them for walking. Bella allowed herself a couple more sips of her water. She had done well conserving her supply today and keeping herself somewhat hydrated.
As the sun began to set, Bella made herself comfortable on half of the emergency blanket, pulling the other half over her body. She used her pack for a pillow. As she laid there, she planned. The slopes of the ravine had gradually been decreasing in height. Perhaps tomorrow she would either find a viable spot to climb out, or maybe she would get lucky and find the end of the ravine.
Eventually, sheer exhaustion overcame the throbbing throughout her body and Bella fell asleep.
As Bella slept on the temperatures continued to drop. Her little shelter stayed somewhat warmer than the rest of the ravine, but only through keeping most of the breeze away. Eventually Bella woke shivering. Rubbing her hands together for warmth, she began digging in the outer pocket of her backpack for her lighter.
Her cold hands were fumbling and she made little progress but persisted as she knew lighting her fire was the only way she was going to warm up any. Then Bella jumped clean out of her skin when she heard a frustrated sigh, the click of a lighter and the resulting glow on the other side of her fire.
Bella's heart was racing in her chest, she didn't need to see the pale hand bathed in flamelight to know what was out there. No human could have approached her resting spot in the middle of a pathless ravine, coming right up to her and never awakened her.
The fire was having trouble lighting and Bella heard a gruff voice order, "Blow." Knowing better than to argue with whomever was out there, Bella ignored her body's protests, dragged herself closer to the fire and gently blew where the flame was heating the kindling until it caught.
Bella let the fire catch and warmed her hands as she thought. She was pretty certain that was not a Cullen on the other side of the fire for two reasons: It was highly unlikely they lived anywhere near here which meant Alice would have had to send someone. Since Bella was injured, she would have sent Carlisle. Carlisle would not be holding his breath and keeping his distance.
Nope, Bella could rule out the helper being a Cullen. Which meant she had once again attracted the attention of a random nomad but for some reason he seemed to be helping her, rather than just draining her. Perhaps Bella had been lucky enough that they weren't thirsty.
Deciding her safest course of action was to play stupid, Bella asked, "Did you find a path to climb into here or fall like I did?"
There was no answer from her companion. She didn't expect one – after all if they were trying to hold their breath they wouldn't want to talk.
But Bella couldn't let on that she knew that. Acting as if that was a fellow hiker on the other side of the fire, she asked, "Are you warm enough? The fire is small and I wasn't able to find enough wood to keep it going more than an hour or two."
This time Bella at least got a huff in response. Her visitor made no effort to move closer. That was a little concerning to Bella, because shouldn't they be trying to keep her convinced they were human? But maybe they didn't realize a human wouldn't stay warm that far from the fire...
She knew for the purposes of maintaining her charade, she should invite her visitor into the cover of the trees but she didn't want to provide any temptation to the creature out there.
So she kept quiet and allowed the fire to warm her. Small as it was, it wasn't enough to keep her from shivering as the night grew even colder. She resisted the desire to put more wood on the flames though, a bigger fire simply meant her supply running out earlier. And if she wanted to live, she couldn't let on that she knew her visitor could supply more in a jiffy.
Soon though her shivering increased enough to jar her leg and Bella couldn't hold back a whimper. She clasped her hand over her mouth to muffle herself until the pain settled some. She heard her guest shifting and in keeping with her act, she whispered, "Sorry, hope I'm not keeping you awake."
Something about that seemed to set the creature off, Bella heard what could only be described as an annoyed growl. And it was anything but quiet. Then suddenly there was silence.
Bella's fear spiked. There was no way to pretend what she had heard was human. She couldn't even get away with pretending she'd heard a bear because the growl had come from right in front of her.
Where was he? Standing and watching her? Had he left? Why had her question brought such a reaction? Bella cowered under her blanket and just did her best to stay warm. She knew there was no escape. The ball was in the creature's court. Her fate would be whatever he decided.
Bella had just about regained control over her fear, still shivering from the cold, when there was a loud thud from behind the trees. The kind of thud a vampire makes when he drops out of the middle of nowhere right in front of you.
Bella's terror spiked and she heard another annoyed huff. Then the sound of a pile being dropped to the ground. Then came the sound of wood being snapped and dropped to the ground. The next thing Bella knew, her tiny meager fire was being built up large enough to actually warm her, but not so large it risked catching the trees and along with it Bella suddenly felt a strong surge of comfort.
As her body relaxed both due to the seeping warmth and pleasant emotion, Bella realized the emotion was foreign to her. She wasn't the one creating it. And with that came the knowledge of why her act had annoyed her visitor.
"Jasper?!" Bella asked in absolute shock.
A round of mocking, congratulatory clapping was her only response.
This time it was Bella who huffed, "How was I supposed to know it was you out there? I figured if Alice…"
The angry growl coming from Jasper cut Bella's words off real quick. She heard wood snapping and dropping to the floor repeatedly. The feeling of comfort was cut off instantly.
Bella was silent for awhile, but when the seemingly angry wood 'chopping' stopped, she tried to apologize, "I'm sorry Jasper. I wasn't insulting her…"
Another huff.
Bella tried again, "I really am sorry Jasper."
Bella cringed as what sounded like a rock was thrown angrily through the ravine.
Then Jasper actually spoke, "A'int you I'm angry with Bella. It's her. My lovely little all seeing wife who is gonna to need a new neck when I get done ringin' it."
Another log was added to Bella's fire. Jasper said, "Gettin' air. You sleep." And coated her with gentle lethargy.
Bella didn't try to fight it despite her questions about Alice. Working with Jasper - especially when she had an open wound on her body - she knew was the safest choice.
Bella came awake to the sounds of birds chirping. She was toasty warm and almost cozy. Until she tried to stretch out that is.
As she whimpered through the pain shooting though her thigh, the memory of the day before came rushing back to her along with the dream she'd had of Jasper showing up.
She shook her head, 'yeah Bella. Most definitely a dream.'
When the pain died down, Bella slowly rolled onto her side and opened her eyes. She immediately gasped.
"Nope, definitely not a dream Bella," she mumbled.
For sitting next to her back was her water bottle – completely refilled – a small wood bowl filled with wild blueberries, her pocket knife, and the most beautiful walking stick she had ever seen.
It was an actual work of art, and appeared to have been carved by hand. The only thing it was missing was a protective layer of varnish. Jasper had carved it from a hard wood and Bella had no doubts that it would handle her weight today.
She looked around to thank him, but was disappointed to see she was alone. However, in the embers of the fire, she found a rock bowl he must have also created, filled with more water. Next to the fire she saw words scratched in the dirt.
"Eat. Water is safe to drink. Walk. I'll be around." There was an arrow pointing down the ravine in the direction she had been heading yesterday.
Bella didn't have to ask why Jasper simply did not just carry her out – she remembered "his wild, empty eyes" from the last time she had seen him all too well (Meyer 29). This time she was caked in her sweet smelling dried blood.
Hoping he would hear her, Bella called out, "Thank you Jasper, the stick is beautiful!"
Bella ate the berries and drank the still warm water as if it was a morning cup of tea. She made certain to take some ibuprofen as well – her body was absolutely stiff and sore. When she was done, she carefully packed everything up and erased the message in the dirt. Stopping to think twice about it, Bella shrugged to herself, picked up the heavy rock bowl and added it to her backpack. She couldn't bear to leave it behind or for Jasper to come back and destroy it.
When she was certain the only items remaining were her pack and the stick, Bella used the stick to stand up. Hobbling a little way off, she hoped Jasper would turn his back if he was watching, and she completed her morning absolutions as best she could. It wasn't easy as her left hand had swelled during night and stiffened. She was just thankful to be righthanded.
Returning to her backpack, Bella slung it up around her shoulders and secured it. She could feel the weight of the rock pulling at her but refused to leave it.
Taking her walking stick in hand, Bella set off following the ravines path. She got as far as the first bend before she came across Jasper sitting on a falling log lying across the path. It was the first she'd seen him – if you didn't count glimpses of his hand – and she stopped awed by the beauty she'd only barely remembered.
Jasper huffed after a minute. That prompted Bella to take in his entire image. His eyes were black circles with thin golden rings around the edges. There were a few drops of what looked like dried blood on his dark colored, form fitting tee shirt. He wore expensive looking hiking pants and trail running shoes. He was very clearly not breathing. And he looked half annoyed and half amused with her.
In case he hadn't been around to hear her earlier she said, "Thank you for the walking stick Jasper, I love it. And for breakfast. Oh – and for last nights fire."
Ok, now he was definitely amused with her. Then he narrowed his eyes. Jasper hopped up, stepped right up to her and spun his finger in a circle. Bella sighed, she could guess what this was about.
Very carefully, she hobbled around until her back faced him and sure enough he immediately unzipped her backpack, removed the stone, and rezipped her now much lighter weight pack.
She turned back to face him, "I couldn't let you just destroy it Jasper." She explained.
He rolled his eyes. But instead of crushing it to dust as she expected, he held it up for her to see then tucked it into the oversized cargo pant on his leg. Bella grinned.
Jasper then walked back to the log he had been sitting on and held his hand out. Bella hobbled up to him, took his cold hand and let him help her over the obstruction. Then Jasper released her, pointed up the ravine and disappeared.
And so Bella resumed her hobbling. As the medicine kicked in and her muscles uncramped with the movement, her motions became more of a walk and eventually she was able to achieve the same pace she had set after her fall yesterday. Though this time she was far more careful with every step. Jasper might be holding his breath, but she more than remembered what a single drop of her fresh blood had done to him.
As the day wore on, Bella noticed that Jasper was clearing a path for her whenever there was an obstacle. Finally, at midday, Bella called out, "I'm taking a break Jasper." Then she took a seat on a boulder she was pretty sure Jasper had moved to the side and ate the other half of her granola bar from yesterday. Jasper could find and boil her more water, so Bella went ahead and drank her fill.
After eating, Bella examined her arm again. It was really beginning to ache. Since she had warmed up from the morning's walking, she didn't need her sweater at the moment. She tied the two sleeves together and then hung them around her neck. Putting her backpack back on, she picked up the hiking stick then rested her left arm in her temporary sling. After a few paces she nodded to herself in satisfaction. It was far more comfortable having it secured like that, yet she could put her sweater back on if she got cold or slip her arm out if she needed to use it.
After another hour, Bella decided to try talking to Jasper. Surely he was far enough from her to answer without catching her scent. She reasoned if she was wrong about that, he would know and just refuse to respond.
Considering what topic to start with, she decided to go with the one she'd regret if she never got another chance to say it to him.
"I'm sorry for my birthday Jasper. I should have been more careful."
She heard a deep chuckle, then a disbelieving voice said, "You're sorry?!"
Then Jasper was once again in front of her. Bella halted at once, careful to let Jasper choose the distance between them.
He was looking at her with curiosity. Finally, he shook his head, "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Of course Jasper, I should have been more careful."
"Edward said you tried to take the blame.." Jasper winced with her as he felt her response to hearing his name.
"Bella, do you have a clue why I'm here?"
Bella shrugged, "Alice sent you." Seemed pretty obvious to her.
Jasper rolled his eyes, pointed at his throat and then down the trail before he disappeared.
Bella figured that meant he was out of air and wanted her to resume walking. So that was what she did. What she didn't expect was to hear Jasper speaking from the branches of a tree up above her.
"Bella, my little annoying wife hasn't spoken a pleasant word to me since we left Forks."
That got Bella's attention. She snapped her head up at Jasper and in doing so managed to trip over thin air. She caught herself with the walking stick though.
Jasper huffed, "Dang it Bella! Are you trying to kill us both?! Why are you even out here in the first place?"
Bella sighed and shook her head, "I like hiking Jasper."
"You like hiking…you, quite possibly the only human in the world who knows what is in the woods. Not to mention clumsy as heck. Likes hiking," he said with clear disbelief.
Bella shrugged, "It's not like there can be that many of you out in the woods. And let's face it – you guys aren't going to stay anywhere I live, so it's not like I'm hiking in your hunting grounds."
Jasper snorted, "That's debatable." He didn't explain that comment though, "Why do you like hiking Bella?"
Bella looked away, but admitted, "He feels closer out here. Out in nature."
Jasper's voice was soft when he said, "I'm sorry Bella."
Bella started hiking again, she needed a distraction from the pain in her chest, "It was never your fault Jasper."
Jasper jumped over the ravine to a tree further ahead of her. "Tell that to Alice," he said.
Bella frowned, "I did, you mean to tell me she blames you?!"
"Yup," Jasper answered, popping the p when he did so.
Bella shook her head, "That is the stupidest…" Then she smiled devilishly, "Think she's seeing this conversation?"
Jasper shrugged, "She might be. She promised you-know-who not to look for your future, but since I'm here…"
"Worth a try," Bella mumbled before she called out, "Alice! If you blamed Jasper one second for what I caused then you're a blithering idiot! And if your still blaming him when it's been over a year, then he really does need to ring your fool neck!"
Jasper chuckled and Bella blushed, "Should I be apologizing to you for insulting her?"
"Nope," he answered, popping the p again.
He jumped further ahead and scanned the ravine floor before looking at her, "Be back." Was all he said before disappearing.
Bella heard the sound of a large rock rolling and knew she had been correct about him clearing the path. She continued on and eventually Jasper reappeared up in a tree ahead of her.
"Thank you Jasper." She waved at the ravine floor.
"It's for both us of darlin.' You start bleedin any more and you just might cease existing. That happens and my wife will never forgive me." Jasper spoke the rest on a sigh, "Which is why I'm out here."
Bella shook her head, "That doesn't make any sense Jasper. If she gave one iota about me, why not send Carlisle or come herself? Sounds more like she's punishing you by torturing you with my scent and doesn't care what happens to me."
"No Bella, she loves you. They all do. It's why we left," Jasper emphatically stated.
Bella huffed, "Since when do vampires smoke crack Jasper?"
"I'm serious Bella. I feel what they feel, remember?"
"No offense, but then what are you doing here and not one of the others who can handle this?" Bella indicated her leg wound.
Jasper jumped trees again and then spoke in a voice the perfectly imitated Alice's, "If you want back in my bed in the next eighteen years then you need to prove you can control yourself Jazz. Go hunting in the Selway-Bitteroot National Forest, and you must actually hunt Jazz! You'll come across an injured hiker. You'll have to work with the hiker to get them out of the situation they are stuck in. Eat them Jazz, and you'll learn a whole new level of 'blue balls'. Get them safely out of the the woods and to help, and well, you know what they say 'Happy wife, Happy life.' And then she gave me a peck on the cheek - the closest thing to a kiss she's given me since I tried to drain you - twisted around and bounced off." Jasper finished in his own voice.
"She knew," Bella said, stunned, "She knew that far in advance it was me, sent you here hunting with orders to help me out of here. That sneaky, devilish, evil little pixie knew and sent you anyways! How dare she treat you like that!"
Jasper laughed. He had felt her become offended with the news of Alice, he didn't expect that it was on his behalf. "Crazy, special human. Edward was insane to walk away from you," he whispered below her hearing level.
"Bella, do you realize the fact that she knew and sent me here means she was covering her own ass while looking out for you?"
He felt her confusion. He jumped ahead again while he explained, "She promised Edward not to look for your future. To leave you to your life. Bella, I'm only in this area because she sent me. None of the others were even thinking about traveling anywhere near this area. She didn't see you by looking into any of our futures Bella."
Bella put two and two together, "She was checking on me. Saw my accident and sent you."
"Yep. And by insisting that I hunt, she insured I was not thirsty when I came across your scent." Jasper narrowed his eyes at Bella, "Thanks for that, by the way. Do you know how close I came to draining your carcass when I was drinking my deer only to smell your dried blood on its hoof?"
Bella cringed, "Sorry…I think?" Was she really apologizing because a deer walked through a patch of her blood?
Then Bella eyed the ravine walls around her thoughtfully, if a deer could get down them…
Jasper saw where she was looking and narrowed his eyes at her, "Uh uh Miss Clumsy. You are no deer. And I ain't cartin your blood soaked butt up those walls either. You like hiking…you get to hike."
"Gee thanks Jasper, love you too."
Jasper laughed and jumped ahead before disappearing down into the ravine again.
He was gone for a long while. Bella stopped and took several short breaks during that time. Eventually though, he reappeared. When he made his presence known, Bella took the opportunity to speak, "Jasper, I really do appreciate that you're here taking care of me."
Jasper grinned and tapped his head, "I already know that Bella, but it's still nice to hear you say it."
Bella looked around and took in the fading light. She frowned, "I need to make camp soon."
Jasper pointed ahead, "Nope, you've got to keep going. You stop near here and you're going to get soaked to the bone when it starts raining tonight."
Bella looked up, Jasper was right, the clouds did have a stormy look to them. She was exhausted and her thigh was really paining her after walking on it all day, but she figured Jasper knew something else that she didn't and kept walking.
Darkness crept closer and Bella looked up at Jasper questioningly. His only response was to point ahead.
Thirty minutes later the sun had set and Bella was still walking. She called out, "Jasper, I'm going to kill myself out here."
Then he was suddenly in front of her, closer than he'd been all day. Clearly holding his breath. He had the serious look of a task master on his face, but as he looked her over, he seemed to take pity on her. He pointed sternly ahead, but when she started to trudge on, he walked beside her and actually grasped her upper left arm whenever there was something that might trip her. He refused to say a single word, presumably to ensure he had air when he wanted to speak.
Eventually Bella began to see a glow in the distance. As they drew closer she realized he had a fire going. Closer still, and she could see it sat protected under a rock overhang. There was a layer of pine boughs laid out like a bed and a stack of wood ready to keep the fire going all night. Jasper walked her right up to the pallet he had made and helped her sit down. Then he turned around and jumped up to a branch over their heads.
When he dropped back down, Bella could see he had retrieved something. He carried it over to her and held out his empty hand, "Your knife please."
Bella pulled the pocket knife from her pants, handed it over and watched Jasper disappear. When he returned a few minutes later, he placed something on a stick over the fire. A rabbit. Jasper had caught, skinned and was now cooking a rabbit. In addition to a soft bed, warmth, and a roof, Bella would have a full stomach tonight.
She finally broke down, crying grateful tears. Jasper gave her a glance, nodded as he felt her emotions, and left her to it.
By the time the rabbit had finished cooking, Bella had regained control over herself. She enjoyed a delicious meal and thanked Jasper heartily after she was done. He gave her a cocky grin and a salute before disappearing with the bones. She figured he was probably taking them away from the camp so as not to bring predators in.
Bella decided that was a good time to take care of her human needs, and very carefully picked her way to a suitable bush, then took the same care going back. When she returned, she pulled her blanket out, laid half of it over the pine needles, and then wrapped herself up like the night before. She was asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
It was the thunder that woke her hours later. It was pouring outside. When the lightening hit, it silhouetted Jasper as he stood at the edge of the overhang, peering out. He had his hands on his hips and appeared deep in thought.
When the next strike lit up the sky, Bella could understand why. The rain was coming down so heavy that the ravine floor was turning into a stream. If the water level kept rising…
Bella scanned what she could see of the walls around her and knew there was no way she could climb out on her own. She shuddered as she realized why Alice had not left her to her own devices. Jasper looked back at her. She explained, "I would have drowned tonight." Bella didn't need to see what the water level would do. She knew it. Why Alice had chosen this path and not sent Carlisle to get her out of the ravine on day one, she had no idea; but Bella felt the unshakable truth that she would have drowned in this ravine tonight without Alice's intervention.
Jasper cocked his eyebrow, and very seriously said, "You still might."
His assertion didn't faze her in the slightest. Bella just smiled, "Nope. Impossible."
He raised the same eyebrow again, silently asking her to explain.
Bella waved her hand at him, "You're here. I'll be just fine."
Jasper looked at her like she had a screw loose. He pointed at her thigh and his teeth. Then indicated the high walls.
Bella still smiled. "You won't hurt me Jasper even if I end up freshly bleeding and you have to carry me." She was filled with confidence.
Jasper turned his back to her and rubbed his head like a human with a headache.
Softly, Bella explained, "This isn't my birthday party Jasper. This isn't a protected environment, with a safety net of others between us and no expectations that I might get hurt. I'm already injured and out here you have every reason to expect it to happen again with no notice. You're on guard. Plus, Alice loves me. You said it yourself, and tonight proves it. You won't let me drown because that would hurt Alice, and no matter what it takes to get me out of here, you won't drain me yourself for the same reason. Because doing so would hurt Alice."
Bella reached out and fingered her intricately carved walking stick, "Besides Jasper, I think you love me in your own right. You don't make gifts like this for some human you're protecting to prove a point to your wife. You just hand them a sturdy branch and be done with it. You won't hurt me."
Jasper walked over to her and stood above her. He didn't say a word. Right before he dosed her with powerful lethargy, Bella could have sworn she saw the sheen of venom in his eyes.