Yay! Summer!

Yay! Another chapter!

Hmmm, those two things seem to go hand and hand… :D

Hopefully with all this free time on my hands I can finish this story (I’m pretty sure there is only one - maybe two - more chapters to go) and maybe a few choice other stories I have posted. Most of all, I want to finish my original stuff.

I really hope you like this chapter! Here’s the traditional song-that-sorta-ties-into-the-chapter-and-I-make-it-the-title! As it is a worship song, the name Lord is in parenthesis. :D It does tie in at the end, though! :D

“Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
(Lord), You never let go of me”

-Matt Redman, You Never Let Go

Bella

I loved the way that Jasper sat and watched me make dinner for my father. He patiently sat at his regular chair at the round wooden dinner table, and watched. Sometimes he would talk, and other times he would just silently…observe. I always wondered what was going through his head at times like this. Was he thinking of me? Or something completely different? Did he think I looked horrible in the over sized purple t-shirt and black shorts I wore?

Though I wanted to know what he thought about when he stared at me as I chopped onions, I would never work up the nerve to ask him. I was still surprised at myself for bringing up the conversation we had three days ago, after the meeting with the La Push pack.

I blushed at the thought. Whenever I thought of that conversation about our future, I couldn’t help but picture us…together.

Pushing these thoughts out of my head, I concentrated on making dinner. I did not need the emotion-sensing vampire in the room wondering why I was suddenly feeling embarrassed and…lust filled.

The phone rang, which surprised me, and Jasper chuckled a little. I sent him a look, then said, “Can you get that? My hands are full at the moment.”

“Sure thing, Bella,” he said, standing. I still got chills every time he said my name in his deep and sensual voice. It always sounded like a prayer when he said my name.

Jasper came to stand next to me, and while he reached for the cordless he kissed my cheek. I blushed at his touch. He was smiling when he answered the phone. “Swan residence.”

Within a few moments, the smile on Jasper’s face had disappeared. “Ok. You and the others we decided go to our house; make sure to keep some of the younger wolves on the reservation. Bella and I will be at the house soon.” He paused. “Thank you. See you soon.” He hung up.

I had stopped with the chopping. I clutched the handle of the knife tightly. “Jasper? What’s going on?”

The looked Jasper gave me was one of complete fear. “It was Jacob. He and a few other wolves were on patrol. They smelled Victoria.” My heart skipped a beat. Or two. “They didn’t go after her, they went straight home and called us. They knew the plan.”

“You mean…”

“Yes. We’re going to try it now,” said Jasper gravely. “I’ll clean up the kitchen; you write a letter to Charlie. Tell him not to worry; tell him that you’re going to Seattle with Alice to go shopping, and that you’ll be home tomorrow.”

I nodded mechanically. I walked over to the table, grabbed the pad of paper and pen and began to write:

Dad,

Alice surprised me with a trip to Seattle for shopping. She wants me to get a really good prom dress. Since it’s a little late, we’ll be spending the night there. Esme - Alice’s mother - is coming with us, and we already have reservations at a hotel. I’ll be home tomorrow.

And don’t worry - I probably won’t enjoy a second of it. You know how I am with shopping.

Love, Bella

My hand shook as I wrote. I hope Charlie didn’t notice it in my scribble.

When I turned around, the kitchen was clean. Jasper was standing with his keys in his hand. “Let’s go,” he said, placing a hand on my back.

The ride to his house was silent, and very quick. I had never seen Jasper drive so fast. He usually respected my dislike to speeding. Considering the events, I decided not to mention it.

When we walked into the living room, everyone in the Cullen and Hale family was there, plus three very uncomfortable werewolves: Sam, Embry and Quil. Jacob even looked a little flustered being around so many vampires.

“Where was she heading?” asked Jasper the moment we were inside.

“North,” said Jacob.

Jasper nodded, as did Edward. “That’s good for us,” said Edward in a quiet voice. “The meadow is to the north. She’ll smell us and take the bait.”

“We should be moving out,” said Sam in a gruff voice.

“Yes,” murmured Jasper. “Everyone remembers the plan. Jacob, Embry, Carlisle and myself will make up the first team. We will arrive from the east of the meadow, and since we will be upwind, we can be closer than we originally planned. Sam, Quill, Alice and Emmett will take the second team. You’ll have to be further away, since you will be down win, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Which ever team arrives first: two of you get Bella as far away as possible. If it is my group, that will be left to myself and either Edward or Carlisle, depending on how long Edward has been fighting Victoria. If it is the other group, Alice and Edward will take her. Any questions?” No one said a word, as they had been preparing for this ever since the plan had been proposed.

“Okay. Edward will take Bella in his car. The rest of us will run.”

Everyone who was leaving the house, plus Esme and Rosalie, who would not be, went to see me off. Edward opened the door to his shiny Volvo, and for a moment in felt like old times. Before I got inside the car, I stared at Jasper for a long time. Jasper stared back, his hands on my cheek and in my hair.

“You’ll be OK,” he said. For some reason, I think he was trying to convince himself. “Edward will take care of you. We’ll only be apart for a little while. After this is over, we don’t have to fear Victoria again.” I nodded, but the tears were already building up in my eyes. I couldn’t bare it if I lost Jasper; and he couldn’t bare to lose me either.

“I love you, Jasper,” I said as the tears began to fall.

“I love you, Bella,” he said. Then he kissed the tears from my cheek, then my lips. “Love you…” he whispered.

I got into the Volvo, and Edward drove away.

I sniffled and tried to stop crying for the first few minutes of the drive. Edward had reached behind the seat and handed me some tissues. “T-thank you.” I said.

More silence followed. He was taking the familiar road to the meadow. Our meadow.

“I’m sorry you have to go through this, Bella,” said Edward.

I looked over at him. He was clutching the steering wheel so tightly, I was surprised that he hadn’t broken yet. His expression was pained, and he wasn’t making eye contact with her.

“Me, too,” I sighed.

-------

I lost track of the time as Edward drove. I just stared out the window, not really seeing anything, and wondered what Jasper was doing. When we finally arrived just outside the woods, just as we had a little less than a year ago, my nerves returned full force.

Edward opened my door, and I stood, my knees shaking. “Uh…Bella?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t mind…I mean….I have to carry you. I hope…you’re not…offended,” said Edward, trying to find the right words.

I smiled gently at Edward. “No, Edward. It’s sweet of you to take my emotions into consideration…but I don’t think either of us thinks me walking would be a good idea.”

Edward smiled as well, and he helped me onto his back. “I’m going to start running. You’ll want to close your eyes.” My stomach jumped as I remembered the last time I ran with Edward.

I quickly shut my eyes.

We arrived at the meadow without incident. It still pained me how beautiful it was - the prefect circle of grass and flowers.

Unlike the last time we were here, it was not sunny. It was overcast, but it didn’t look like it was going to rain.

“I suppose we’ll just wait,” said Edward.

I nodded and walked to the dead center of the circle, and collapsed down. Edward cautiously followed me, sitting down about three feet away from me. I started tear at the grass, and every few minutes wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. I stared at the tiny silver phone that was balanced on my knee that Edward gave to me. When Victoria arrived I was to quickly speed dial Alice (2) then Jasper (3). I was so nervous. For some reason, I thought that the moment we arrived that everything would go fine. And quickly. But nothing was happening. All this free time was making me dwell on the fact that Jasper could be in danger. That Edward was in danger just sitting next to me. Jacob…the other wolves…the rest of the Cullens.

“Edward,” I found myself whisper. He looked up at me with a surprised expression. “I’m scared.” I said, my voice breaking.

“Bella…” he said, scooting closer to me and placing his arm around my shoulders. As I cried into his shoulder, I imagined that it was Jasper’s, and that the only reason I was crying was because I just finished an entry in his diary from when he was a human. I was crying because of the eloquent words Jasper wrote about his fallen friend. I was crying because of the pains of war Jasper had to face every day. I imagined this, because even though I had cried about that only a few days ago, Jasper was there to comfort me. He told me that his friend was in a better place. He reassured me, and I was able to smile through my tears.

There was no smiling through these tears. I did finally stop crying. Edward handed me another tissue and I silently accepted it. Edward kept his arm around me, and I continued to fool myself into imagining Jasper’s strong arms.

A few minutes later, Edward tensed. “She’s coming,” he hissed. He quickly stood and crouched down in front of her. “Call,” he hissed again.

I fumbled for the phone, which I fallen onto the grass. My hands were shaking so much it took me a second to hit the number 2. I placed the phone to my ear. After the first ring Alice answered: “Bella?”

“She’s coming,” I whispered, then hung up and quickly dialed 3 for Jasper. Carlisle answered, and I repeated that Victoria was coming. We silently waited.

There was only the slightest rustling of the trees when Victoria walked out from their dark hiding place. She was grinning in a catlike, predatorily, way at us.

“Isn’t this just…perfect…” she said. I was completely surprised at how baby like her voice sounded. It did not match her appearance at all. “I get to kill your mate in front of you; that way, you can feel all the pain, and more that I felt when you killed James,” she said to Edward, then her red eyes flickered to my own terrified brown ones.

“I won’t let you,” Edward said; Victoria only chuckled in that baby-like voice.

Then she pounced.

Edward jumped as well, and they hit in midair, making a cracking noise just as the Cullens did when they played baseball.

The blurs of Edward and Victoria (only identifiable because of the shocking red of her hair) did a sort of sickening dance around the meadow. I could only watch in fascination, and fear.

“Bella!” Jasper seemingly appeared beside me.

“Jasper,” I whispered, completely relieved to see him. Jasper picked me up effortlessly as Carlisle, Jacob and Embry (in their massive wolf forms) appeared. The first thing Embry did was leap toward the Victoria blur; and after Jacob sent me a heartbreaking puppy-like stare, he did as well. Carlisle jumped into the fight only for a moment, and that was to take Edward out of it.

“Edward - you and Jasper get Bella far away. Get to your car and drive - understand?” Carlisle said in a commanding voice.

Edward had a crazy look in his eyes, and was staring at the fight between the two werewolves and Victoria. “Yes…ok…” he nodded, trying to focus on Carlisle.

“Go!” said Carlisle, then he began to tear down trees and set them in the middle of the meadow. I realized that he was going to make a fire to destroy Victoria.

“Close your eyes,” whispered Jasper. I did - and just in time, because Jasper began to run. I clutched tighter to Jasper’s neck; I never wanted to let him go.

Then, the movement stopped. I slowly opened my eyes. We were in front of the Volvo. Jasper was hastily opening the back seat, and tried to put me down.

“No,” I said in a half sob. “Don’t let me go.”

“Okay, Bella,” he said, getting into the backseat himself and settling me on his lap. “I’ll never let go of you,” he said softly.

Still holding onto Jasper as tightly as I could, as the car began to move, I fell asleep in the strong arms of the man I loved.

“…the poor thing has been so much lately…”

“Because of me.”

“And me.”

“It is not your fault; Edward, Jasper.”

“If I hadn’t left her alone…defenseless…She’d have never gone through that pain, and I’d still…I’d still have her.”

Silence.

As I slowly came into the world of consciousness, I began to hear the voices close to me, recognizing each one:

Esme.

Edward.

Jasper.

Carlisle.

Edward.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were talking about me. Even in my sleepy and head pounding state, I could figure it out.

“It isn’t your fault,” I said in what I thought was a strong voice. It felt like my mouth was full of cotton.

“Bella! You’re awake!” Jasper entered my field of vision.

“How long have I been asleep?” I asked sitting up a little so I could see everyone in the room, and getting a little dizzy in the process. My tongue wasn’t working properly at all. I wish I had some water.

As if reading my mind - ha ha - Edward handed me a glass of water. I drank it quickly.

“A few hours,” said Carlisle, slipping easily into his doctor role. “I believe you were under too much stress, so you simply couldn’t handle it, and your brain shut down.” I nodded stiffly.

“And…Victoria?” I asked. I didn’t see any of the wolves, which worried me. Were they alright?

“She’s been taken care of,” said Emmett. “She didn’t stand a chance against us,” he said smugly.

“Jacob and pack are cleaning up from the fire and spreading the ashes at a safe distance,” said Jasper. He could tell I was worried about Jacob.

“Good,” I sighed. I almost couldn’t believe it. Victoria was gone. I wasn’t in danger - for once - and could enjoy the last few weeks of school without a murderous vampire coming after me.

D There we are! Victoria is GONE! Yay!

What is to come next?!?! Stay tuned, review, and you shall know! :P

Bye bye!

….REVIEW!

-Rose