A/N: Part Three!

Here is the third and final part of Collateral. It's a lot shorter than the previous two sections. Hope you like it!

Thank you again to idealskeptic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Part Three

Edward stayed for another hour, telling me news of Bella and their daughter, Renesmee, but only when I asked. He didn't offer much, and I never expected him to, but it was a comfort, after everything, to know they were safe and well.

It was a short while later he told me he had to go home and talk to his family. It seemed as though Rosalie had disappeared the moment she'd left the building, which meant he had to drive back alone. Edward assumed she'd headed towards home on foot so she had time to think.

I very nearly enquired where home was for him, but held back. After his assurance earlier, there was every chance I'd find out soon, anyway.

When I'd asked if he thought she'd tell them about Jasper before he got back, he assured me that she wouldn't return home until he had. She didn't know the full details, and Jasper was too important to go blundering in and dropping the bad news so rashly. Something told me Edward was going to be the one to deliver the news. They'd lost Alice, and now they had to find out Jasper was gone, too.

I could see it in his eyes…he couldn't stand to think about it.

Before he left, I'd apologised for what happened to Alice. He nodded and looked away, the pain still fresh in his eyes. In the silence, I'd wanted to ask him if he was close to her. Somehow, I knew that he was. The fact he'd chosen not to answer my internal question was enough to prove the truth was too hard to say aloud.

After I'd watched Edward get into his car and drive away, my chest felt lighter than it had in nearly two weeks. As small as it was, Edward's promise that he would talk to me again soon gave me enough to latch onto. It was petty, but it felt as if, through them, there was still a small connection to Jasper.

But that same night, an old, almost forgotten nightmare hit me, slamming me back down to the bottom.

I'd started out in the forest outside the Cullens' house, running away from something that wasn't there anymore. When the scene had changed to the graveyard, I'd found myself facing the same two graves, and as if I'd known it was coming, I'd turned and there they were, once again. The Cullens, standing around an open grave.

There were only seven of them this time, and as I'd approached I realised that two were missing – Jasper and Alice. In their place had been a child – a girl, I think, far smaller than the rest, her face shrouded from view.

When I'd reached the edge of the grave and looked down, all I'd seen was fire.

That night I had woken up screaming to an empty house, and as I'd huddled against the wall, tears silently slipping down my cheeks, I began to realise that Alice had never been in my original dream…I'd never seen her standing around the grave at all.

I drew in a shuddering breath as the phone started ringing. After snapping from the sleep-deprived stupor I'd spiralled into since waking that morning, I pulled myself out of bed and shuffled awkwardly into the other room. There was a slight limp to my step, almost as if I didn't have the energy to move.

It had been three days since I'd last seen Edward, and I hadn't heard from him or the Cullens since. At times, I began to wonder if he had even been here at all. There was nothing to hold onto, nothing to prove he had been here, that either of them had been here.

Even a call from Rosalie would have been better than the silence.

I was still thinking about them as I reached the phone. I stared at it, not wanting to answer. Who would be on the other end of the line? Who would I have to put on the fake voice and pretend that everything was okay with? It drained me more than when I tried to evade sleep each coming night. I just didn't have the enthusiasm to do it anymore, and when I finally picked up the receiver, I answered in a voice more hollow than my chest.

"Angela?"

The phone clattered to the floor. That voice…

My whole body trembled as I stared at the handset by my feet. I was losing my mind – I was losing my mind; the lack of sleep was making me hear things that weren't there. It was the only explanation. I couldn't be sure the phone had even rung, and I was too scared to pick it up, to hear that lost voice again. Without thinking, I slammed my hand down on the end call button on the phone base, terminating the invisible connection.

I wheeled around, nearly trampling on a startled Aurora as I grabbed my jacket and darted for the door. Anxiety was thick in my throat as I thought about the chances of it ringing again, knowing that voice was on the other end, calling my name.

I was right. Just as I reached for the handle, it started ringing.

No.

The door echoed loudly in the empty hall as I shut it behind me. Luckily, no one was around to see the frenzied look on my face or the quivering of my hands. I was free to get out of there without the prying eyes of my neighbours. The cold air was what I needed; it would keep me awake and clear my mind. Outside, the dreams couldn't pull me under.

But the illusions…I didn't need to be asleep for those to reach me.

Before I knew it, tears were sliding down my cheeks. How was I going to carry on with these thoughts? The dreams I could endure because I knew they would slowly fade away over time, but this, having hallucinations was too much. I couldn't handle it; I just wasn't strong enough.

I didn't stop walking until I reached the park just north from my apartment building. I'd only been there a few times with Carla when we'd decided to explore the area. Right now, it was a perfect place to escape to. At this time of the evening, not many people would be there.

When I finally reached a suitable place to stop, I collapsed onto a bench and tucked my jacket around myself a little tighter. There were trees on either side of the wide avenue I was sitting in, giving off the impression of privacy. In the summer, the sun would shine through the gaps in the trees, illuminating the walkway, but all that leaked through now was the stark, half-light of the evening sky.

I pulled my legs onto the bench, curling into myself as I tried to retain some composure. My eyelids felt heavy; all I wanted to do was close them, and the strain of keeping them open was taking everything I had. The cold breeze was making my eyes sting, so I shook my head weakly as I blinked.

Eventually I gave in and closed my tired eyes, resting my head against my knees. Fatigue washed over me, and I knew I was wrong earlier. Even out here, I'd be asleep in minutes. There was a small voice in the back of my mind that told me it wasn't a good idea, that I should open my eyes. But the temptation was too high; I wanted to give in…I would give in…

I would…

I…

I jolted awake, my neck cricking painfully. Something or someone had woken me, but I couldn't tell what. There was no one here, and the only sounds were that of rustling leaves in the trees. I was alone; there was no one else here.

Alone.

Alo-

Something to my left caught my eye, freezing me to the spot. I turned slowly, my breath coming in faint, jilted pants as I realised what caught my eye. It was a man, walking towards me off in the distant. Even then, I could still make out the height, the blond hair, the pale skin. I could see his speed, the way he moved with a sudden urgency to his step.

"No, no, no!" I gasped out, my body shaking once again. "Please, no…"

I stumbled away from the bench and moved further into the park, away from him. He wasn't here, he couldn't be. My mind was playing tricks on me once again, a sick, twisted game of producing the one thing I longed for. His voice was one thing, but to actually see him was simply cruel.

If I kept walking, he would vanish.

"Angela."

His voice was closer than I expected it to be. The sound of the worried intonation tore at my heart. My legs seized up, preventing me from moving. My only other option was to cover my ears and close my eyes. If I turned around, he wouldn't be there.

"You're not here," I chanted as I pressed my ears flat to my head.

"Angela."

This time it came from right in front of me. A sob escaped me, marring the next words to come out my mouth.

"You're not real!" I said, louder than before. There was conviction in my voice; it almost sounded as though I wanted to believe myself. "You're…gone."

What was happening to me?

I screamed as cold fingers closed around my hands, prying them away from my ears. I tried to pull back – hallucinations couldn't reach out and touch me, but they held me in place.

"Look at me," he instructed, his hands slipping away as quickly as they'd grasped me.

How can I look at you when you're not here? Seeing you would only make this harder…

He repeated his request in a far gentler voice than any I'd heard before. It slowly chipped at my resolve until it came crashing down at my feet.

I opened my eyes.

My chest tightened at the sight of him before me. It was a bittersweet moment. He was just as I remember him the day we parted. My Jasper.

Oh, I miss you more than I can bear, and it's breaking my heart to know you're not real.

"I'm here," he said as he held his hands up, close, but not touching. Almost as if he was scared to touch me again.

I shook my head weakly, tears pooling from my eyes. "But you can't be," I whispered brokenly, choking on my words. "It has been two weeks. They…they…killed…you."

His eyes held a look of torture so strong I knew I should have looked away. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. This was shattering my heart and I just couldn't stop…

"I came back for you…" he said. His voice was gentle and soft; full of honesty and assurance I knew wasn't genuine. I wrapped my arms around my body, trying to hold myself together over the heart wrenching pain in my chest.

"Don't say that," I sobbed. He would never say that. "I can't bear it…please."

His expression mirrored mine, heartbroken and torn. It made sense that my illusion of him would match what I was feeling; my memories and imagination just weren't strong enough to create a complete replica.

"Touch me," he commanded. "Please, Angela, it's the only way you're going to see that I'm really here."

"But you'll disappear," I replied, the words barely audible. My bottom lip trembled as I studied him, too scared to even blink. I don't want you to disappear again.

He shook his head, his response coming out as a growl. "Never."

I wanted to believe him so badly. Even my subconscious was making him say all the right things that were so very wrong at the same time. I wanted him to stay with me, regardless of whatever this hallucination was or meant because getting over him was going to be hard, harder than I could cope with.

As heartbreaking as it was, I would willingly stay like this forever, just to be with him. But I couldn't; I had to reach out and touch him – his eyes were telling me that was the only thing left to do.

It took nearly five minutes for me to retain as much of him as I possibly could. It was nowhere near enough, but the sky was darkening, the evening drawing to a close, and I did not relish the thought of walking home alone.

With a deep, jilted breath, I held up a trembling hand towards his chest. Taking one last look into his eyes, my eyelids fluttered and closed as I pushed forward into the space before me.

My fingers brushed against fabric. I gasped loudly as my eyes shot open. I touched him. I stumbled backwards, but his hands flashed to my waist before I could fall. My heart was hammering, my eyes wide as I stared at him, hardly daring to believe the impossible.

He waited silently as my hand slowly drifted to his arm, where I pushed the sleeve aside and trailed a finger across the textured skin.

Could it be…?

I tried to regulate my breathing as I looked back into his patient gaze. His eyes softened as he gently edged me towards him. It was then his scent engulfed me, and it finally sank in…he was alive. He came back for me.

Within a second I'd thrown myself at him, winding my arms around his torso so tightly my muscles began to protest. But I didn't care. He was here, Jasper was alive. I sobbed against his shoulder as he returned the embrace, holding me as tight as he dared.

"I couldn't do it," he said quietly, his mouth against my ear. "After you left, I couldn't do it. I didn't go back to Volterra. I remained in Rome and thought about my family and what I was doing to them…what it would do to them when they found out. I didn't want to be the one to cause them more pain."

He paused and I felt and heard him draw a deep breath. "Then I thought of you, and I knew I'd never forgive myself for what I'd put you through - all because I wanted the most selfish thing imaginable. In ending my own pain, I was causing so much more."

There was bitterness in his voice as he finished; I shook my head, but I wasn't sure he understood the meaning. I didn't think what he'd done was selfish; it was the act of a man in a pain beyond understanding.

"I stayed in England for a week," he went on, the bitterness seeping away as quickly as it had formed. "I knew I was going back to the States, but I needed to work out what I was going to do once I got there. My family deserved an explanation, but there was something else I had to do first."

Though I didn't want to let him go, I felt him shift so we were face to face once again.

"I did this because I thought I couldn't live without Alice, and I still don't think I could have if I hadn't met you. If it weren't for you, I would have let them kill me. Angela, you showed me a different way." He brought his hand to my cheek as he spoke, gently brushing away any lingering tears. "But I can't do this on my own. I can't face that darkness without you. I need you to help me."

I couldn't speak over the lump in my throat. My heart was thumping so quickly in my chest, and I knew he could hear it loud and clear. But in that moment it didn't matter because he needed me, and I knew, at last, I'd found my place; the place where I really, truly mattered.

"But what about the Volturi?" I asked, even though they were a mere flicker in the back of my mind. "Won't they wonder what happened? What if they come looking for you?"

A sliver of panic curled through me at the thought of them coming after Jasper. I could barely stomach the thought of them taking him away from me. But Jasper didn't let the panic settle as he bridged the gap, his hand slipping into my hair.

"Let them," he said, unwavering. "I'll be ready, and I'll have my family behind me. I don't want you to ever worry about that because I promise I will never let harm come to you again. I can't even bear thinking about it."

He exhaled gently. "And I'm so sorry for scaring you. I hadn't planned for you to find out this way, but I caught a scent I didn't recognise, and I…I had to call; I had to make sure you were safe. I was too far away to reach you in person."

Like Alice, he'd been too far away…

I think I was crying again, but I couldn't even feel the tears. Hearing his explanation, it made perfect sense for him to call. The fact he'd done it to assure my safety made it impossible for me to focus on the part about the vampire scent. His words went straight to my heart as I felt something new weaving through me. A warmth so rich and rewarding was lacing itself into every corner of my body, and I knew there was only one thing left to say.

"I love you," I finally managed to utter, the words being so long overdue. The reality was I'd loved him for so long now. But this was the moment, right here, where I knew I had to say it, and his reaction took my breath away.

It was the first, true smile I'd seen to grace his handsome face. It lit up his eyes and warmed me from my toes, spreading upwards into my heart. I'd never seem him unquestionably happy, but deep within me, I still felt as though this was the side of him I'd missed the most.

"I know," he said simply as he leant forward and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

A/N: Aww, see? I can do happy endings, too! Not sure it's a HEA, but take what you can get, right? I don't plan to continue this right now, but then again, Built on a Lie started out as just a one-shot – so who knows.

I know no one picked up on it at the time (and of course, why would you?) but the dream Angela had was first seen in chapter five. It mentioned eight people standing around a grave, with Jasper standing closest. The eighth Cullen was in fact Renesmee and not Alice. My foreshadowing is so subtle that no one in their right mind would make the connection.

Teasers for chapter 22 of Built on a Lie go out to reviewers. That chapter should be out later this week.