A/N: There is no Renesmee, and no cottage in the woods. I hope you enjoy... And huge thanks to Project Team Beta and Bree for making this readable (English is not my native language, if you're wondering).

Chapter 1: Fire and Flight

Bella and Jasper were running toward home after hunting. They usually kept company hunting nowadays since they were the ones who needed to hunt more than the others. Bella had good control, but she still preferred not to be too thirsty, and Jasper made similar precautions; hence, they were hunting every week instead of every other week like the others. Of course, it was more fun to hike with the rest of the family, but both Bella and Jasper had made an effort in making their own, shorter trips as fun as possible.

They were running quite slow, being full with the blood of two bears and a herd of deer they had come across. It had been an unusually good hunt, and Emmett would be real grumpy that he had missed out. They laughed and joked, teasing each other. Bella was happy Jasper had warmed up to her. He was so much fun when he wanted to, and he could tell the most amazing stories.

It was a beautiful summer's day. Insects flew lazily through the air, and flowers spread their sweet scents through the forest. The whole family was preparing to go on their various vacations. Of course, they could all travel when they wanted to, but they usually waited until Carlisle was free from the hospital.

Bella and Edward had planned to go to Europe—Paris and Madrid—and maybe some other places. Bella had never been to Europe—unless you counted the trip to Volterra—and Edward wanted to show her everything he knew she would like: the museums, the libraries, the old architecture. Bella was looking forward to this very much. They hadn't really been alone since the honeymoon. And even if it were the same for all of them, living together in the big house, some privacy would be nice.

Charlie was going to come and say happy journey in three days, so Bella figured she might have to hunt again just before that, just in case, but for now she was so full she couldn't get anything more down. It was nice to still be able to include Charlie in her life and not being forced to move away from Forks. It had been over two years since she was changed and she had never felt better. She loved her new life, she loved Edward, and she loved her new family. Sure, she had lost some—she could never see Angela again for example—but she had gained so much that it easily outweighed the things she'd lost.

Suddenly, she could hear Jasper laugh beside her as they were running. "You look a little off there, Bella. Want to race home?" He had a wicked grin on his face. She stuck her tongue out at him and made a face.

"You know I'm completely full, Jazz. You just want an easy victory!" He laughed and picked up his pace. She groaned a little but kept up. They were closing in on home when suddenly they both heard a sound they had not expected. A wolf howled in the distance. They both stopped. Jasper looked at Bella. "Do you recognize that voice?" he asked. Bella shook her head. She knew all the wolves in La Push and their voices; this was not one of the Quileute wolves. Suddenly, they heard a scream, and they knew that voice: Rose. Without another word, they started running again, a lot faster than before. Bella could see Jasper overtake her, but he didn't gain that much —she was fast. The sounds and scents coming at them from their home gave Bella shivers. It smelled like wolf and sounded like fighting; they could hear loud growls and barks. She didn't understand. Who were these wolves?

Jasper halted abruptly by the river before jumping and stopped Bella in her track. His grip on her arm was very hard, but the scene that met them was so horrifying she didn't even notice. Huge wolves had surrounded the house and were attacking their family. Jasper made a quick count: fifteen wolves, give or take a few. He had never seen a pack of this size. He could see Rose lying on the ground, her head severed from her body and her limbs broken and in pieces. He saw Emmett desperately trying to fight off four wolves with just one arm, the other gone. He saw Edward and Carlisle obviously trying to make a path for Esme and Alice. Alice got caught when she tried to dodge out of the way, and a huge brown wolf threw her into the wall of the house with a loud crash. The wolf pounced as soon she was on the ground. Jasper took a step forward in an attack crouch, ready to leap.

Esme got free and ran toward him and Bella, fear in her eyes and clothes torn. She was not going to make it. She threw a bag at the same time a wolf caught her.

"Run!" she screamed. "Run! Save her, Jasper!"

Jasper straightened and caught the bag just as he saw both Carlisle and Edward being taken down by more wolves. His mind told him this was a lost fight; they could not win. He wanted to kill these wolves, sink his teeth in their necks, crush their bones, but his military self took command; there was no way out except flight. And he had someone who needed him. With a huge effort, forcing himself to be ruled by rationality rather than his feelings, he turned to Bella. She was even paler than usual, her face a mask of terror. And then she screamed. It was a piercing scream—a scream of pain. He gripped her arms and turned her violently to face him. He stared into her golden eyes, now filled with fear and anguish.

"Run, Bella!" he screamed at her, and she did. He held her hand, steering her away from the hunting wolves that were following, going east. It didn't take long until he himself felt a pain in his chest so severe; he had never felt anything like it. He knew what it was, but he didn't allow himself to think about it. Mere seconds had passed, and yet, their whole lives were upside-down. With huge determination, he shoved the pain to the back of his mind.

Bella didn't want to understand. The pain in her chest was overriding anything else. It was worse than the pain of the change in a way. But it wasn't a burning; it was a sharp pain, stabbing, as if it was carving a hole in her chest where her heart used to be. She ran, hand in hand with Jasper, and she could hear the wolves behind them. She didn't know where they were running, but she didn't care. The pain made everything else seem redundant. She didn't know for how long they had been running, but suddenly, they were on a cliff and diving into the water. She still followed Jasper, and he led her through the water, obviously having a goal. They got out of the water on a rocky shoreline by a road. Bella fell to her hands and knees, and finally accepting what had just happened, why her chest hurt like that, she threw up what blood she had left in her stomach after the morning hunt.

Jasper looked back out over the water behind them. The wolves were not following, as he had hoped. When Bella was done being sick, he made her sit up and look at him. Her eyes were dead. There really was no other word for what he saw in them. Almost black again since she had no more blood in her system, they were flat, the depth gone. And her emotions … They were so dark he had to try and shield himself from them or they would knock him down in a pit he wasn't sure he would be able to crawl up from. He sat down beside her and opened the bag. It was one of those waterproof things, and he was glad it was when he saw what was in it. It was filled with cash, and he found his wallet in there as well. It held his credit cards and his driver's license; this was going to make things much easier. On the bottom, under the cash, he could see something else. It looked like a sheet of paper. He decided not to look at it now; he didn't have time for breaking down just yet. He looked at Bella again. She stared out over the water, but her eyes didn't really see anything.

"Bella?" he asked gently. She turned her head and looked at him as if she didn't really know what was going on. He knew that look all too well; she was shutting down to cope. He really didn't want to think of how often, in his distant past, it was he who had caused such haunted eyes.

"Bella, we need to move. Come on; don't shut down on me just yet, little sister."

To that she reacted a little—a small movement. She blinked her eyes and then she stood up; he joined her. He took her hand, and they started walking along the road toward the lights that were Seattle.

Jasper bought a cell phone then checked them into a small motel on the outskirts of the city. He paid for three nights in advance, not knowing when they would be able to leave. The room only had one double bed, but he really didn't care, it was not as if they needed it. Bella sank down on the floor by the foot of the bed while Jasper emptied the bag on top of it. The piece of paper he had seen before ended up at the top of the pile—it was a simple piece of stationary, with handwriting he knew all too well. He would read it soon. There was also a clear CD case with a note inside it that said "I love you forever" in Edwards's scripture. Jasper knew what this was. With a heavy heart, he kneeled by Bella's side.

"Edward left this for you." She looked at him, still with that faraway look on her face. When he held up the CD, she stretched out her hands hesitantly and took it, reading the words, tracing them with her fingertips, and then clutching it hard to her chest. Her eyes were suddenly filled with pain and despair, and Jasper had to make an effort not to keel over from the flow of emotions. He gathered all of his strength and managed to send her some calm before he succeeded in blocking her out. He rose from her side and grabbed the cell; he had some calls to make before he could allow himself to really accept what had happened.

The first call was to Tanya in Denali. The six vampires up there were family, and they deserved to know first. Tanya answered after a few rings.

"Hello?" Her voice was a bit apprehensive; she didn't know the number that was calling.

"Hello, Tanya, this is Jasper."

"Jasper? How nice to hear from you! It has been far too long since any of you Cullens gave us a call," she sang with her beautiful voice.

"I'm so sorry, Tanya, but there has been a real … tragedy." Tanya went silent. He didn't know how to continue, the grief started to edge in on his mind. When she spoke again her voice was worried and all business.

"Jasper? Are you still there? What's happened?"

"They were attacked, Tanya. We were attacked. By shape-shifters, huge wolves. But not the Quileutes; others, who we don't know."

"What? But why? Are you okay?" Jasper shook his head to clear his mind; he couldn't cave in just yet.

"I don't know why. And no, we are not okay. Only Bella and I escaped Tanya. The rest … The rest are dead." His voice trailed off in a whisper. Tanya wailed on the other end, her grief and shock so tangible he almost gave in to the pain and sorrow. After just a short while, she went silent.

"We need help," Jasper said.

"Of course! Shall we come and get you? Where are you?" Her voice was strained and forced now.

"We're in Seattle, but we both need new papers; we have no passports. We have to arrange that first, and it will take a few days."

"It will take us almost two days to get there, but we will be there. Can I reach you at this number?" She was back to her serious, all-business voice again.

"Yes. And please hurry, Tanya."

"I have to get a hold of the rest, but we'll hurry. We'll take a car; it's easier than going through the airports. I guess we'll leave in an hour or so. Take care of yourself, Jasper, and take care of Bella."

"I promise." They both hung up.

The next call was to Billy Black in La Push. Jasper needed to know if the Quileutes had had any knowledge of this other pack. Several minutes passed before someone answered.

"Black residence, who's this?" Jasper recognized the chief's voice at once.

"This is Jasper Hale."

"Jasper Hale? You usually don't call here … That's normally Bella, or Carlisle. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, something is very wrong. My family was attacked by a huge pack of shape-shifters today, Billy." There was a profound silence. "I know it wasn't your pack. I've never seen these wolves before. But there were many of them, and they attacked."

"What happened?" the old man asked with his rough voice.

Jasper took a deep breath.

"They killed them all. Only Bella and I escaped." Jasper could hear the man struggle to take a breath.

"What are you saying?" he almost whispered.

"Bella and I happened to be out of the house; when we returned, it was already too late. I counted at least fifteen wolves, Billy. Fifteen. They never stood a chance."

"May the spirits have mercy …" the old man whispered on the other end.

"Do you have any idea of who they are? Where they come from?"

"No, I have no idea. I have never … A pack that size, it's not normal. I'll call Sam and tell him. They will go to the house and track them if they can, Jasper." Billy paused. "And I'll make some phone calls to some other tribes. There are other protectors out there, but not like this."

"Will you let me know what you find out?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, you can be sure about that. What are you going to do? Where are you?"

"Seattle, for the moment, but we won't stay here."

"Are you coming back to Forks?"

"No, we can't. It would raise too many questions. It's not as if Bella can move in with Charlie. And before we know who those wolves are, I'm not risking her going back there, if they come for us again. It's better that everyone thinks we all died."

"I understand. I'll tell the pack though. And you'll take care of her, won't you?"

"She's my sister, Billy, of course I will take care of her. And you will take care of Charlie, I hope?" Billy grunted a little.

"Of course, I will. Good luck to you, Jasper. And I'm so sorry."

"Thank you." Jasper hung up. He took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. He didn't need the support, but it made him feel just an inch more stable.

His third call was to J. Jenks, to arrange a meeting. The lawyer was surprised at him calling but made room for them the day after in his schedule. When he was done, it was dusk outside and quiet. Bella didn't make a sound, still sitting on the floor by the bed, clutching the CD in her hands. She was completely still and staring straight into the wall opposite her, not really seeing anything. Jasper took another deep breath. He set the alarm on the cell to go off at eight in the morning the next day, and then he reached for the note from Alice. He could see she had written it very fast, her usually perfect scripture being a bit uneven.

"Jazz, my love,

Go to the Denalis; they will help. And keep Bella safe! She will need you, Jasper! And you have to teach her to fight, and she has to practice with her shield. She will need that too.

We had a really good time, didn't we? I will always watch over you, my sweet love, but this pain is something you have to go through, not avoid. You will come out on the other side. I promise.

With all my love,

Alice"

Her scent came off the paper and hit him like a truck. He slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting with his head on his knees, sobbing without tears, letting the pain of a lost mate tear through him.

Sam and Jake ran through the forest as fast as they could toward the Cullens' house. They were still a few miles out when they caught the scent of something burning. The rest of the pack, all six of them, were running a wide patrol all around La Push and Forks. Leah had already caught the strangers' scents and was following it southeast together with Paul. They were careful, though, since none of them knew who these wolves were.

Sam had had a really hard time believing what Billy had told him when he had called. He had gathered the pack as soon as he had been able, the shock resonating through all of their minds at the news. Ever since they had formed the unlikely alliance with the vampires to fight off the newborns a few years back, they had remained friends with the Cullens. Carlisle had been their doctor when they had needed one, and the friendship between Bella and Jake had only grown stronger since she was changed. They even hunted together from time to time. And to think another pack had come and just killed them … It was hard to grasp.

When Sam and Jake came closer to the house, they could see the fire. It was still blazing, far too hot to get close to. Mixed in with the smoke was the scent of burning vampire flesh; it made them both gag now that they knew whom it was that burned. The roof had caved in, all the glass shattered, two walls gone, and one of the huge cedars had also caught on fire. Sam spotted the garage off to the side and realized they had to do some things here, and they needed to alert the fire department. This could easily turn into a forest fire, and no one wanted that. The only reason it hadn't spread further in the hours that had passed was the fact that Forks and its surroundings wasn't a very dry place.

"I'll call them," Seth offered; he was close to the north side of Forks and could reach a phone.

"Good," Sam answered. "Jake, come, we need to make sure there is nothing strange in the garage." The two wolves circled around the clearing until they could reach the garage without getting too close to the fire. There were wolf tracks everywhere, and they were huge. So many scents mingled here, and the smell of the smoke was so harsh, they couldn't tell how many it had been. Jake phased and went inside. He opened the cupboards and rummaged on the shelves. After a few minutes, he emerged with a rather large bag in one hand.

"Nothing strange at all, except an enormous amount of cash. We can't leave it, the police will think they were drug dealers or something." Sam nodded, and Jake phased back. He carefully took the handles of the bag in his mouth, and they took off.

When the alarm went off in the morning, Jasper straightened up from his crouch and looked around. Bella hadn't moved. With a huge effort, he pushed the pain and the grief to the back of his mind. They had things to do, and he needed Bella aware for this. He stood up and rubbed his hands over his face, pulling his fingers through his hair. As long as he kept on track, on mission, he could do this. And then Tanya would come, and he could cave in for real. He moved over to Bella and sat down beside her. He carefully pried one of her hands loose from the CD and held it. She didn't move. He put his hand under her chin and gently turned her face toward him.

"Bella? Can you hear me?" She didn't respond, but she blinked. She was still beautiful, but the beauty now was heartbreaking, so much pain and despair in her eyes. "Bella, we need to do some things today. We need to get new clothes and new papers. I need you here for that, okay? I promise, you will get your time to grieve, but not right now. Can you do that for me? Can you be here?" She blinked again then closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was there; he could see it.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked with a voice that was strained and low; he could barely make out what she said. He pulled her up from the floor.

"First, we need to get new clothes, and then we are going to meet a … friend of mine. He's going to get us what we need." She nodded.

"I'll be here, Jasper. Just don't …" Her voice trailed off.

He hugged her close for a brief minute then met her eyes again.

"I'll take care of you, little sister. I will not ask anything of you that you can't handle."

She nodded in response.

They left the motel and took a cab to one of the fancier boutiques in Seattle. Bella didn't listen to what Jasper told the clerks; it was something about lost luggage. She didn't see any colors, everything was gray, her chest was a big aching hole, and her stomach filled with ice. She moved when she was supposed to: she fidgeted, she blinked, and she changed into the clothes the clerk came with. They left and took another cab to some other place. She didn't realize until she was in the cab that she had new jeans, new shoes, and a new blouse under her new trench coat. She couldn't tell what color it was, and she didn't really care, but it was comfortable. They exited the cab and went into a rather posh reception area. They were immediately ushered through to an office. Bella registered that Jasper greeted the man behind the desk as if they knew each other, and then she shook the man's hand as well. His hand was very warm. He mumbled something; she didn't answer. Jasper took her coat and made her sit down on a couch.

Jenks glanced at the woman. She looked young, and very beautiful, with long chestnut hair and almost translucent pale skin. But her eyes … He had never seen eyes filled with such pain before. It almost took his breath away. Jasper cleared his throat, and Jenks immediately turned his full attention to his most frightening but also most valuable client.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Jasper?" He was ready with pen and paper.

"We need new passports, no need for it to be perfect, and the names don't matter at the moment. The only really important thing is that we can't use our old ones because we are both supposedly dead." At this comment, Jenks startled and looked up at him. The golden gaze that met him was steady and calm.

"Mr. Jasper, what has happened? Are you running?" Deep down, Jenks really didn't want to know what had a man like Jasper on the run, if that was the case. Jasper sighed.

"There has been a fire. The others … perished. We don't know who did it yet. Meanwhile, we are going to go away for a while. We need death certificates, and we need to rearrange some of the funds …" Jasper went on with the details while Jenks jotted it down.

When Jasper was done, Jenks took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Jasper. I truly am. The Cullens have been … valued clients over the years. As you said over the phone, I have arranged for a photographer to come here; he will be here in an hour. Utmost discretion guaranteed, of course. I would imagine the passports would take no more than two days to get." Jasper raised an eyebrow, thinking that was unusually fast.

"You're in luck. I had another order that cancelled just a few days ago, the work already done, more or less. We just need to add the photos and signatures." Jenks glanced over at the young woman again.

"If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Jasper, is this Ms. Alice?" Jenks could see Jasper startle at the name.

"No, this is Bella Cullen, Edward's … widow. Alice … also perished in the fire." Jenks could see pain in Jasper's face now, could hear it in his voice.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Jasper." The room fell silent.

"Is there anything else I can get you while we wait? You are welcome to use the lounge, of course." He gestured to a set of sliding glass doors that led into an adjacent room with a TV, two couches, and a conference table. There was a computer on the table.

"Does that thing have internet?" Jasper asked.

"Of course," Jenks replied and huffed up out of his chair. He slid the doors aside while Jasper carefully guided Bella into the lounge and sat her on one of the couches. Jenks closed the doors behind them; he could still see them but not hear them.

Jasper sat down by the computer and opened a browser. First, he went to the Seattle Herald—nothing there mentioned the fire. Then he went to the Forks Daily. It was the headline there. The paper reported that all of the Cullens had died in the fire, including the daughter of Chief Swan who had recently married into the family. People from the hospital where Carlisle worked said some nice things, and Charlie's colleagues also expressed their sadness. The police were investigating since there had been some evidence of arson. There were no bodies found though, but they were still looking. The chief of the fire department explained they would probably not find any because the fire had been so hot. A memorial was to be held, but no date was set.

Jasper leaned his face in his palms, breathing slowly. He had never dreamed of a day like this. He lifted his head again and looked at Bella. She was still present, her eyes were moving. She was looking around, but she was still and dead silent. He turned back to the computer and logged in to their usual bank accounts, the ones that were used on a daily basis. He made some changes in the transfers to the different accounts and made sure he had enough on his cards to possibly buy a small estate. He didn't want to be hindered right now. All done, he grabbed the hairbrush he had bought for Bella and went over to her.

"Bella? You need to brush your hair for the photo. And you need to smile for the camera."

She looked up at him, shock on her face.

"Jasper, I can't," she whispered, her eyes filled with pain. He kneeled in front of her, his hands finding hers and holding them.

"You can, Bella. It's only a few seconds. It just has to look like a smile." She met his eyes and eventually nodded. She freed her hands, and he rose. She grabbed the brush and moved it to her hair and then froze. He could feel her panic grow and see her lips twisting into a grimace of sadness. He understood what was happening and took the brush from her frozen hand. The ordinary was too hard for her to cope with right now.

"Calm down, Bella. You don't have to."

She relaxed a little and lowered her arm, the panic subsiding. He moved around the couch, behind her, and started to brush her hair with gentle strokes. In a sudden flash, he remembered doing this for his sisters when he was no more than a boy. He noticed that Bella relaxed even more, her shoulders lowered, her breathing slowing. She had closed her eyes.

Thank you for reading, the next chapter will be up shortly...