Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight. I only own the POS laptop that I wrote this on.

Warning: Rated M for eventual lemons.

A/N: If there's anyone still reading this, my apologies that it's taken so long to update. Between a funeral, a fire, Christmas, and the rest of RL, it's been pretty hectic and I haven't had a lot of spare time. But if you're still interested, here's the next chapter :) Much thanks to HammerHips for pre-reading for me and to Stitchcat for being an awesome Beta and making this all pretty and shiny.

Previously: Her body was so fragile, sitting there broken and bloodied, clutching a small package to her chest with her left hand. He was unsure whether she had any internal injuries but he highly suspected it considering how far the truck had managed to get into the woods, and from what he could see her right arm was broken. With her heart still beating, and not wanting to take any chances with her survival, he brought his mouth to her neck, preparing to ensure that she would survive one way or another. Just as he was about to sink his teeth into her soft flesh, he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him, holding him back.

As Emmett watched Jasper pull ahead, running so fast he'd give Edward a run for his money, he felt his phone vibrate with an incoming text message. Looking down he saw that it was from Alice.

~Carlisle is on his way with a medical team. They know the general location. I'm only getting flashes of Bella but it was enough to tell him where to go. Carlisle said DO NOT let Jasper bite her! He'll be there soon.~

Following Jasper's trail, it didn't take long to find him. The first thing he saw was the door to Bella's truck embedded into the trunk of a tree twenty feet away. The next thing he noticed made him stop in his tracks; his baby sister was slouched to the side, still in her truck, blood running down her face with Jasper poised over her, teeth glistening with venom.

Emmett knew he was taking his undead life in his hands but he really didn't see any other way. He had known that if Jasper found an injured Bella he wouldn't waste any time in starting her change, especially if he thought time was of the essence. He also knew that while his brother was frantic with worry over the fate of his mate, he was also one of the baddest motherfuckers around and now, when faced with the possibility of losing the one thing precious to him, he wouldn't waste a second with petty chatting when he could be actually doing something. When the Major came out to play, which in all honesty wasn't often these days, Jasper turned from a mellow, southern gent into a fight first, ask questions later badass vamp.

Praying to whatever God was out there watching that Jasper wouldn't tear him limb from limb, he sprinted to the truck, wrapped his arms around his brother, and pulled him away from the broken girl. He knew he only had one shot to make him listen before he suffered the consequences of interrupting him.

"Jazz! I know you totally want to kick my ass into next week right now, but you have to stop! Carlisle said you CANNOT bite her. "

Jasper knew someone was trying to speak to him but he couldn't take his eyes off of Bella. He needed to get back to her and start her change. He'd be damned if he was going to lose her now that they were finally happy and together. With a roar he threw off the arms that were holding him and spun to face his attacker. "Emmett? You had better have a damned good explanation for stopping me. Now get the hell out of my way."

Emmett knew he had to act quickly. "Sorry bro, I can't do that. You can't bite her; at least not yet. Carlisle is on the way with a medical team. I know you want to do something but you have to wait for Carlisle."

Running his hands through his hair he shouted, "She may not have time Emmett! Look at her! Listen to her heartbeat! I might not be a doctor but I know she's badly injured. I will not lose her, so get the fuck out of my way."

Shouts from the woods interrupted them as Carlisle arrived with a medical team in tow. Carlisle didn't speak; he just made his way to Bella and immediately began assessing her condition.

Making his way back to Bella's side, Jasper felt Emmett gently grab his arms to coax him away. "Come on man, let Carlisle work his magic. She'll be good as new before you know it."

Jasper shoved him away. "I'm not going anywhere, Emmett. Get the hell away from me! I'm not leaving here without her!"

Knowing it was futile to attempt again, Emmett nodded and resumed his position at Jasper's side. "You can ride in the back of the ambulance with her. I'll follow in your truck. She'll be okay, Jasper."

"God, I hope so, Em," he replied. He felt helpless and he knew he was barely hanging on. He focused his attention on the beating of her heart and shut out everything else.

Emmett glanced at the blank expression on Jasper's face. He had shut himself down in order to deal with the emotions raging around him. Anyone else would think he felt nothing, that he was as impassive as his carefully-schooled features implied, but Emmett knew better and he could see the terror hidden deep in those dark eyes. "She'll be okay, Jasper. She'll be fine. When she gets out of here and Carlisle gets her patched up she'll be complaining about you embarrassing her with all this attention."

Emmett's words did nothing to quiet the anxiety that Jasper felt. Every part of his body ached, not from any kind of physical pain, but from the knowledge that Bella, his Bella, was lying there, unconscious and injured. Jasper hung his head and tried to hide the tears that had formed in his eyes.

Somehow, despite all the chaos around him, the night fell deathly silent. He focused on Bella, letting everything else slip away. He didn't hear the call Emmett made to Rose and Esme to inform them of the situation. He had withdrawn into himself so much that every emotion, every sound, was nothing but background music taking second place to the beating of her heart.

Carlisle and his team discussed the pros and cons of getting a back board versus evacuating her immediately. Jasper's world narrowed to only her again. He dropped to his knees beside the truck. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her close, to touch her skin and feel the warmth of life in her, but he couldn't. He didn't want to cause more injury by touching her or moving her. He didn't know if Carlisle would let him – he was watching her closely, using his stethoscope to listen to her body while the debate about moving her continued.

Heartened by the fact that Carlisle appeared to be listening to something which translated to her still breathing, Jasper was able to breathe himself. His eyes fell on her bare hands, pale and torn and bleeding. Her hands were so cold from the wind and rain that had blown in through the broken window. He reached out, gently cradling one of her freezing hands in both of his. Her skin was so icy to the touch that she was almost the same temperature as he. He wished that he could infuse some warmth into her, hating the way her hand rested limply in his He wished he could feel her hand caressing his, their fingers lacing together.

Eventually it was decided that using a back board was the best way to get her to safety. All but one of the team abandoned them to get more equipment. Carlisle spoke to him softly, just to let him know what was going to happen but Jasper didn't hear a word. He was staring at the dark mass of hair that was obscuring her face. He had always loved running his fingers through her hair but now he hated it, because he was desperate to see her face again.

Jasper's silent prayer was answered. Having finished with the cursory exam and unable to do much for her until she was stabilized to prevent any new or further injury to her neck and head, Carlisle asked for Jasper's help. He needed to put the C-collar on her, to keep her neck supported, and wanted to do it as quickly as possible. He carefully brushed her hair away and helped Jasper position his hands to support her neck and keep her head from moving until the collar was secured.

Jasper tried to keep his hands from shaking while he assisted. He told himself that it wouldn't do to cause her more pain, so he forced his hands still. Although he knew it was a possibility, he was glad to see that the broken glass had left her face unblemished. Except for the blood down the side of her face, she didn't look hurt or sick; she only looked like she was sleeping. He leaned over her as he cradled her head and neck the way he'd been shown, wishing the situation had been different. Had she been well, or even conscious, he knew it would have been so easy to slide his fingers through her long, dark hair to let his weight press into her, and to kiss her lips like he had done so many times.

With the collar closed and the return of the better- prepared medics, Jasper was more or less shoved out of the way. He told himself that it was more important for them to be close to her at that moment, and that he had done all that he could. Instead, he watched a team of men he'd never seen before carry her battered, unconscious body out of the woods up to the road. Only a few steps behind them, he was still too late to insinuate himself into the group that crowded into the ambulance that stole her away. He stared, motionless, as the vehicle sped off, unable to do anything.

Emmett coaxed Jasper back into his truck, taking the driver's side from his dazed brother. Concern for Bella allowed him to push the truck much harder than he ever would have done in normal circumstances, taking turns so fast that he half-feared they would end up in much the same predicament as Bella, just with a better outcome. He didn't stop or even slow down as he careened through the town, ignoring red lights and stop signs and the occasional car. He couldn't stand the thought of losing even a moment; he needed to get Jasper to the hospital as soon as possible. He was convinced that Jasper's presence would make a huge difference in Bella's condition? And even if Bella would be fine without Jasper there, Emmett knew that Jasper wouldn't be.

There was a police cruiser tailing them, lights on and sirens wailing when Emmett finally pulled up to the Emergency Room. Jasper raced inside while Emmett slowly climbed out of the truck, ready to face any punishment the officer felt he deserved. Luckily, the cop let him go with only a warning once he'd heard the story of the crash and found out that it was Chief Swan's daughter that was involved.

Emmett caught up with Jasper just as the nurse was explaining that they didn't have any information yet. She'd arrived and was being assessed by Carlisle, but there was nothing useful at all for them to know. When pressed, she could only offer up a seemingly endless list of tests and things that might have to be done to determine the extent of her injuries. She pointed out that it would be much easier, of course, if Bella woke up and told them what was hurting.

Emmett spoke up, "She was awake for a moment when we got to her." Jasper looked up, appearing alarmed for not having mentioned it himself.

The nurse was encouraged by that. "Was she talking? Did she indicate anything about her injuries?"

Jasper's shoulders drooped, "She only opened her eyes for a second."

The nurse's disappointment did not go unnoticed by either man. "While that might seem like a promising sign, her eyes opening may have been an involuntary response to pain or other stimuli."

Jasper nodded, refusing to hear what the nurse was saying. She put a reassuring hand on Jasper's shoulder. "I'll mention it to the doctor. You boys have a seat and I'll make sure you're notified of anything we find out."

It was over an hour before Carlisle came out to talk with them.

Jasper stood, asking, "How is she Carlisle?"

"She's still in surgery, son. There are a couple of areas of bleeding inside her head. It was causing the pressure to rise inside her skull and was squeezing her brain, causing it to shut down. The neurosurgeon is in there now putting in a shunt to remove the excess fluid. Once we get the pressure down we'll be able to better see to her injuries."

"How will you stop the bleeding in her brain? For that matter, why couldn't Jazz just bite her Carlisle? Why did you want me to stop him?" Emmett said.

"If it doesn't stop on its own we may have to do more surgery later." Carlisle then lowered his voice so only they could hear, "As for biting her, Esme called me before you both had even found Bella, and from what I've been told of Alice's vision, she took a very bad smack to the head. If it was just the physical injuries to her body I would have told you to go ahead and let him do it. But Bella has extensive head injuries and I don't know what the venom would do, or if it would fix them at all. We might have been condemning her to an existence with permanent brain damage. However, once we see the extent of her head injury, I will definitely be considering it."

"How long until we can see her?" Jasper stood ramrod straight. He was barely holding it together. Everybody else's emotions were taking a toll on him, not to mention he could barely keep his own in check.

"Her surgery will take at least another hour, more if the bleeding requires intervention. After surgery, it will take us a few hours to get her settled and cleaned up. Go home, both of you, and get cleaned up and hunt again, especially if you're going to be in here. Come back in a few hours, I should know more then. I'll be with her the whole time Jasper, Rosalie and Esme as well. I'll call you if there is any change at all."

Hunting being the last thing on his mind, Jasper collapsed down into one of the plastic chairs along the wall, Rose next to him. He leaned forward and placed his head in his hands, which were propped up on his knees. Rose wrapped her arms around his shoulders and closed her eyes. Emmett remained standing, watching over his brother and wife, waiting for news on his little sister. He was so afraid that Bella's luck had finally run out and she wasn't going to be lucky enough to survive this time. He wasn't sure what would happen to Jasper if she didn't make it through.

Bella stayed on life support for three days with no change in her condition. Carlisle said there were still indications of brain activity, although they admitted there was a significant chance of some degree of brain damage. They all agreed that she needed more time to heal before she would wake, and they wanted to wait and see more of her condition before they brought up the subject of changing her again. Carlisle encouraged the family to talk to her often and they each took turns sitting with her. They had also left messages for Renee but had been unable to reach her yet. They knew that her mother would want to be there for her.

It was eight days after her accident when Bella opened her eyes for the first time. Emmett was sitting with her, Jasper having been ordered from her side by a concerned Carlisle after his eyes turned the blackest anyone had ever seen them, when he saw her eyelashes flutter. Although her eyes opened slightly, she didn't seem to really be looking at anything.

"Hey Baby Bells. It's me, Emmett. Can you hear me? Bella?" There was no response and she closed her eyes again. Carlisle told them all that it was a good sign, so they went back to waiting and watching. Every hour that passed, Jasper was sinking deeper and deeper into a depression.

The next time her eyes opened, Rose was sitting with Bella. Jasper had finally reached Renee and they were making arrangements to get her there as soon as she could find a substitute to fill in for her. When Bella's eyes opened, Rose reached out and touched her hand. "Bella? Sweetie?" She didn't look in her direction. She spoke to her for several minutes but her eyes remained unfocused. To Rose, it seemed like she wasn't even in the room. The sight of her vacant face, eyes open, sent chills down her spine. The hollow eyes of her sister was a sight that Rose would never forget.

Rose was glad when Jasper finally came back after speaking with Renee. Jasper was emotionally exhausted. Dealing with his own emotions was hard enough for him; on top of that add in his family's emotions and everyone else in the hospital, it was surprising he could function at all. He had spent the better part of two weeks at Bella's side, leaving only to hunt, shower, and change clothes every few days to keep up appearances. He was lost in his thoughts, thinking about the last time he and Bella made love, when he heard a moan. He looked around but didn't see anybody that could have made the sound. When he turned back to Bella, he saw her eyes were open and she was looking at him.

"Bella? Darlin', how are ya' feeling?"

"Bel…la?"

"Yeah. That's your name, Darlin'." His chest tightened. If his heart could beat it would have surely stopped in that moment. Carlisle had told him to expect some brain damage but he hadn't been ready for this.

"Bel…la."

"That's right. And I'm Jasper."

"Jas…er."

"Not quite, but it's a good try." Jasper hit the nurse's call button beside the bed and when the nurse came and saw that he was talking to Bella, she immediately went to get Carlisle.

A/N: *cowers in fear* Please don't hate me!