Her hand clasped tightly in his, Jasper leads Anastasia into their room conjoined with the one of the others.

A bag of clothes Esme was kind enough to pack and put in the trunk is hung over his shoulder and he quickly puts it down and looks around the room while Anastasia crashes straight onto the bed.

They've been driving for around a day, taking a few stops to get something to eat and use the toilet and just take a minute to actually breathe fresh air. Anastasia has been asleep for the first three hours or so before she woke up again and found herself unable to sleep.

"Tired?" Jasper raises a brow, watching her in amusement for a second as she kicks off her shoes. "How'd you get that idea?"

"Where'd you get that attitude?" he counters and sits down on the bed next to her to help her out of her clothes. "My mom," Anastasia shrugs, just letting him do. She's too tired to move and too lazy to argue right now.

"Is she safe?" she asks him when he hands her a shirt of his. "Antonina is fine. Esme checked in on her and is staying back to watch over her while we're gone," Jasper replies softly. "Both of you are perfectly safe," he kisses her forehead and pulls the blanket over her.

Laying down on top of it, his hand pushes her hair out of her face and smoothes it out beneath her as well as he can before it comes back to her cheek, turning her head to face him.

"You're safe, darlin'" some sort of undertone is swaying within his voice, making her smile involuntarily. Her tired head is forbidding her the ability to think. "Thank you. Both of you."

"It's our utmost pleasure."

Anastasia is long since asleep when Alice comes in the room a few minutes later, informing Jasper about Jame's change of course. It's something the major has predicted. The tracker isn't stupid, he was bound to figure it out at some point. And he will be ready for when he comes.

Which is why he quickly shut the idea of leaving already down. It wouldn't be of any use. If Edward were to be alone with Bella, he'd be more vulnerable and weaker than he already is, it would be a stupid thing to do. And Jasper really doesn't want Anastasia to ever have to experience what it's like to run, not even if it were for a day only.

His eyes are closed, his hand just below her chest as he concentrates on it heaving and sinking. His face is laying in the crook of her neck, fading out her hair all over it. The rain from earlier is still lingering in her strands, adding to her already comforting scent.

--- -- -

Sitting with Isabella, much to Anastasia's dismay, they wait quietly for the others to come back. She doesn't know where the others are but Jasper is getting her spring rolls. He should be back pretty soon though.

Anastasia happily ignores the ringing of Bella's phone, her eyes closed as she lies on the couch. It's only when Isabella shakes her that she opens her eyes, her hand shelling up to grab the brunette's wrist, pushing it off her.

"Don't touch me."

"He has my mother. And Antonina," Isabella rushes out. "Antonina is with Esme," Anastasia shrugs. She trusts Jasper, he would've called her had something happened.

"No, he called. She was there, I heard her. I heard both of them," Bella shakes her head, trying to get Anastasia to believe her. "Don't you think he would've called me himself if she was actually with him?"

"She talked to me, she was calling your name and she was asking for you to save her," Isabella just keeps on going.

Anastasia doesn't want to believe her. Jasper would've told her if something happened and James would've called her if he actually had her sister. But if there is a slight possibility her sister is in danger, she has to save her. She can't let her go through any of this.

Not again, not when it can get so much worse than it has been.

Antonina doesn't deserve that.

--- -- -

The ballet studio is gigantic, with rooms with thousands of possibilities to hide, mirrors that do nothing but confuse you and cabinets standing all over.

"Bella, where are you?"

Slowing down Anastasia eventually slows down. She has heard Isabella's mother's voice a hundred times already but there was no trace of her sister.

"He never said anything about my sister," she speaks up, glaring at Bella, who is looking at her in disbelief. "I had to get you here. He has my mother," she defends herself. "He'd killed her."

"Your mother isn't here," Anastasia tells her, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed. "It's the same scene all over. Though I'm not surprised someone as dumb as you didn't notice before."

Turning on her heels, Anastasia desperately hopes James will let her leave. A hope as misplaced as can be as he appears in front of her, a wicked grin on his face and a camera in his hands.

"You know, there's never been anyone to go unnoticed by me. It will be ecstatic to kill you. I'll especially enjoy how it will break your precious little major. I'll be the first and only to beat him."

Her eyes narrow even more at that. "Try us."

"Say hello," he grins even wider, the camera aiming at her face as his free hand wraps around her neck, squeezing as he picks her up. Her hands come to cling to his wrist, desperately trying to peel his fingers off.

And fully aware it is an awful idea, she takes a moment to prepare herself for the consequences before gathering the salvia in his mouth, spitting it right in his face.

"Oh, you will regret that," he growls as he drops her to the ground, his hand coming up to wipe the spit off his face. "I know."

Anastasia doesn't bother to run away, he's way faster and she has a feeling it will only get worse when she does try to run away.

All she needs to do is keep him off long enough for Jasper to come. Because despite Isabella insisting she didn't, she texted him earlier to tell him where she went.

Groaning harshly when his foot comes in contact with her stomach, she flies through the room, landing straight on her back.

Her body is aching and even breathing hurts as she holds her stomach. Shit, that was an incredibly bad idea. Anastasia's head is falling to the side and she watches James's interaction with Isabella, although she does not care all that much.

It's only when he turns back to her that her attempts to crawl away start once more. She's very unsuccessful, mostly because she's incredibly slow at it, everything still hurting immensely.

"Now, back to you," he crouches down, grinning with his head tilted. "You seem pained. Let me help with that."

"No," she whisper out, once again crawling further away until she is cornered against a wall. "Okay," he just shrugs, his hand grabbing her leg and pushing strongly, a scream leaving her lips when he does manage to break it. "Are you sure you don't want my help?" "No."

"Hm," his grin turns more into a smirk, a wicked expression in his eyes and she screams once more when he breaks her other leg as well.

Tears are streaming down her face and she can feel the dizziness threatening to take over.

"Just one little touch."

The last thing Anastasia remembers is crashing into a mirror before everything goes black.

Bella, who is still laying on the ground watches her as she lies unconscious. Some blood is pooling beneath her head and her legs are angled very unhealthily. James has sped over to stand over her with a victorious expression on his face.

His eyes close as he seemingly takes something in and her eyes widen in horror when he crouches down once more, taking her hand and biting into her wrist.

Still unconscious, Anastasia's body tenses up when he pulls away. Pain is shooting up her arm and if she were to describe it, she'd say her blood is on fire. That is if she were conscious.

--- -- -

Hello,

this chapter took forever and I'm still not happy with it. It just feels very rushed and forced? But I also didn't know how to write it any differently without it getting too long.

But tell me what you think of it.

Also, do you believe it will be like Bella and Jasper will suck the venom out or do you think she'll turn?