EMMETT, ROSALIE,  Athena and Jasper all got to work, eradicating any sign of battle using the fire that enveloped the building at record speed. James was dead. Dead and gone forever and Athena had managed to avoid the same fate -  which she was understandably enormously pleased about. As the four vampires ran from the smoking scene and into a random empty building nearby, Jasper received a phone call from Alice which detailed a very intriguing drive to the hospital and the fact that Bella was going to be okay.

Rosalie and Emmett decided to go back to Forks, knowing that their job here was done but Jasper wanted to stay (so he could help with any sort of panic that Bella could feel when she came to) and Athena didn't feel like returning to Forks quite yet. Nearly dying had brought up some feelings that she hadn't realised existed and those now prominent feelings - that she walled up - would not let her leave quite just yet. Jasper and Athena both decided to walk to the hospital as she wanted to enjoy the night air for as long as she could; it was one of those nights where the air was crisp, the stars shone ever so brightly as the clouds had become light wisps that decorated the sky - sometimes crossing the full moon if they wanted. In short, Athena felt as if she was in heaven. She had not died and got to live to see the beautiful night that surrounded her. "God, don't you think it's beautiful?" she whispered, looking up at the moon as she and Jasper walked arm in arm down a dimly lit street.

"The moon?" he asked with a slightly raised brow, looking up at the thing that caused so much bliss to radiate off her that he almost did not want to bring up her withholding the truth from him. It would be a shame to break such a happy demeanour.

"Everything about the sky. A long time ago, people used to believe that each light in the sky was a soul that got lost on its way to heaven because it wanted to watch over their families until they could meet them again. I never bought into that but it does bring some comfort, upon occasion, to think that maybe my mother is watching from somewhere. Even if I never knew her," she smiled softly, breaking her focus from the sky as a mortal walked past them with both headphones in their ears - luckily.

"That is pretty beautiful," he agreed with a soft exhale, the words felt weird on his tongue. Silence overwhelmed the both of them as they continued walking, making sure to use the shadow of the buildings to avoid any sparking caused by the light of the moon. The urge overwhelmed him so he kept his voice light and unangered as he asked, "Athena, why didn't you tell me?"

"Alice said it would worry you and bad things would come from that worry. I didn't want that for you," she replied with a soft sigh, hoping he did not ask what things would have come from it. She hoped that he just knew and did not ask any questions, she could not even bear the thought of witnessing that terror again.

"Of course, it would worry me," he spoke softly, hoping to mask the anger behind his voice. It did not do the trick and he could tell by her sudden and rapid change of emotion, along with the widening of her eyes.

"I'm deeply sorry for not telling you," she whispered back, sensing some of the anger hidden behind his eyes dissipate for some unknown reason. She did not think an apology would be enough for full forgiveness so she continued with a sigh, "Alice and I tried to avoid it all we could, I wasn't even supposed to go within five miles of James but... I just wanted to help Bella."

"I know you did. I admire that about you," he smiled softly even though she could not see it as her concerned gaze fixed itself on a human walking on the other side of the road. She turned her head away from the human as they went into one of the houses, locking the door behind them.

"That I risk my life for others? That's a bit odd," Athena responded with a slightly raised brow, sensing some forgiveness but she did not want to jinx it yet.

"That you care enough to do that for a human, or mortal as you call them," he chuckled softly, nudging her lightly with his arm in an attempt to soothe away the remaining apprehension that she had not blocked away from him. Some emotions she wanted him to know about, others (like the one she had uncovered near-death) not so much.

She grinned, knowing she had been forgiven. "Are you making fun of me Jasper Whitlock?"

"Of course not," he replied, keeping his mouth pressed in a line to attempt to not let the laughter escape. She chuckled softly, glancing down to the ground as they stepped off of the pavement and onto the road, crossing where they weren't any lights (another perk of the Vampire lifestyle).

"I am really sorry, I'll tell you next time," she hesitated, listening to what she had just said. "Wait no! Touch wood!" she exclaimed, running across the path to touch the bark of one of the only trees in the area. She smiled at the feeling of the rough bark under her fingers, stopping any fate that could come back to bite her. She lived through a large part of the superstition era but some of them just stuck more than others - the touch wood jinx and not walking under ladders.

"Apology accepted," he chuckled, catching up to her with a quickened walk. They continued on their path for a few minutes, making conversation that had them both laughing and acting as if they were drunk.

As they reached the entrance to the hospital, something within her sparked as a thought snapped into her head. "Oh! Can I borrow your phone?" she asked, stopping outside of the doors.

He raised a brow as he reached into his pocket, "Why?"

"I need to call someone, obviously," she chuckled softly little chuckle. He passed his phone to her with a smirk, walking into the hospital to leave her with some privacy. She quickly dialled the number as she sat down on a bench at the entrance to the hospital. "Hello?" A lighter voice that she had expected answered the phone and it confused her for a second before she figured out who it was.

"Jake? Is Billy there?" she asked, confused as to why he had picked up his Dad's phone.

"Athena?" he blurted, perplexion and shock showing clear in his voice. She listened to the commotion of Billy tugging his phone from Jakes hand mixed with the sudden emergency to speak to the person on the other end. "You're alive?" The deeper voice she had expected in the first place echoed down the phone, bringing a misplaced smile to her face. Having thought that she wouldn't hear his voice again bought a sense of relief now, even if it was distorted by the phone.

"Seems so, sorry for scaring you," she blurted, unsure on how to really phrase such information.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you when we come back, I just wanted you to know I was still kicking," she chuckled softly, dropping her voice lower as a pair of worried mortals walked through the doors.

"I'm glad you are." She could hear and feel the relief that he felt.

"I'll be back in a few days," she smiled, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief at that phrase as it fled from her mind.

"Stay alive for god's sake." He chuckled softly.

"Same goes to you old man," she laughed and hung up the phone, walking back into the hospital where Jasper had waited for her at the elevator. She had already flipped the bloodthirsty switch in his mind off (given that they were going to a hospital) so she didn't really understand why he had waited around for her alone. Nevertheless, they hopped onto the elevator and headed up to Bella's room so they could talk with Edward before she woke.

-

Alice and Athena drove home after Bella had left the hospital. The two of them had stayed at either Bella's (in Athena's case) or Edward's (in Alice's case) request. Athena didn't mind it too much, though she did make Jasper promise that he would water all of her plants for her. Priorities, right?

"How was Jasper, after finding out?" Alice asked as they drove through a tunnel which happened to be the cause of their sudden lull in the conversation.

"Better than I thought he would be, calm," Athena sighed softly, the hint of a smile forming on her lips.

"That doesn't surprise me," she chuckled, overtaking a particularly slow car as they exited the tunnel.

Athena raised a brow, turning her head to look at Alice, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I haven't seen him act the way he does around you," she replied softly, watching her reaction out of the corner of her eye.

"Alice..." she sighed, failing to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

She smiled, "Athena he's calmer around you. Less moody. He was just like Edward before you came around, never opened up to anybody about anything, well apart from me. And you know things that I don't know. "

"Jasper was like Edward?" Athena asked with a raised brow, not believing that the person that she knew could be so saddened with their situation. She knew that he hadn't exactly become a vampire in the best of situations but did not think that he could have resembled moody 'broody' Edward in any shape or form. Alice nodded, sending her mind in another loop. "I can't imagine that for a second," Athena exhaled sharply, almost laughing at the anxiousness that that idea surprisingly bought up.

"See for yourself, I give you permission," Alice responded with a reassuring smile that convinced Athena to do just that. It didn't take long for Athena to find the very prominent memories that she had been talking about. Most of them pictured Jasper in his room, alone with his thoughts as he quite literally stared into space. Some of them showed him during family meetings, just half present in any situation. She saw Alice and Luna's wedding, where Jasper had sat alone for most of the evening - only moving when Alice wanted to dance with him. The lost look in his eyes, the raw pain that radiated off him in any situation had her heart tugged so tightly it felt as if the venom had taken over her body again. But the little annoying voice in the back of her head told her that it meant nothing. The change in him was due to something else, not her.

"That doesn't mean anything," she sighed as she came out of Alice's head, surprised at the sudden change of scenery as they pulled into Forks. She hadn't realised how long she had been watching for and Alice had let her, wanting her to see as much as she could without breaking any sort of privacy issues that Jasper could carry.

"Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Alice almost scoffed as they drove past Bella's house. Charlie stood outside with Bella, helping her take each step carefully as Edward hovered in the tree line - just in case she fell. She sighed, "I wish Luna looked at me like that."

"He looks at me?" Athena asked softly, not daring to look Alice in the eye as she laughed at Athena's blindness.

"Like you're the most important thing in existence."