It was bright in the morning and when I looked out the window I saw why. It was snowing, like I knew it would. I sighed and got ready for school. Sometimes knowing the future sucked. It was so boring to know nearly everything before hand. Nothing truly unexpected ever happened. Small things that surprised me made me way happier than they should just because it took me by surprise. Events I'd foreseen still excited me when they happened, though, but not really surprising.

I knew what I was going to do today even if I hadn't seen it, though. Alice hadn't seen Tyler's crash because it was a split second decision on his part. So it was obvious I wouldn't be able to see it either, but I knew it would happen today and I knew it would be the first time that I ride with Bella just so that I'd be there to push her away when it happened. Edward would come save her regardless of my presence, I knew that even without seeing the vision. What I didn't know was if I'd make it unscathed through the accident or even if I'd survive. I knew that she'd be fine if I wasn't there, but after nearly seventeen years of protecting her from accidents, it was hard to let go of the habit and it felt completely wrong to just leave it so against my better judgement, I decided to hitch a ride with Bella.

Both Charlie and Bella were surprised at the announcement during breakfast, but didn't question it as they were used to me doing random or out of character things sometimes. Bella actually kept glancing at me in concern during her slow drive to school, most likely surprised that I wasn't teasing her because of her over cautious speed, or lack thereof, and was more subdued than usual.

Finally we got to school and I quickly and carefully made my way over to Bella's side, staring at her worriedly as she was overcome with emotion after looking at the snow chains Charlie had put on her tires. It was then that I heard the foreign but sickeningly familiar sound. The high-pitched screeching. My eyes snapped up to its source and immediately spotted Tyler's dark blue van. My eyes darted to where I had glimpsed Edward's shiny Volvo and was mildly surprised to see that not only was Edward looking on in growing horror, but so was Jasper. Strange, I thought he left with the others, but my focus wasn't on that, it was on the van and the prime position Bella was in to be crushed by it.

Unlike almost every other moment of my waking life, I acted before I thought. I had intended to tackle Bella out of the way to get us both out of harm's way, but my mind did not register my plan, my instincts overruling reason and instead making me shove her aside so I replaced her while she fell to the ground in a safe zone. The events did not go in slow motion for me like they did for Bella. Everything was fast and blurred together. Faster than I could comprehend, Edward was at Bella's side, checking her head from where it had audibly cracked against the ground and I was being pinned in a cold marble embrace, the sounds of the van colliding with something seemed muted in my ears as my disoriented eyes focused on the cold, hard, figure holding me.

I was floored when I saw it was Jasper holding me tightly to him with one arm, the other holding up the van with a superhuman grip. The van was inches from my face, Jasper the only thing that kept it from touching me. Then I was whipped around until I was laying protectively behind Jasper and he dropped the van with a groaning, metallic thud that rang in my ears, the glass popping, and landing on the asphalt where my legs had been a second ago.

Silence stretched between the four of us, my thoughts and emotions too incoherent for the two vampires to understand, before the first scream started. Suddenly the air was filled with shouts of Bella and I's names, but they were white noise in the background compared to Edward's first words.

"Bella? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Bella croaked out strangely. I would have craned my neck to her, but my eyes were trapped in Jasper's intense gaze, so full of emotions I couldn't place before they shifted again and the first thought that came to mind popped out of my mouth.

"Jasper, are you okay?" I asked worriedly, concern and fear apparent in my tone even without him needing to read my emotions. I thought shallowly of the chaos around us while really thinking of how quickly his eyes had darkened, no doubt from being so close to Tyler who was probably littered with shallow cuts. He looked absolutely stunned for a moment before smiling at me in worry and exasperation.

"I should be asking you that, Maddy," he said rather softly, making me look at him in wonder.

"...well I am rather dazed, but it doesn't really have to do with the accident," I breathed out quietly. Again, he looked absolutely shocked before he allowed himself to relax minutely and let out a low chuckle.

"I don't know if I should be concerned or happy that that's the only thing on your mind." I was about to answer when a shout interrupted me.

"Don't move," someone instructed.

"Get Tyler out of the van!" Someone else shouted. Jasper slowly settled me into a more comfortable sitting position, but Edward and Bella were in the most spacious area of the cramped space so I ended up partially sitting in Jasper's lap, my back on his chest and his arms wrapped uncertainly around my waist. I snuggled back into him shamelessly, not minding the cold, and feeling his chuckle rumble in his chest before I heard it. His humor abruptly vanished when what Bella said next caught her attention.

"You were over there," I sighed in frustration at Bella. "You were by your car."

Edward's expression turned hard. "No, I wasn't."

"I saw you," the chaos continued to be white noise to me as I glared exasperatedly at Bella.

"Bella, they were standing right next to us and Jasper pulled me out of the way after I pushed you while Edward checked on you," I said resolutely, in a tone that spoke that I didn't want to argue about it. Bella looked at me in shock and disbelief, and a little bit of betrayal and hurt while Edward just looked at me stunned, surprised that I was helping them.

"No," Bella said stubbornly, setting her jaw. This time it was my turn to feel hurt as she didn't let it go and I turned away from her as Edward pleaded with Bella. I felt Jasper's hand squeeze my waist lightly and looked up to see him giving me a small comforting smile.

"Sorry," I murmured under my breath so Bella wouldn't hear it, "sometimes she's too stubborn for her own good. She also has a hard time knowing when to just be grateful and keep her mouth shut," I muttered a little more annoyed and miffed. I felt the emotions gradually slip away into a sense of calm without my wanting them to and knew it was Jasper.

"It's fine, you can't control your sister. We're the ones that chose to help you, but I have to wonder why-"

"Fine," Edward snapped, making Jasper and I turn to Edward in surprise.

"Fine," Bella repeated angrily.

"What just happened?" I whispered to Jasper, even though I already knew, but Edward and Jasper didn't know that, as my foremost thoughts were on Bella's and Jasper's well being and how bothersome it was going to be to go to the hospital.

"Bella just forced Edward to promise her that he would explain everything later," Jasper whispered in my ear, making Edward glare sharply at him. I scoffed at both Jasper's reply and Edward's glare.

"Like he's going to keep that promise," I muttered under my breath making Edward's glare turn to me. I just rolled my eyes at him. Your glare doesn't scare me Mr. Hyde. I thought snidely disliking that he chose to glare at me, though I liked how Jasper's arms tightened around my waist in response to it.

It took six EMT's and two teachers to pull the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. Edward, Jasper, and I vehemently refused ours and Bella tried to do the same, but both Edward and I mentioned that she hit her head and probably had a concussion. I nearly laughed aloud when they slapped a neck brace on her and loaded her in the ambulance, Edward riding in the front while Jasper and I sat in the back with Bella, getting a kick whenever she sent me an accusing glare.

"Maddy!" Charlie had arrived before the ambulance could leave. He looked relieved to see me relatively unharmed, but panicked when he saw who was laying on the stretcher. "Bella!"

"I'm completely fine Char-Dad," Bella sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me."

He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion. I thought back to Emmett's and Rosalie's expressions. Emmett looked a cross between disapproving and concerned and Rosalie looked furious and minutely concerned. I was happy when I was cleared before I even got to the hospital, the only noticeable injury being a baseball sized bruise on my hip bone, no doubt where it collided with Jasper's body when he pulled me against him. I smiled smugly at Bella when she glared at me after the EMT's clearing me, but my smile morphed to something warmer when I noticed Jasper giving me an apologetic look, obviously knowing the single injury on my person was his fault. I looked at him reassuringly, gratefully, letting him know without saying it that I didn't blame him and was grateful that he saved my life.

I followed after Bella into the emergency room, snickering when she took off the neck brace as soon as the nurse left. Soon enough, Tyler was wheeled in too and I practically felt Jasper tense behind me, as close as he was without actually touching me. I looked up over my shoulder at him and reached my hand back to hold his comfortingly, giving it a small squeeze as I let my more calm and soothing emotions wash over me. He seemed to visibly relax at this, despite his near flat black eyes, and gently squeezed my hand back, looking down at me intently and not letting go.

"Bella, I'm so sorry!" Tyler's apology brought my attention back to him.

"I'm fine, Tyler- you look awful, are you alright?" As they spoke, nurses unwound his soiled bandages and I felt the pressure on my hand tighten just the slightest bit. I redoubled my efforts to stay calm, thinking of the serenity I felt when I hiked in the forestry of Forks in past summers, thinking back on the sound of creeks and waterfalls and birdsong. I felt the overwhelming sense of peace that the images usually brought with it and felt Jasper responding to it. It was then Tyler saw me.

"I'm sorry, Maddy," I stiffened a little when he used my nickname, not recalling giving him permission to do so, but he continued blathering to me. "I thought I was going to kill Bella, but then you pushed her out of the way and I thought I was going to kill you instead! I was going too fast and I hit the ice wrong..."

"Don't worry about it," I said, shrugging off his panicked apology. "I'm not dead, nor injured and your worse off than I am. The universe has righted itself." I said casually. He blinked as he slowly registered what I said then kept talking.

"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there and then you were gone..."

"Jasper pulled me out of the way," I replied easily, not missing a beat and sending Jasper my gratitude via emotions.

He looked confused. "Who?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Jasper Cullen? He's standing right behind me and he was standing right next to me." I informed him, my voice properly exasperated. I'd always been a much better liar than Bella, actress worthy. Drama club at our old school helped. I didn't bother telling him about Edward, no need to make it more suspicious.

"Cullen? I didn't see him...wow, it was all so fast, I guess." He glanced at Jasper, a little nervous and intimidated. "Are you okay?" I looked up to see Jasper nod sharply.

"No blood no foul. I'm completely fine. I was cleared along with Maddy before we even got to the hospital," Jasper informed the boy. It was then that they wheeled Bella away and shooed Jasper and me out of the emergency room and into the waiting claws of nearly the entire school. I refrained from groaning when they all started to question me at once, too intimidated by Jasper behind me to question him. Some clipped, harsh words later and no one bothered to speak to me anymore except Charlie and Angela who I warmly reassured. After they were done interrogating me, I immediately wanted to go home, but I knew Charlie wouldn't leave without Bella. I contemplated my options as I wandered to a more deserted waiting room, not noticing that Jasper had followed.

"Why don't you question what happened like your sister?" Jasper asked in a low voice, startling me and making me whirl around to face him. I grabbed my frantically beating heart and looked at him reproachfully.

"Can you not do that? I know we're in a hospital but that is no reason to try and give me a heart attack!" I scolded, but he didn't budge at my humor like usual, focused on his question.

"Why don't you question what we did today?" He repeated to me intensely. I let my teasing pretenses fade as I looked at him more seriously, thoughtfully. I hugged my waist, looking to where my hand pressed lightly against the bruise Jasper had accidentally given me.

"...you saved my life, Jasper," I whispered softly. "I have no right to interrogate you like Bella is no doubt trying to do with Edward. She wouldn't tell anyone even if she knew, but she has yet to learn that people have secrets they'd rather not let anyone know," I said a little louder, but no higher in volume than a mutter.

"...are you speaking from experience or because you know already?" Jasper questioned. Technically it was both, but I wasn't going to tell him that quite yet. I didn't want to scare him off.

"Would it matter either way?" I asked him with a smile, looking straight into his eyes when I said it. He seemed ready to respond when something in my eyes must have made him hesitate.

"...I...don't believe it would. We wouldn't care if you had your own secret and you wouldn't be inclined to tell anyone ours if you knew...at least I believe that is the kind of person both you and your sister are from what little I've observed of you," he said carefully as if thoroughly thinking his answer through. "But...aren't you the least bit curious?" He asked, apparently having a hard time believing I'd just let it go.

"Of course I'm curious, Jazz," I said, using the endearment for the first time, "but I'm leaving it up to you or your family on whether to tell me or not. If you decide to reveal it to me, that's great, but if you don't that's fine too. I'm not going to ruin my relationship with you guys just to satisfy my curiosity," I told him softly, letting him feel the sincerity in my statement and it was obvious he did if his relaxing and looking at me in wonder was any indication.

"What if I told you...I wanted to tell you right now?" Jasper asked, surprising me. I hadn't seen this conversation happen, so it must have been a split decision on Jasper's part. Suddenly I had a vision of Jasper picking me up at home, of him revealing his family's secret on the drive to school, of me telling him about my visions of the future and that I knew about them from the beginning. Then there was an opposing one where Jasper still picks me up, but tells me nothing of his family's secret, instead asking me about myself and getting to know me better, but seemingly hesitant, still holding back.

So, my answer right now would take me down one of those paths, but which answer would bring the first vision? Having Major Jasper Whitlock in the know would seriously help take some of the pressure off me. It'd be nice to have someone else help me orchestrate things especially when it got to more important events and more importantly it'd bring me that much closer to him. I wouldn't claim that I loved him, that would be silly, but I was getting close, visions of us together certainly not helping me and I could already feel my affection for him growing the more time I spent with him, not that it was much it being little more than a week.

"I would respond that...I would like to know, but that this is a bad time, it being such a populated area where people could overhear us...and my dad will probably come looking for me soon," I answered carefully, my fore thoughts focused on Bella's predicament as I hoped that Edward had his hands full focusing on Bella. He seemed to contemplate my carefully spoken words and nodded sharply, decisively, the vision of him telling me the truth solidifying in my mind, the other erased like chalk from a board.

"You're right," he took a step closer, the action deliberate and intimate as it brought us almost chest to chest, if I breathed too deeply, I would brush against him. "I would like to offer you a ride to school tomorrow morning. Is that alright?" Jasper asked in a low, intense voice, his eyes staring intently into mine and letting me experience, for the first time, the full dazzling effect of a vampire. My breath caught and I swallowed dryly before I managed to answer.

"Of course," I would have said yes even without the dazzling, but wow, I sure didn't mind the extra effort! His expression softened, not as intense as before but still rather overwhelming. His hand slowly lifted and brushed back the strands that partially hid my left eye, letting the locks slide through his fingers and back to my face, as neat as it was before.

"Great," he murmured, "I'll be there bright and early." And with those final words he slid by me and left me there, spacey and dazed until Charlie and Bella came to find me to go home. I was in an annoyingly elated mood for the rest of the day, irritating Bella and confusing Charlie, for good reason, but I didn't care. I practically skipped to my room and wasn't even all that irked when I had to call Renee because Charlie told her about the accident. Seriously, she should be used to these kinds of things by now.

I went to bed earlier than usual that night, wanting to get a good night's rest in order to be properly awake and ready when Jasper came tomorrow and hopefully before Charlie and Bella realized I had even been driven to school by someone else. That night, once I had finally put myself to sleep through meditation, I dreamed pleasantly of Jasper.