Title: Clarification
Summary: Bella has a heart to heart with Jasper.
RATING: PG
Disclaimer: Twilight in its entirety belongs to Stephenie Meyers, I just like to borrow her characters to play with.
"Bella."
Bella heard a whisper in her ear, and turned around expecting Edward and jumped when she suddenly was face to face with Jasper—without Alice. She wondered if that meant something was wrong, or if he suddenly felt that it was okay to be around her, or…how did she completely miss him popping up behind her like that? She thought she had gotten much better at that.
She noticed the looks of surprise, and awe, and a little…confusion…on her friends faces. But her other friends still hadn't seemingly completely accepted the Cullens'…so she figured that made sense, it was just the fact that Jasper was standing there apparently waiting to talk to her that she couldn't figure out. Next to Rosalie, Jasper was certainly the one that she talked to the least and it did seem a bit odd, didn't it since Alice was her best friend and she and Jasper were married, and Edward was so close to both of them…
"Bella, we have French now." Mike stated, avoiding Jasper's glance.
She wasn't sure, but she thought Jasper intimidated Mike. Not that she blamed him, at first glance Jasper didn't seem to have the same bulging muscles and weight that Emmett had, he was more tall and…well, not lanky…tall and muscular and intimidating definitely. But then, not so much to her in general…but then again, her other friends didn't see how tender he could be with Alice…
"Could we have a word?" Jasper repeated quietly.
Bella turned back to her friends. "I'll see you guys in class."
She turned back to Jasper then, noticing that Mike looked like he was going to argue it but decided better. Apparently Jasper had the same effect that Edward did…just better, she stifled a laugh; they seemed to have warmed up to Edward enough to not be scared, per se….
Jasper grasped her elbow, taking her books, and directing her towards the door. "Outside," He said, "Its quieter."
Jasper directed her to the familiar silver Volvo, and she shot a look of surprise his way as he pulled open the passenger door for her. "Get in."
Bella looked from him to the Volvo, surprised. What was all this about?
"Don't worry, Bella." Jasper's voice was smooth as velvet, and she thought that even if he was dangerous it really wouldn't take much to give in to him.
Jasper smiled, tossing her books into the backseat. "I'm not going to bite you."
Bella blushed, "Jasper, I didn't-I mean, I know…you…wouldn't…"
Jasper smiled again and it was something she was rarely saw that she felt stunned by it. "I know that you do, please," He gestured, "I won't keep you from class long, Edward would not soon forgive me for interrupting your studies."
Bella rolled her eyes, "I see. So this all has to do with Edward?" She sat down in the familiar seat, wondering fleetingly why they didn't lock the doors. Not that there were very many shiny new Volvos around Forks but…still.
"In a roundabout way, yes, I suppose so, it relates to Edward. But really, I think it has more to do with Alice, and you of course."
Bella nodded her head, her mouth making a 'o' shape. Did he not like her spending so much time with Alice? Did Jasper think that she was too dangerous for Alice the way Rosalie thought she was too dangerous for the family? Oh, she'd be miserable if she had to lose Alice…
Jasper sighed, leaning back against the head rest. "I'm not doing very well at this at all." He turned to look at Bella. "You worry entirely too much Bella."
She grimaced, right, the empathy thing…was it possible for her to not seem like a fool?
"And you run through the entire of spectrum emotion faster than almost anybody," Jasper rubbed his temples thoughtfully.
Bella winced, "Sorry." She figured it had to be a nightmare to feel what everybody was feeling, she felt like she was treading water alone dealing with her own emotions, to have everybody else swirling around in her head…
She shuddered.
Jasper turned to face her, and she was surprised by with what ease he turned in his seat—without smashing his long legs into the steering wheel, or anything equally painful, or embarrassing, like she would manage.
Since he was silent, she thought she'd ask him a question…maybe.
She had just parted her lips to talk when he spoke.
"You want to ask me something…but would you mind waiting just a minute, until I get this out, I think it might be easier."
Bella nodded her head.
"Okay," Jasper shook his head, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to. "Now, this probably will sound confusing but I'll try to explain it…and then again, you are very perceptive Bella, maybe it will make better sense to you. You see, Alice had a vision of…I'm sorry, this is just hard, because I really do hope that it is just…confusion, but nonetheless, Alice had a vision of Edward and I arguing because he had read my mind and found that I had sensed that you thought I disliked you…" Jasper winced, "Dislike is not exactly the appropriate word, that I resented you."
Jasper paused, looking at Bella.
"And this is quite confusing because I have never sensed that you thought I felt that way about you…but Alice was feeling distraught over this all, it upset her terribly to think that there were dissenting emotions between you and I."
Bella looked up at him stunned for a moment, as long as she had known him Jasper hadn't spoken this many words to her—except when he and Alice had been guarding her life, of course, but that didn't exactly count…he was obligated to do that.
"I'm very fond of you Bella, you make Edward much happier, and truthfully far easier to live with," Usually, however, Edwards ping pong emotions masochistic tendencies was insufferable sometimes. "And you make Alice very, very happy. You are the sister that she's waited for, for a very long time and so of course, I think that it upset her greatly to think that we are not friends. I would hate for you to think I disliked you."
Jasper paused for a moment, reading her. "You're surprised?"
Bella nodded her head, "I wasn't sure…to be honest…"
"Please do." Jasper nodded his head, watching her emotions as carefully as he listened to her words.
"Well," Bella flushed, it was embarrassing now to actually put into words all the possibilities she had considered. "I did think that maybe…you might think of me like Rosalie does."
Jasper shook his head, "Rosalie's feelings are…Rosalie's, I can honestly tell you Bella, that no one else in our family feels that way about...yes. I like you very much Bella, if only it was that you bring Alice such happiness that would be enough for me."
Bella turned pink again; it was reassuring to know that Jasper had no ugly feelings toward her, and just a little embarrassing to have thought that he could have.
"Your other theory?" Jasper prompted.
Bella bit her lip, "Well, I know I spend so much time with Alice…"
Jasper read it immediately. "You thought perchance, I was jealous. No Bella, I am most certainly not jealous of the time you spend with Alice. I have her for eternity; I can share with someone worthy."
Bella blushed again, as Jasper continued. "You still wonder why it is I keep my distance"
"Yes." She nodded her head, "I mean…I know, it's harder for you…with me…but it didn't seem to be so very cumbersome when we were running from James and Victoria."
Jasper nodded his head thoughtfully, "Well it was for your benefit, at Edward's suggestion. He worries that it scares you that my record is…not what everyone else's is exactly."
"You don't scare me Jasper." Bella told him eagerly, and it was true. He didn't scare her anymore than the others, aside from perhaps Rosalie; the antagonism that came from such a beautiful creature was somewhat frightening on occasion.
"You and Alice do seem to be in agreement on that point." Jasper told her, "But nonetheless, Edward worries, or at least I think that he wants you to be worried…" Jasper shook his head, "Edward's feelings are all very confusing."
Bella nodded her head, perhaps…
"Perhaps, you could share your insight with me Jasper?" Bella suggested cleverly, she would love a firsthand insight into Edward's mind…or heart. An answer to his feelings for her…about her.
Jasper smiled, "Bella, I don't imagine you need me to tell you how Edward feels about you. Besides, just because I have an opening into people's hearts, doesn't mean I should expose it."
Sometimes he'd rather not know himself.
Bella nodded her head, and caught sight of the time on her watch.
"Dang it! I've missed nearly all of French."
Jasper hadn't realized so much time had passed, but time was quite relative to him.
"I'm very sorry about that," Jasper said furrowing his eyebrows.
"No." Bella said, and she meant it. "I'm really glad we talked Jasper…it's cleared up…a lot."
Jasper pulled her books from the back seat. "I'll walk you to your next class, I'm sure Edward would be appalled by my bad manners if I allowed you to go on your own."
Bella shook her head, "Jasper, you really don't need too…"
Jasper was already out of the car, holding her door open for her.
"Besides, you had a question for me didn't you?" He closed the door once she was out.
Bella nodded her head; sure that Jessica and the others were already racing with gossip about what she had done during her disappearance for a whole period with Jasper Hale.
They were walking towards the doors while she decided how to phrase her question. Jasper walked ahead to pull open the door when it opened seemingly of its own accord, and Edward walked out.
"Edward," Bella exclaimed happily, and a little surprised. "How did you know where to find me?"
Jasper stifled a laugh, "It's extraordinary the silly ideas that a person could pluck from another person's mind isn't it?"
"I was waiting for you outside of your class, to walk you to lunch." Edward told Bella, "And Jessica had a very intriguing thought…process."
"And Edward was jealous?" Jasper teased.
Another first for Bella, it was usually Emmett doing the teasing.
"Don't worry Edward," Bella smiled, "Jasper only bit me a little bit."
Edward's eyes went wide for a moment, "Very funny Bella." He remarked dryly. They returned to their normal size, when he realized she was obviously joking.
Bella grinned, as she turned back to Jasper. "I'm glad we talked Jasper, will you tell Alice…?"
"I'm sure she already knows." Jasper nodded his head, "But I should be finding her before the gossip gets around to her and she has a fit of hysterics."
"Gossip?" Bella asked Edward.
Edward rolled his eyes. "Jessica is a very interesting friend." He slipped his hand around Bella's waist.
"What does that mean?"
"Well, she seemed to think that you and Jasper were…well I won't put it into detail, and she was debating whether or not we would fight for you."
Bella turned bright red, "They thought…oh, no!"
Edward kissed the top of her head. "I would fight for you Bella."
Bella buried her face in Edward's chest. "I'd like very much now to crawl under a rock and die." She mumbled, her voice muffled.
Why did these kind of things always happen to her? It was bad enough she had Mike and Tyler competing, and Jacob had become interested in her, and now people thought that she was involved with Edward's brother!
"Now, I can't very well let you do that."
"Really?" Bella told him, "Because if this ever got back to Charlie, you very well might…"
Edward had to agree, Charlie couldn't physically harm him, but there were worse things.
"He'd be happy for an excuse to put me under house arrest." She grumbled.
Like that.