A/N: TADA! Another Jasper/Bella friendship fic! I hope you enjoy! This is set between Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Jasper's POV.
Hunting alone often had unexpected consequences, even if they were very minor. I knew the rest of my family had planned to go hunting today, and that's why I had gone early. As much as I enjoyed my family's company, occasionally I needed a break from the emotional climate.
When I walked through the back door of our house, I found Edward downstairs alone, looking very poorly fed. His eyes were as black as night and he had deep purple bruises beneath his eyes. I could hear the rest of my family about a quarter mile south of the house.
"Edward, why aren't you with everyone else?" I asked him with genuine concern.
Edward shrugged, looking up at me from his spot on the couch. "Bella's father is going fishing with Billy Black for a few days. I wasn't comfortable leaving her here unprotected."
I sighed. Edward was always far too overprotective of Bella. She was a very capable eighteen year old woman; she could take care of herself.
Edward, hearing my thoughts, glowered at me. "What would you suggest? Knowing her bad luck, she would find some life-threatening situation to get herself into."
I sighed again. "You'll only be gone for two days, Edward. I'm sure she'll be fine." I instantly felt his pained emotions. I decided to save my brother the pain of his thirst and surrender my emotional vacation. "I suppose if it would make you feel better, I can keep an eye on her."
Edward immediately perked up at that. "Would you?" he asked, hopeful.
"Of course. Go hunt. Should she stay here with me? I can pick her up," I volunteered.
Edward nodded. "Please keep her safe, Jasper," he said before running out of the house.
I picked up my phone and dialed Bella's number. She answered on the first ring.
"Jasper? Is everything alright?" she asked.
"Hi, Bella. Yes, everything is fine. Edward asked me to watch you while he's gone. I can come pick you up if you'd like."
She grunted. "I don't need a babysitter! I don't know why Edward always thinks that's necessary."
I frowned. "I'm sorry. I can come to your house if you'd prefer," I offered, knowing that if I chose to ignore Edward's requests, he would be irritated.
She sighed. "No, that's fine. I'll come to your house. Just give me a little while to get some stuff together."
I picked Bella up twenty minutes later. She was irritated, but tried to put on a happy face for me. I smiled warmly at her.
She climbed awkwardly onto my motorcycle and hesitantly laid her hands on my sides. I could feel that she was uncomfortable. She knew that my background often left me wary of physical contact. I reached back and pulled her hands so they were around my waist. "Don't worry," I muttered to her, sending her a wave of relaxation.
When we pulled up in front of my house, Bella stumbled getting off my motorcycle. I quickly reached out and caught her before she could damage herself. I began to understand why Edward wanted her so closely watched. "Careful," I laughed, helping her upright again.
Dark storm clouds began forming in the distance, and I felt Bella tense slightly at the sight of them. Waving it off, I opened the door for her.
She sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV, turning it to the Weather Channel. The radar showed a huge thunderstorm coming directly toward Forks. A severe thunderstorm warning scrolled across the screen. I sighed internally, wishing my family were here to enjoy this chance for a baseball game.
A wave of nervousness hit me suddenly, and I looked up to see Bella quickly walking to the kitchen. She came back with a glass of water.
"Are you okay, Bella? You seem a little nervous," I noted, offhand.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," she said, sipping her water slowly.
Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and a loud rumble of thunder. Bella jumped, splashing her water onto the couch.
She blushed, running to the kitchen to grab a towel. Another flash of lightning caused her to move faster, and she slipped on the rug, hitting the ground with a thud. I heard the glass shatter and smelled blood. I quickly held my breath and ran over to her to survey the damage.
She had a long cut running across her palm from her hand landing in the shattered glass. I carefully scooped her up off the floor and carried her to the sink. I carefully sat her on the counter and examined the damage. There was glass still in the wound so I ran at vampire speed to find tweezers and bandages. Still not breathing, I went to remove the glass from her palm. She jerked her hand back.
"Jasper, don't torture yourself. I can handle this myself," she muttered, embarrassed.
I shook my head and took a shallow, experimental breath. Her blood didn't send me over the edge, but it did cause my throat to burn longingly. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and setting my mind to the task.
I gently took her hand back and ran it under cold water. She allowed me to remove the glass and bandage her hand. I helped her down off the counter and went to clean up the mess on the floor. Another crash of thunder shook the house and knocked out the electricity. Bella screamed.
"Don't move. Let me get a flashlight," I instructed her.
I came back only moments later with a flashlight and walked over to Bella. She stood with her back against the counter, her eyes wide with fear.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked her, beginning to feel concerned.
She slowly shook her head, and I could see her hands trembling. I laid my hand on the small of her back and sent her calming waves. I helped her over to the couch and sat down next to her, keeping my hand on her arm. "You can tell me, whatever it is."
"I'm alright. It's just… ever since the baseball game, thunderstorms bring back bad memories. I've never told anyone that, not even Edward," she said, finishing at barely a whisper.
I didn't know what to say, but I didn't have to, because another deafening boom made her jump straight up in the air.
"How did you hide this from Edward for all this time?" I asked quietly.
"It only happens when he's away, that's why I never told him. He already tries to find enough excuses not to hunt," she muttered.
I felt so useless. "Is there anything I can do?" I wondered aloud, desperate to end her fear.
Although it was completely black in the room, I could feel Bella blush bright crimson. "Hold me," she whispered, mortified to ask.
Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her gently and cradled her against my side. The next lightning strike didn't cause her to jump, only to nestle closer to me.
We sat together until the storm passed. When it was all over and power had been restored to the house, she turned to me, a bashful look crossed her face, and she wrapped her arms around my waist, engulfing me in a hug. I awkwardly patted her back for a moment before relaxing against her. When she pulled away, she simply said "thank you."
I looked at her, confused. "For what?"
"For being such a good big brother," she said, smiling gently.
"We're family now. That's what family does for each other," I said simply, hugging her once more.
A/N: I started a blog for all my lovely readers. I'll be posting news, outtakes and teasers there. The link is on my profile.