Jasper/Bella

It was a sunny summer day in Forks; it would still be at least two weeks until Bella was changed. She lay in the wet dewy grass outside of the Cullen house. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be asleep, but her thoughts seemed to shout in her head: 'Charlie, Renee, Angela, Jacob. Can't go back.'

Her eyes flew open and she quickly moved into a sitting position, she pulled a small hand through her long brown hair. If only Edward had been there, she thought, but he had gone hunting and was supposed to have come back last night. Her head throbbed from her stressful headache. Not even Alice was there, it was just Jasper and herself. Edward hadn't been happy with the choice of the least controlled Cullen staying with his human wife, but he warily agreed.

Bella suddenly felt a wave of calm wash over her. She turned around in a flash to see Jasper standing beside her. "How long have you been there?" she asked standing up next to him.

"Oh not long, but I couldn't concentrate with all the worry you were letting off." He replied, flicking a strand of hair out of his caramel-colored eyes.

Bella glanced down at her feet feeling awkward standing there with a vampire who had once tried to kill her.

"You know, I am sorry about that," he said out of the blue.

"How did you –"

"It doesn't always take a mind reader to know what someone is thinking."

"Yeah, sure." 'Am I that obvious?,' she thought, her face turning scarlet. "I'm just going to go back to Edwa- I mean my and Edward's room and rest a bit." She started walking back towards the house.

"Bella, wait!" Jasper reached out and grabbed her arm.

A shock ran through Bella's arm as his cold skin touched her own. Her heartbeat quickened and she felt her face turn a even darker shade of red if that was possible.

'It's just because he reminds you of Edward, nothing else.' But as he pulled her to face him she couldn't help but feel that that wasn't the reason.

"Bella I mean it I'm sorry, I would never want to hurt you. I love you." His intense eyes met her brown ones, pleading with her for forgiveness.

"I know Jasper, it was an accident. I love you, too."

Then he pulled her into a hug. Bella thought it would be a bit awkward but she felt perfectly at home in his cold arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back.

She wanted to think it was a brotherly hug but it felt like more. And to her surprise, and maybe her chagrin, she didn't have a problem with that. Her mind wandered to Edward, her husband, her soul mate, and how this felt like betrayal. But she couldn't shake the feeling of rightness, here in his brother's arms.

Bella didn't know how long they stood there but eventually she unlinked her arms from around his waist and pulled away from him.

He let her go and she walked to the house without a backwards glance.

And as she entered the house, too quiet for him to hear, she mumbled "I love you, too, Jasper Hale."

Fin