Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, and alert my story. Special thanks to my beta HammerHips.

~Jasper~

Jasper felt the wind rush by them, pushing Bella's hair into her face again and her scent around him. There was a sudden surge of bloodlust from within the room, so he rushed in front of Bella, not caring if she saw his inhuman speed. Her safety was the priority here, not their secret. He felt her bump into him and her hands pushed across his back. A part of him mourned that he couldn't focus on how it felt and savor this first real touch from her. His focus was solely on Edward. His black eyes searched for the source of the scent that had caused him to lose his sanity.

Jasper had never seen Edward like this. Edward had been raised by Carlisle, and had spent the majority of his vampire life denying himself the pleasure of human blood. The scent of one girl should not have driven him to this madness. It didn't matter who he was, Jasper would kill him before he allowed him to lay one finger on his Bella. She was his. His woman. His mate. His everything.

Below the overwhelming bloodlust, he could feel Edward's confusion and desperation. Part of him was trying to regain control. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill Edward. This time. The savage part of his psyche was disappointed. It had been eager for a fight, especially against Edward who in a lucid state could best almost anyone because of his gift. Jasper had been mildly curious to see if he could beat Edward when he was not in complete control, if that would hinder or enhance his gift.

But now was not the time for these thoughts. He could analyze the situation later. He growled lowly at Edward. He felt Bella shift slightly behind him, and from her sudden increased heart rate and stab of fear he knew she had seen Edward. He shifted his body so she was hidden again, no longer able to see or be seen. His one arm reached behind him, pulling her against him. The contact let him know she was safe and allowed him the control to remain above the situation. He battled his instincts to simply attack and tear Edward apart for even thinking to look at his Bella that way. He felt the lessening of Bella's fear at his touch, which eased his monster, leaching the savagery from him and allowing clear thoughts to remain in control.

Edward shifted, trying to see Bella again, to determine that she was indeed the source of the scent. Jasper growled again, this time louder. It cut through the air and caused Edward to focus on him alone. He started to crouch. Jasper fought his body's need to return the gesture. Crouching would only expose Bella. That was unacceptable.

Jasper took a moment to let his eyes sweep the room. It was empty. He could see the door to the stock room was ajar. The sounds of movement and bottles that clanked together warned him that the teacher was inside collecting supplies.

Alice stepped out from behind Edward, revealing herself for the first time. Her phone was to her ear and she was speaking low and hurriedly. When she finished, she stepped in front of Edward and looked into his eyes.

"Edward. I know you can hear me. Snap out of it. This is not what you want to do." She placed her hand on his chest to keep him from moving forward. He snarled fiercely at her but she didn't even flinch.

"This is not who you are. Come back to us now. Come back before too much damage has been done."

He started to look away, back toward Jasper.

"Edward!" She hissed sharply, which caused his black eyes returned to her. "Do you want to see? Will that help you?"

Edward's head gave the barest of jerks. Her eyes lost focus—and so did his—as they shared the vision of what could be if he did not change the course of his decision. They returned to themselves two breaths later, hers in a sad sigh, and his in a rough sob.

Jasper felt the despair welling up in Edward and his determination grew soon after. Whatever it was they had seen was not something he wanted. Jasper flooded Edward with calm hoping that it would help him to regain more of himself. He knew it was working when he felt gratitude coming off of him among all the other emotions. His entire body was tense, held there by willpower alone.

Alice's eyes again lost focus, and only a breath later she smiled as relief came from them both. She turned her head and flashed a warning look to Jasper as her head tilted toward Edward slightly. He gave a slight nod of understanding. He was still to watch him. The coast was not clear yet.

Alice looked over to the stock room and saw that the teacher was still occupied. She flashed over to the room's side door, which lead to the outside. On a good day it was opened to let the sun in and keep the paint fumes from overwhelming the occupants of the room, but today it was opened to allow help in.

Emmett's large body filled the door, and after he took an appraising look around, he flashed over to Edward. "Okay, Edward. It's time to go for a quick hunt. You can come back later, after you have more control?"

He asked this as a question to Alice, even though his eyes never left the other vampire.

"Yes. It should be fine to come back. Jasper and I will make sure Bella is safe." She said this with certainty, but the furrow in her brow belied her worries.

Edward opened his mouth to answer, but quickly shut it again. Panic shot through him along with another wave of bloodlust. The idiot had gone and taken another breath and in doing so had taken in Bella's scent again. His eyes closed as he clenched his fists. His head tilted back in agony and the muscles of his neck popped out with the strain of his tightening jaw.

Jasper lost his patience. "Just get him out of here! One more breath might be the last straw. Force him if you have to, but leave."

Emmett's head bobbed in understanding. He reached out and grabbed Edward's upper arms in his hands. In a show of his strength, he easily picked him up and disappeared out the side door. Thankfully it was on the side of the building that was near the forest line. Jasper watched them until they disappeared into the depths of the trees, for it was only then that he felt the greatest of the danger had passed. Part of him noticed Alice madly texting someone, most likely Esme, informing her of the recent events.

He turned around to face Bella, wary of what he might find. Her hands remained on his body, traveling as he turned moving from his back to his chest. He allowed himself to savor this touch as he had not the other. Her hands, so small and fragile, made him feel weak. Her fingers rubbed in a slight back and forth manner, pulling slightly on his shirt. It made him ache. He looked into her eyes, and knew his own were darkening with his building need for her. His hands reached out for her, gently holding her shoulders. He pulled her closer, needing to feel more of her touch. Thighs met and he quivered. Stomachs brushed against each other. She quivered. He head started to tilt down to her and hers leaned back in response.

"Jasper?" Alice's voice cut through him. He gave an unhappy groan before he looked over at her and scowled to show his disapproval of her timing.

"You have one minute before someone else shows up. Is that how you want to be seen?" She smirked as she took in how close his and Bella's bodies were.

He felt a flare of embarrassment from Bella and she pulled away. She stumbled slightly, but his hands were still on her shoulders and they balanced her. He looked down at her again, curious at the intensity of the emotion. He watched her pull on a lock of her hair, twisting it around her fingers. She bit her lip slightly and looked down the hall.

When she looked back at him she asked, "Can I come in the room now? Or has there been some kind of hazardous spill that has made it unsafe?"

He smiled at her. "No, we can go in now. It seems someone left the door open and there was a puddle from the rain. I didn't want you to slip."

She looked around him, her eyes scanning the floor. "I don't see any water." He felt her anger as it started to build.

"Alice cleaned it up. That's what took so long." He pointed over to Alice. She was pushing paper towels into the trash barrel. Doubt washed the edges of her emotions, but confusion and anger dominated. She just shrugged and walked around him, being careful not to touch him. He felt a sharp spike of pain at the avoidance. She didn't want to touch him. Something he had done had pushed her away. He glanced to Alice, who had gone to shut the side door. Her hands swept up and then down in a gesture that meant 'take a breath and calm down'.

He inhaled deeply, taking in Bella's scent. It calmed him instantly. He would find out what had happened and fix it, just not now. This was not the place for a long discussion. He needed to take her somewhere. Be alone.

Bella went to the closest table and sat. If she thought to escape from him after class, she had another thing coming. He was going to get to the bottom of this, and fast. He had finally found his mate and he refused to let them be torn apart by anger and miscommunication. He would tell her everything if he had to.

Alice shot him a look of fear, and denial ran through her emotions only to pass easily when he edited himself. He would wait to tell her everything. But he wouldn't lie to her. If she figured it out on her own he would have broken no laws. He would be safe.

She, on the other hand, would not be. If the Volturi discovered her among them, and still human, he could not say what their reactions would be. Kill her most likely. He suppressed a harsh growl at the very idea of someone coming after his Bella. They would die in the wake of his wrath. Only ashes would remain.

Alice gasped, as shock colored her emotions. He began to turn to her but Bella tapped him sharply on the shoulder drawing him to her.

"I know you are lying to me. I demand that you tell me the truth" She was determined. Resolved. Undercurrents of confusion. Still an edge of anger.

His eyebrows rose in surprise at her verbal attack. "How do you know I'm lying?"

"I just do. It doesn't matter." She bit her lip. Wariness mixed with concern. A bit of wistfulness.

He tilted his head slightly. "A lie of omission is still a lie. Are you demanding to know the truth by telling a lie?" He asked gently, hoping that it did not tear them more apart.

She flushed at his accusation, feeling the reprimand deeply. Again doubt came from her. But also hope, another wave of determination and need. "I..." Her hands hesitated and he sensed shame and despair. "I can't tell you." Wistful want.

"Bella.." Jasper pulled his hands into fists, trying not to drag her to him. "We all have secrets. And sometimes we keep those secrets for good reasons."

She looked at him and he saw a sheen of tears coating her eyes. She looked away, her eyes lost. "Sometimes they hold you back from what you want the most."

He wondered if she even knew she had signed her thoughts. Or if she was talking to herself, so used to people not understanding her. He tapped the desk in front of her, decision made. "Go somewhere with me after school."

She looked at him blankly for a moment, awash in confusion tinged with joy. "Where?"

"Port Angeles. We can get away for a while. Just the two of us."

He felt her reluctance battling with her desire to go. "I'd have to ask my Dad first. I don't know if he'd want me to go so far away."

The way she had crumpled at Emmett's pout flashed into his mind. He didn't know the last time he had pouted, but if it got him alone with Bella he would do anything. He let his bottom lip plump out, his brows came down together. "It's not that far and I'll have you home before it's late."

He felt her resistance crack and he did the signature Emmett fist pump in his head. Alice's mirth came to him in response to his actions and he knew she was trying not to burst into giggles. He shot her some displeasure. She gave him a little shove and murmured "Tell her about the bookstore."

Jasper didn't question her. "There is this great little bookstore there I've been meaning to go to again. It has a surprisingly diverse selection considering its size. We can go and see if they have anything new."

Bella gave off surprised pleasure, and Jasper let Alice feel his gratitude.

She bit her lip. "I still have to ask my Dad. He's a little protective."

He gave her a moment as she considered her options. He watched her glance around and then slipped her hand into her bag and pulled out a cell phone. She looked around again and hid the phone in her lap as she sent out a series of texts.

Jasper found himself frowning with her. Worrying with her. Then smiling with her.

"He said it's okay. I just need to be home by seven."

"Why seven?" He asked curiously. There had been surprise and a deep happiness within her. Something about this particular curfew had caused this reaction, and anything that could make her happy he wanted to know.

She flushed slightly and was going to answer when the teacher opened the stock room door in a dramatic sweeping motion. Everyone, except for Jasper and Alice, jumped. Bella included.

"Later?" he asked quickly.

She nodded and turned to watch the teacher, leaving him to watch her and ponder the enigma that was Isabella Swan. While she claimed to be deaf there were clues that told him otherwise. The way she had just jumped at the teacher's entrance only being the most recent.

She seemed to know what was being talked about when things were said outside of her viewing range. How she had nodded in agreement to things the teachers or students said. An unknowing gesture that told so much to those who only had to watch. Her emotions told on her as well, like how she had been angry and unsure when Lauren had called her a charity case. This only added to her unwitting first impression when she had signed to Jessica of her 'supposed to be deaf'. Not was. Supposed to be.

Something had silenced this girl and he needed to know what. If something had happened to her to cause her to refuse to speak. He scowled at the direction his thoughts were taking him. He would find out who had hurt her. He would make them pay. He would gladly accept the crimson eyes for the pleasure of her revenge.

And yet..that didn't seem right either. There was a strength in her, that was so much a part of her. It was the core of her. He found it hard to believe that anything could cripple her like this. Make her retreat within herself to where she was unable to vocalize. The flashes of sass and spirit she had shown demonstrated the fire within her. Surely a girl with so much fire would not back down in such a way.

That only left that she was not able to speak. Was that even possible? He choked back a snort. Here he was, a vampire, asking if it was possible to be unable to speak. The world was full of impossible things.

He had never been interested in the medical field so this question was completely out of his normal area of understanding. He needed to talk to Carlisle. There must be something that could be done to fix this. To give this girl her voice. What justice was there in the world that had chosen to rob her of this gift. This ability that was so taken for granted by most. Hell, he himself had never thought of what it would be like to be unable to speak. Choosing to not speak was not the same as being incapable. There was freedom in the choice. Forced restraint in the inability.

He watched her put a hand to her mouth, restraining laughter that could never be. The teacher was sweeping around the front of the room extolling the greatness of art and how life without art is nothing. Art is beauty. Art is ugly. Art is all.

Bella was amused, but Alice was entranced. She was eating it up, smiling widely and bouncing slightly in her seat in excitement. Ten minutes into class the teacher finally seemed to realize that she hadn't taken roll. She passed it off with a wild gesture of her hand, but then declared this as a wonderful opportunity for everyone to say something about art. There were quiet groans around the room and brows furrowed as the student tried to think of something to say.

Alice, with great pleasure, declared, "Art is by far the greatest means of expression and can help to enhance the mind's perception of the world around them."

Jasper was not as optimistic and only said. "Art is high priced pictures on the walls of houses. It serves no practical purpose."

Alice and the teacher looked at him in horror, like he had just crushed their dreams and ambitions. He shrugged his shoulders in apology. Bella simply looked at him curiously, but was not upset by his words.

His words had given other students courage and some, when it was their turn, also agreed that they did not understand most art and that it served no greater purpose than a mindless past time. Others were on Alice's side and firmly stated that without art their would be no civilization. Jasper thought that was taking it a bit far, but they were welcome to their opinions.

When Bella's name was called she raised her hand. The teacher, Ms. Randal, looked her over in mild surprise. It was only then that she had realized that she had a new student. She walked over to the desk and signed the paper as she asked Bella what she had asked every other student. "And what is art to you, Isabella?"

Bella looked to Jasper questioningly and he nodded. Jasper said her words as she signed. "Art is only perception. Anything can be art, or nothing. It all depends on what each person gets out of it. If there is no meaning it is not art. Only technique or lack thereof. So what some see as art, others will not because it will have different meanings for each person."

Ms. Randal nodded. "Very good Isabella." Then she moved on to the next person.

Just as she finished the roll Alice touched his arm, allowing wariness and worry to pass to him. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Edward will be back in 30 seconds. He is still trying to maintain the current decision, but watch him. I can't predict when his self control will crack. Only at the time of the decision will I know."

He nodded, understanding at her lowly spoken words as his body tensed. He casually stood and took the seat on the other side of Bella, so he would be between her and the door Edward would soon be coming through. Alice took his previous spot. Bella was now guarded on both sides. She was giving off curiosity at the sudden change of seats, but did not look at him. The teacher was speaking again and he knew she had to watch the teacher, if only to keep up the farce of deafness.

Edward slowly made his entrance into the room. It was slow even by human standards. His posture reeked of doubt and self-consciousness, a far cry from his normal demeanor. He gave off waves of fear, panic, and determination. Jasper saw him take a hesitant sniff before he was seen by the others. His eyes darkened and bloodlust surged in him, but his control was firm. He clenched his jaw as he looked into Jasper's eyes. He nodded to Japser, then Jasper pushed calm and a bit of lethargy toward him. He watched Edward's face slacken just slightly before he took a step into the room.

As he slowly walked across the room Jasper watched every aspect of him, ready to fight at any moment. Bella began to feel nervous and anxious at his tenseness. He reached over and laid a hand gently on her leg under the table, and she relaxed instantly.

A new kind of nervousness bubbled within her along with a deep need he was coming to recognize. He started to debate if he should remove his hand, but found his arm unwilling to pay heed to his brain. His own need to touch her was starting to overcome his logic. He gave in and left his hand upon her.

Jasper watched as Edward sat at a table on the other side of the room, surprising and intimidating the boy who was already sitting there. The teacher had noted his arrival, but did not comment. She marked him down as being present and continued on.

Jasper divided his attention between monitoring Edward's moods and movements, Alice's body language, and the simple pleasure of feeling Bella's body beneath his hand. Only a small portion of his mind was aware of the teacher's words as they moved around the room. Colors. Graphite. Oils. Pastel. Inner muse. Become one with your medium.

Occasionally, he allowed his thumb to move gently over her jeans and each time she would slightly tense and be flooded with joy, happiness, and nervousness. Her warmth seeped into him through the material and he occasionally allowed himself to immerse himself in it, like he was bringing the warmth into himself, into his soul. He felt himself starting to melt. The cold exterior that he used to protect himself was being slowly destroyed by this little human girl. His little human. His.

Jasper's hand squeezed her thigh and she smiled, as the happiness moved through her body. It astounded him that something so little could cause such joy in her. It humbled him that it was his touch that did this to her. He was aching to know what her skin would feel like, what that true connection would let him feel from her. The clothing hindered the ability to create that last final connection to her, but it was more than the connection of emotion he wanted. He wanted the simple pleasure of the just touching her. Of holding her. Of kissing her.

The last thirty minutes of the class dragged by. Jasper found himself doing the little fidgets he had never before understood in the humans around him, for what is a few hours of time to an immortal? His fingers tapped the desktop. His leg started to bounce. He continuously glanced at the clock.

Finally, Alice nudged him into awareness of his actions. He gave her a little glower at her amused and sly smile. "Somewhere to be Jasper?" She mocked him teasingly, but loud enough for Bella to hear. She flushed slightly but didn't look in their direction. They both took note of the increased color on her cheeks and exchanged a look. Jasper's eyebrow raised slightly in question to her, but Alice simply gave him an innocent look. If she knew the answer, she wasn't sharing.

The bell rang through the room, echoing against the walls. Edward dashed by them, straining his muscles in an effort to control his desperate to escape. Escape his desire to kill Bella. Alice watched him go with a sadness in her eyes. She and Edward were very close and Jasper knew that she hated to see him struggling like this. He touched her arm briefly in a comforting gesture before turning to Bella. He held out his hand for her bag and she shook her head at him in wonder before giving it to him.

She looked up to him. "I need to take my paperwork back to the office before we can go."

He nodded his understanding and stepped to her side. Touching her back was not enough anymore. He placed his hand on her hip and pulled her near. Their bodies brushed against each other as they walked. Jasper shortened his stride to match hers. He tried to ignore the looks the other students were giving them, but found himself glaring at all the other males as if they were potential suitors trying to steal his mate from him. They all looked away sharply, most feeling fear.

Jasper pulled open the door to the office and smiled at Ms. Cope. She was a nice old lady, but he was always curious if she was color blind. That hair was unbelievable. He pushed Bella forward and almost gloated when he felt her reluctance and sadness at having to leave his side. She smiled at Ms. Cope and handed her the paperwork that all the teachers had signed.

"How was your day dear?" she asked kindly.

"It was good. Thank you."

Jasper spoke the words for her, but remained slightly behind her. Ms. Cope glanced at him briefly. She felt a moment of surprise that was soon replaced with a maternal happiness. "It seems that you've made friends."

Jasper saw Bella look at him and blush softly. He only grinned at them both before winking at Ms. Cope and saying, in a slightly conspiratorial tone. "Maybe a bit more than friends."

Ms. Cope smiled even wider, but noting Bella's red face didn't say anything more on it. She looked down at the paper. "It looks like everything is in order. If you need anything else feel free and let me know. You can stop by any time."

Bella nodded to her and signed her thanks before waving a little goodbye and returning to Jasper's side. She tucked herself back into his arm, but then almost immediately began to play with a lock of her hair. He felt uncertainty from her. He gave her a smile and squeeze of reassurance the let her know that she had been right to return to his arms. She smiled brightly up at him as her happiness bubbled up and pushed aside all worry.

He gestured with the arm that was not around her to ask if she was ready to go. When she nodded he pulled her with him out of the door and toward the parking lot, which was already mostly empty. Only a few cars remained, his family's being one of them as they loitered around it. When they saw Bella and Jasper they all smiled their way. Even Edward. But now that he was out in the open air and Bella's scent was diluted it was easier for him to maintain control. Jasper was also sure that the closeness of his body to hers was causing their scents to mingle. It made something in him want to growl in pleasure at the thought. He clenched his hand around the bag's handle by his shoulder to resist the desire to rub himself on her even more, to further meld their scents together.

He let her guide them to her truck. He raised an eyebrow at it and looked down at her.

"What?"

"Is this your truck?" He asked.

She nodded as she moved behind him to pull the keys out of the front pocket of her bag. She stepped to the truck's side and opened the door. It screeched loudly in protest and Jasper saw her give a little wince in response. He held her arm and gave her a slight push to help her climb into the seat. The truck started with a roar and grumbled as it ran.

He handed her her bag. "I'm going to go home with my family and get my truck. I think it might make the trip a bit quicker. That way we can spend more time in Port Angeles. Is that okay?"

She smiled a bit sheepishly. "I'm sure it will make the trip faster. I don't know if she can get over forty-five.'

He gave a little chuckle. "I'll pick you up within the hour."

Jasper stretched up, leaned forward and whispered near her ear, "Then we can finally be alone."

She flushed hot under him and he took a moment to take a long deep breath of her scent. Wisps of her hair brushed his face and to him it felt softer than the finest silk. A flush of his own raged through him. He moved back and looked deep into her soft brown eyes, knowing his own were darkening with his passionate emotions. "I have waited a long time for you Bella. I know we don't know each other, but I hope we can change that. I want to know everything. What makes you smile. What has made you cry, so I can keep that from ever happening again. What you love. What you hate. What you want. What you need."

He took a deep breath, allowing her scent to calm him. "I know this is a lot so soon. I hope I am not scaring you away. I do not want to ever scare you." He said the last lower, more to himself.

Her eyes filled with tears. Jasper saw her hand tremble slightly as signed. "I do know you. Here." She reached out to him and placed her hand on his chest a long moment. "The rest...the rest will come in time."

A/N: Thanks again for reading. Let me know what you think. I try and respond to all reviews.