Chapter 7: Hope

A/N: Everyone who has left a review, favorited, and/or alerted, thank you so much for your support. It means more than you know. I, literally, do a little happy dance every time I see a new review in my inbox. :) Theme song for this chapter: "Fix You" by Coldplay.

Bella's POV:

"Wait, Carlisle... I think she's coming out of it… Bella? Bella, can you hear me? Bella, open your eyes." The voice was familiar: Commanding, but kind. I knew I should listen, but I couldn't quite bring myself to open my eyes. My mind was too busy with other things to operate my body. I kept seeing images of Victoria: Her fiery hair, her wild eyes, her jerky movements… She was still hunting me. It was never going to end…

"Yes. Her breathing changed… More than anything, her emotions are sharper… They aren't all blurring together quite as much as before. Each one is becoming a little more distinct… Carlisle, her heart rate just jumped. Something is scaring her. Bella! Bella, listen to me! Open your eyes, right now!" Again, I tried. Again, I failed. Whoever was speaking to me shouldn't be near me. It was too dangerous. Victoria would hurt them, and then she would kill me…

"What was that? Carlisle, what did Esme say…? That makes sense… I'll try it. Bella, Victoria is not going to hurt you. Neither will Laurent. We're going to make you safe again, Bella. You're safe. Bella, it's going to be okay. Come back, Bella. Come back to me right now, Bella. Wake up. Open your eyes." I was safe. I was safe? How was I safe? How was anyone I cared about safe? They weren't. And it was my fault…

"That almost worked... What else can I do?" The rich, commanding voice was sounding continually more anxious. "No. Carlisle, I already did that to her, once. I can't… If I keep putting her through emotional torture, like that, she's surely going to snap. I've made vampires go mad, Carlisle! She's human! She's so… Breakable, and already broken! If I hurt her…! Fine. I suppose I have no choice… Bella, if you can hear me, I'm so sorry…"

Fear and trust, love and hate, sadness and joy, giddiness and lethargy, calm and anxiety, excitement and wariness, anger and adoration, disgust and lust, restlessness and contentment, annoyance and amusement, anguish and ecstasy… I screamed and my eyes flew open.

"Bella!" Jasper dropped the phone in his hand and pulled me into his lap, cradling me against his chest. Instead of using the physical contact to amplify his influence, he cut off the flood of emotions abruptly. He didn't even send waves of calm into me. He didn't use his power at all. He just held me and murmured a stream of soft apologies: "I'm sorry, Bella. You weren't waking up, and nothing else Carlisle suggested was working. I had to bring you out of it, somehow. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to do that to you, again. It's cruel… I'm sorry... I'm so glad you're okay, though… Bella, please say something. Bella?" Jasper shook me gently. My sluggish human mind took a moment to catch up.

"Carlisle?" That was the first word I could manage, and my voice still cracked. "Carlisle told you…? What…?" I was confused, but Jasper laughed. His beautiful, deep voice was dripping with relief.

"I'll explain everything, Bella," He said warmly. "Wait a moment…" Jasper shifted me slightly in his lap and leaned over to pick up the cellphone he'd dropped. "Carlisle? Did you hear all that?" He asked into the phone. "Yes, I think she's alright, now. I'll tell her the plan… What? Oh, good point… Alright. I'll see you soon, Carlisle." Jasper snapped the phone shut and looked into my eyes, surely seeing the hundred-and-one questions there.

"I have to feed you, first," He said, smiling down at me. "Doctor's orders. I will answer any other questions you have, after you eat something." Somehow, the familiar human joke woke me up enough to roll my eyes.

"Fine," I grumbled. "What kind of pet food do you still have in this place?" Jasper laughed as he helped me up.

"Unfortunately, not much. It's been months, after all, so there isn't much fresh food left."

"I'm not picky," I replied, earning another chuckle from Jasper.

Once in the kitchen, I found some frozen waffles in the freezer and I plugged in the never-used toaster to thaw them. Jasper continued to lighten my mood, even without the use of his power, when he made a face at my food choice.

"I know, I know," I grumbled. "It's no mountain lion or irritable grizzly."

"Not by a long shot," Jasper chuckled, still looking at the pitiful excuse for human food like it was poisonous…

"Bella, what happened?" Jasper asked when he felt the sudden shift in my emotions. I was a little surprised when he didn't send out a wave of calm to me. "What's wrong, now?" He still didn't use his power, but he took a couple steps closer to me. I closed my eyes and took a moment to calm myself, before I answered him:

"Sorry, that was stupid of me," I started to explain. "Making hunting jokes like that… It just made me think of Edward… And Emmett." I couldn't stop the fleeting involuntary smile that came to my lips with that afterthought. Trying to picture Emmett fighting with a bear was still funny, to me. Letting myself think of any of the Cullens, apart from Jasper, though… I wasn't entirely sure if the flashes of happiness were worth the horrible ache that followed close behind. Jasper groaned.

"My stupid, pigheaded brother," he half-growled. "Why did he have to do this to you…? That ache in your chest, the knot in your stomach, that hole inside you that makes me worry your fragile body is going to collapse in on itself… Feeling it is enough to drive me out of my mind, and you've been felling it for months…" Oops. I was hurting Jasper, again. I struggled to rein in my emotions, but it was an uphill battle.

"Jasper, can you help me?" I asked him, knowing he'd know what I meant. "I don't want to keep hurting you, and I really need to be able to focus, right now." Surprise flickered across Jasper's face, but he complied with my request and sent gentle waves of calm into me until I could collect myself. I breathed a sigh of relief and Jasper chuckled in amazement.

"I can't believe you still want me to affect you," he said incredulously. "After what I've done to you, twice now, you should be afraid of my influence."

"Well, I'm not," I shrugged dismissively. "You did what you had to do, to help me, Jasper. I can't fault you for that." Jasper still looked incredulous, but he let the matter drop and smiled warmly at me. My heart fluttered. Edward never would have let me win a 'you should be afraid of me' argument, so easily! He would have stubbornly argued his side until he realized I wasn't giving up, at which point he would have dazzled me, to make me forget about it. Jasper also dazzled me with that smile, of course, but it wasn't a tactic for him. It was just… Beautiful.

Once I was sure I wasn't going to fall to pieces, I took my waffles into the dining room and sat down. Jasper followed me and sat down in the chair next to me. I took a bite of my food, buying a little more time, and I looked out the back windows. It was still light outside, but it was difficult to judge the time of day, beyond that. "How long was I out?" I kept my first question simple. "What time is it?"

"It's Noon, give or take a few minutes," Jasper answered promptly. "You were out for just under two hours."

"Two hours?" I repeated. "No wonder Carlisle was worried about me. Sorry, Jasper."

"You have nothing to apologize for," he replied. "Carlisle told me it was your mind's way of protecting itself. That was a lot for you to take in, in a very short time… I'm the one who owes you an apology, Bella. We should never have let Victoria go free. Even Laurent…" Jasper's voice was lost to a furious growl. "Irina wasn't too pleased to hear about his involvement."

"Irina?" I asked attentively. "You told your friends in Denali what happened?" Jasper gave me a bracing look and the air got a little harder to breathe. This couldn't be good. Jasper reached out and took my hand.

"Easy, Bella," he soothed. "It's going to be okay, but… As I told the wolves I would, I asked everyone to come back down here, including the Denalis: Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya, Kate, Irina, and the rest of our family. Edward wasn't around, when I called. Alice, Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie are going to see if they can find him. They will come down in three days, whether they're successful in their search or not. Emmett is going to bring our friends down here tomorrow."

"When the wolves were here," I began, "you said Laurent and Irina got… 'Close'. Laurent is Irina's mate?" Jasper's brow wrinkled in disgust, but he nodded. His expression, then, turned to one of concern, in response to the fear and anxiety that shot through me. "She wouldn't…" I stammered nervously, "I mean, would she…? If something happens with Laurent… If he gets hurt, will she be angry with the wolves? Or me?" My voice cracked on that last word, and I realized I was shaking slightly. I didn't even see Jasper move, but I was suddenly sitting in his lap. He hugged me to his chest and stroked my hair soothingly.

"Bella, Irina would never hurt you!" He said. "No one will hurt you, Bella. You're going to be okay. Yes, Laurent is Irina's mate, but we're her family. We're the closest thing they have to family, anyway. She won't hurt you, and we won't let her harm the wolves. Irina and the others are all coming down here because they want to help. Bella, do you understand that? We all want to help you. Even Rosalie." That surprised me.

"Rosalie?" I prodded feebly.

"I've been updating Alice on your condition, since I came down here, remember?" Jasper asked me. I nodded into his chest, not looking up to meet his eyes. "She filled everyone else in. As I expected, Rosalie is less-than-happy with Edward, right now."

"Oh." A pitiful answer, but the best one I could manage. Jasper just held me in his arms until I was able to form another coherent thought: "Should I call Jacob and tell him when everyone is coming?" I asked. "So he can warn the other wolves?" I felt Jasper tense slightly, at the new subject, but he loosed a resigned sigh and rested his chin lightly on the top of my head.

"That's probably a good idea," he conceded. "I can't honestly say I'm thrilled with the idea of working with that pack, but there's really no avoiding it, and they are your friends." Jasper shifted under me and he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. He offered it to me readily, but I had to take a steadying breath, before accepting it. He rubbed soothing circles into my back as I dialed the Blacks' home number. I wasn't prepared to hear Charlie's voice answer:

"Hello?" He asked lightly. It almost sounded like he'd just been laughing. I froze. Jasper quickly grabbed the phone from my hand.

"Hey, is Jacob there?" I jumped slightly at the sound of Jasper's voice. It wasn't his voice. His voice wasn't rich and velvety smooth as he spoke, but sharp and a little jarring. I realized he was trying to sound like one of the boys from the reservation, one of Jacob's friends. He was doing a pretty good job of it, too. He held the phone back to my ear fast enough that I heard Charlie's completely unsuspicious reply:

"Yeah, hold on. Jake?" He called. There was some noise in the background, and then I heard Jacob's voice. He sounded tired:

"Yeah?" He half-groaned.

"Jake, it's Bella," I said, "but don't say my name. Charlie doesn't know it's me. Jasper spoke to him."

"Be…! I mean… Crap, hang on a sec," he whispered that last part. There was some more noise in the background. Jacob didn't speak again for almost a full minute.

"Sorry, Bella," he said. "I was just telling my dad to get Charlie out of hearing range. Our one phone doesn't move, you know. Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Jake," I said, trying to sound calm and confident. "Not really. I just thought the pack would want to know when the rest of the Cullens are coming?" Jacob murmured something that sounded vaguely like an unintelligible stream of expletives.

"Yeah," he grumbled coolly. "Shoot." I quickly relayed Jasper's explanation to Jacob, leaving out the more personal details.

"Shit," Jacob growled one clear expletive. It was jarring, coming from him. "Eleven leeches? Twelve, if Edward comes back?" Even Edward's name sounded like a swearword.

"Stop calling them that!" I was shooting for scolding, but my voice didn't come out quite strong enough.

"Whatever, Bella," Jacob grumbled petulantly. "I need to phase, to pass all that on to the others. You sure you're okay, over there?"

"I'm fine, Jacob," my voice came stronger, that time. Jacob's bad mood was contagious, even through the phone. "I am absolutely fine with Jasper. Just tell the rest of the pack not to attack my… The others, when they come, okay?" Jacob grumbled something unintelligible, again, and he hung up without another word. I snapped Jasper's cellphone shut with a frustrated sigh.

"Some friend you have, there," Jasper's voice was thick with sarcasm as he took his phone back and pocketed it.

"That wasn't my friend," I sighed, again. "Jacob was always kind and light-hearted, if a bit naïve. He's changed."

"Into a wolf," Jasper agreed, but the biting tone of his voice was gone. I laughed half-heartedly. I still had yet to look Jasper in the eye, since he pulled me into his lap, earlier. He turned me in his lap and took my face in both of his hands, lifting gently until I finally met his gaze.

"You started to tell Jacob to warn the wolves not to attack your 'family', but you wouldn't say the word," he said softly, tenderly. "Do you still believe we don't love you, that way?"

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly, my voice a breath above a whisper. "I… I'm not worth it. I mean, think about it: It really wasn't all that long ago that you had to save me from James. You, alone, have been back here for a week, and now you're trying to protect me from Laurent and Victoria. And that's just vampires! You already had to save me from those men, in Port Angeles! Edward did, too! He also saved me from being killed by that van! Maybe it's about time we all just accepted that I'm supposed to die! Stop trying to save me!"

"No, Bella," Jasper growled. I opened my mouth to argue, but his finger on my mouth stopped me. I felt my heart skip a beat at the touch, and I briefly forgot what I was trying to say. "Stop," Jasper commanded firmly, his cool finger still on my burning lips. I found myself struggling not to tremble.

"I love you, Bella." My heart fluttered at the phrase, but flopped at the follow-up: "Our whole family loves you." Leave it to the stupid human to get all worked up for no reason. "I'm sure our friends will love you, too. Just wait until you meet them, tomorrow. We are going to save you, Bella. We won't let you die." My heart skipped another beat, but I was quick to mentally scold myself: That's not what he meant! Stupid human, stupid lamb!

"Bella!" I jumped at the change in Jasper's voice. No longer soft and reassuring, it became exasperated and commanding: "Stop doing this to yourself! You are worth it. Our whole family does love you, and… If Edward, somehow, doesn't love you anymore… He's an idiot." I took a moment to process that, while Jasper waited somewhat patiently. I tried to process what his words meant, but my mind was refusing to let me hope. Jasper removed his finger from my lips, to let me speak, but that didn't help at all. I almost whimpered at the loss of contact.

"Bella," Jasper whispered vehemently, tenderly reaching back up to lightly brush the corner of my mouth with his cool thumb. "I can feel what you're feeling. I was hesitant to bring it up; afraid you might just be clinging to me because I'm all you have here, right now. Alice told me she and I would both find someone else, though. I didn't expect it to be you. I doubt even Alice expected it, but… I think that might be the case. I understand if it's too fast for you, but I think… I am falling in love with you."

Jasper paused again, waiting for me to speak, but all I could manage was a soft whimper. The thumb he'd been holding to my mouth ghosted along my cheekbone until his whole hand cupped my cheek. His other hand tentatively stroked my right arm, gliding down until his fingertips touched my bite scar. His fingers traced the crescent shape while his eyes held mine.

"She loved me for the dangers I had passed," he quoted with breathtaking feeling, "and I loved her that she did pity them."

"Othello," I whispered. Jasper nodded.

"Your scent was on the book, last night," he said. "It's the first time you've so much as touched any of your books in a while. I was curious. I didn't particularly like that you were only reading the death scene… Please don't tell me your heart can't be saved. I want to save it. I want to love you."

"By 'saving' my heart, you mean…"

"Bella, please don't. That's not what I'm talking about… If you still want to be changed…"

"Don't," I whimpered, pulling back a little from Jasper's hand. His hand on my face dropped, but he still held my scarred hand. "Please don't promise me anything. I don't… I can't let myself…"

"Hope?" Jasper asked softly. I nodded feebly. "I know what that feels like, Bella," he said, "and not just because I can feel what you're feeling, now. You remember my story, don't you?" I nodded, again. "I was afraid to hope, too, Bella. Alice helped me, though. She helped me learn to hope, again. Now, it's my turn to help you."

Jasper reached up and stroked my cheek, again. He brushed some of my hair away from my face, and then his fingers glided down my jaw. His hand stopped when his thumb grazed my lips, and I gasped at the jolt of electricity that shot through me. "I felt that, too, Bella," he said, smiling lovingly at me. His fingers traced my mouth teasingly, lightly caressing the cupid's bow of my upper lip and applying a little more pressure when he reached the center of my bottom lip, parting my lips ever-so-slightly.

"May I kiss you, Bella?" He asked me. I was surprised to actually hear his voice crack with emotion. Speech was completely beyond me, at this point, so I forced myself to nod once. Edward had been so afraid, the first time, but Jasper seemed okay. He didn't seem worried about his control, at all. Nonetheless, I held perfectly still as he leaned in. He gently cupped my head in both his hands, and I gasped when he kissed my forehead, first. His icy lips were there for less than a second. My eyes fell closed and he took full advantage, pressing his marble-smooth lips to my eyelids in feather-light kisses.

"Jasper," I whimpered, and that was all it took.

Jasper's lips claimed mine in a gentle, loving kiss. Fireworks went off in my eyes, and my heart pounded in time with each explosion. My hands moved of their own accord and my fingers were suddenly tangled in Jasper's hair. For a moment, I froze, waiting for him to stiffen and push me away… He did the opposite. He deepened the kiss, his arms moving down to capture my waist and pull me tighter against him. He held me tighter than Edward ever had, but he didn't hurt me. I started to feel a little light-headed and Jasper only broke the kiss to let me breathe. The look he gave me made me blush ten shades of red.

"That was…" I began. My struggle to form a coherent sentence was cut short, though. Jasper's phone buzzed and I jumped, making him laugh. Just that easily, my mind recovered:

"Alice?" I asked, "Would she have seen that?" Jasper frowned slightly.

"I'm not sure," he said as he pulled the phone out of his pocket. He shook his head. "I don't recognize the number." He flipped the phone open and raised it to his ear: "Hello? Jacob?" If my heart skipped any more beats, today, it was going to forget how to work, altogether. "Oh. Thank you." At least Jasper attempted to be civil. "I'll take care of it."

"What was that about?" I asked when he snapped the phone shut.

"You're father is on his way home," he answered. I nodded, understanding.

"I need to get back."