A/N: I still don't own anything.

Remember that this story is rated M for adult themes, language, and future lemons. 18 years and older only, please.

Thanks to RemyKilday for pre-reading.

I worship at the altar of HammerHips' ass.

Chapter 6: Overprotected

I tell 'em what I like

What I want

What I don't

But every time I do I stand corrected

Things that I've been told

I can't believe what I hear about the world, I realize

I'm overprotected

-"Overprotected" by Britney Spears

Jasper POV

I helped Sage repaint her room as a sort of cleansing. This time she settled on a cerulean blue with lime green accents and border; personally, I think it suited her better anyhow. The purple and pink had just been to piss Emmett off, no matter how hard she'd tried to pick a color she actually liked.

Surprisingly, Emmett didn't put up a fight. He didn't even say a word.

He and Sage hadn't spoken since the disastrous family session.

Tensions, however, were mounting. In the first week of September, Rosalie received a letter from Ramsey Prison in Brazonia County, Texas. I knew what that meant, and so did Emmett. Unfortunately, that left Sage in the dark because Emmett didn't want to upset Sage's alleged fragile sensibilities. But I knew better.

She'd cotton on eventually and be pissed at us for keeping it from her, so I resolved to tell her… just to make her aware.

"Hey Sage?" I asked, standing in the bathroom door to her room.

"Hmm?" she asked, not bothering to look up from her book. She was sprawled out on her bed with a thick Chemistry text in front of her, making notes in a spiral-bound notebook.

I cleared my throat and stepped inside and moved to sit next to her on the bed. "I need to tell you something." I let my tone convey the severity of the issue and she paused to consider me before sitting up.

"OK…" she replied hesitantly.

I sighed. "If I tell you this, you have to swear to me that you will not tell Rose or Emmett that you know. That would probably get me killed."

"OK…" she repeated.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself, closing my eyes for a moment. "Rose was raped when she was fifteen." Her shocked expression urged me onward. "The guy was caught… it was her ex-boyfriend, Royce." I growled his name. I'd always hated Royce. "And he went to prison… but he's up for parole now. I just… I didn't want you to be in the dark about why everyone's on edge. Rosie's gonna have to go back to Texas to testify at the parole hearing if she stands a chance of keeping him there." I hated feeling like I was just dumping it on her, but it wasn't really the time for a long, drawn-out explanation, and even if it had been, I'm not sure I had the stomach to give it.

Sage nodded mutely, suddenly struck dumb by my sudden unexpected admission. "OK…" she said finally, and then she sighed and ducked her head. "Would it make you feel better if I told you a secret?"

I blinked. Sage had a secret? Scratch that. Sage had another secret?

"Sage…" I said as warning.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, this goes way back before you were even in my life and Emmett would kill me if he knew I was about to tell you—nevermind what he'll do to me if he finds out you know—so you have to swear never to tell Rose and never to tell Emmett you know." It was not lost on me that the conditions for the two were different. Rose didn't know either.

"OK." I said simply, wondering what the hell could've been that bad.

Sage took a deep breath. "My dad's not dead, he's in prison." And then her hand flew to her mouth. "I haven't said that out loud in years… it felt good." I simply stared at her, mouth slightly open to begin a question I'd lost track of. "Wondering how and why?" I nodded. She shifted uncomfortably. "After mom died… Dad was kind of in a bad way."

Shit.

I know where this is going.

"He started drinking a lot and Emmett always did his best to make sure I was out of the way and stuff…" she sighed. "But one day dad found the spot where Emmett hid his keys and he drove… and he killed someone." She trembled minutely. "He had a list of priors… disturbing the peace, domestic disturbance for a few fights he got into with Em… so he's got a good while left on his sentence." Her eyes fell. "Emmett's just always said he's dead. I think he kinda wishes he was."

That struck a chord. "What about you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't actually remember what he was like drunk. I remember whenever I'd come home crying 'cause kids at school would pick on me, he'd said 'Screw 'em! You're smarter than all of them. Someday you'll be living high and they'll be peeling gum off your shoes.'" She smiled. "And he'd watch old home movies with me and tell me about mom when I couldn't remember… and eat Teddy Grahams with milk with me."

So that's where that charming little quirk came from.

"Do you ever go visit him? Where is he?"

She shifted uncomfortably again. "No… Emmett's never let me… and he's in Lompoc. It's not like I could just take off when I lived with Charlie… but… I don't think he wants to see me."

My brow furrowed. "Why would you think that?"

She shrugged. "He used to write to Emmett two or three times a week… but never to me. I used to ask if he at least asked about me, but Emmett said he never mentioned me." Her cheeks were bright red. "Please don't be mad. It's not exactly easy to admit your dad's a drunk driver who killed someone and doesn't want anything to do with you."

I shook my head. "I'm not mad." I pulled her into a one armed hug. "I get this one… but I'm glad you told me."

She smiled and pressed her cheek against my shoulder. "I'm glad you told me about Rose. Em's been giving me these funny looks, and now I know why."

"What funny looks?"

"Like, I don't know, Like God, I'm just so glad it's not Sage or something. It's creepy—but at least I know why now." She yawned then and stretched. "I'm starving."

"Me too." I admitted.

"Pizza? I could really go for that barbeque buffalo chicken concoction we discovered a few weeks ago."

I laughed at that. Who knew a mistake could taste so good? We'd ordered two slices of buffalo chicken pizza for me and barbeque chicken pizza for Sage. What they'd given us was so much better: buffalo chicken with barbeque sauce as the pizza base. Fucking amazing.

"My thoughts exactly." I nudged her shoulder and stood. "Get dressed and we'll go." I headed back through the bathroom to grab my socks and boots and emerged right as Sage did, dressed in a cut off denim skirt and navy blue wifebeater. She grabbed her flip-flops and we headed upstairs.

My cell phone rang and I stopped, pulling it out of my pocket and smiling as Peter Calling flashed on the screen.

"Fucker." I said by way of greeting.

"Well hello to you too."

"How long you been stateside?"

"Oh… about a month."

"And you're just now calling me? Fuck man, what the hell is wrong with you?"

He chuckled at that.

"Chill the fuck out. I figured I'd wait and surprise you. Char and I are in town. I want ya to meet her."

I glanced at Sage who was watching me carefully, one eyebrow raised in question.

"And maybe I'd get to meet the elusive Sage."

I rolled my eyes. I should've seen that one coming.

I shot her a reassuring smile and said, "Well now you mention, we're headed to get some pizza. Care to join?" at that, her other eyebrow shot up as well.

"Well shit, you read my damn mind."

I gave him the address and hung up. "Peter." I said as an explanation. She nodded. "He's in town, and wanted to surprise me." I grabbed my keys and followed Sage out the door.

A half-hour later we were standing outside Sol's Slicery, waiting. It was a bit cooler than either of us had expected, considering it was only September, so I wrapped an arm around Sage's shoulders and tucked her into my side. She didn't seem to mind, much to my relief, and she rested her head against my shoulder.

I felt, rather than saw, Peter approaching and turned to meet his grin with one of my own. "Pete." I held out a hand, but he pulled me into a quick man-hug. "Good to see you, Man." I clapped him on the back.

"You too, Fucker. You too." He replied easily, his eyes quickly trailing down to the tiny blond. "Wow…" he breathed, earning him a sharp slap to the back of the head from who I could only guess was Charlotte. "Sage… You are… Wow… So much more beautiful than the Major said… and your pictures certainly didn't do you justice." Sage blushed profusely at that, the blood pooling in her arms and chest as well as her neck and face. "And believe me, the Major here just gushed about you."

"Pete, knock it off. I did not." I grumbled, embarrassed. I knew he was right, but I didn't need Sage knowing about all that shit.

He smirked at me and continued talking to Sage. "Thanks for the hot sauce, by the way, Darlin'. Sure did add kick to the chili-mac. I'm Peter, but I'm sure you've guessed that." She nodded and then Peter motioned to the buxom blond next to him. "This is Charlotte, the love of my life."

"Hey there." Charlotte said, pulling me into a brief hug. "So nice to finally meet you, Jasper. Peter's always talking about the stuff ya'll got up to in the desert."

"Aw, shit. Please don't." I whined, earning me another smirk.

Peter grunted and rubbed his stomach. "So… shall we? Kinda wasting away here. What's good?" he asked as we headed for a corner booth.

Sage and I exchanged looks and smiled at the same time. "The Barbeque-Buffalo Chicken Special." We said together. We were met with strange looks.

"Just trust us." I said.

Peter and Char sat down while Sage and I went to put in the order for a large and get drinks. When we slid back into the booth, Peter had his shit-stirring look on and he wasted no time in jumping in.

"So… Sage, what kind of a name is Sage anyhow?"

And without missing a beat, Sage replied, "I don't know… an herb. What kind of a name is Peter?" when he gave her a confused look she continued, "Might as well call you Weiner, or Penis, or Dick."

He considered her for a long moment before throwing his head back and howling with laughter. "I like you!" he exclaimed. "Please tell me you give him a ration of shit like that every now and again."

"Every now and again." She replied.

"Good. The Major could use it." I rolled my eyes.

"Why do you call him Major?" her eyes flicked to me in question.

Peter roared with laughter again. "Well, Darlin', how much do you know about what Jasper did?" she shrugged. "Alright, well, let's say there's an incident—say the Infantry engages during a routine sweep." Sage nodded, following so far. "The Squad Leader would have to fill out a report for Intelligence." He nodded to me. "Intelligence would then compile the information for things such as noting hostile zones, where planes have gone down, where weapons may be stored, just basic intelligence." His eyes sparked. "Our boy here was so… dutiful and committed to his job that he would harass the shit out of Squad leaders to get as much information as humanly possible. Most days we felt like we should be telling him when we last took a shit." Sage rolled her eyes. "So we just started calling him Major... Short for Major Pain in the Ass."

At that, Sage burst out laughing. "Oh my God, that suits him. That really suits him!"

"Shh… You know you don't mean that." I chided.

"Actually, I really kinda do." I was taken aback by that. "Have you ever actually seen you when it comes to the History Channel? Especially anything on the Civil War?"

"War of Northern Aggression." I corrected.

"See? See what I mean? Jesus, Jazz, you can't even sit through Shelby Foote's telling of the Battle of Antietam without criticizing what you call factual discrepancies." She even made the fucking air quotes.

I was affronted. "I can so!"

"Not."

"So."

"Sure. Sure. Tell you what, if you can make it through the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack, then we'll talk."

I groaned. She had me. There was no way I could get through that one without bitching.

Peter was laughing again. "Yeah, I like her." He cleared his throat, suddenly serious. "So I brought your bikes. Why you need two is beyond me."

Sage stiffened next to me and I was prepared for a thrashing. I'd never told her about the two-wheeled death machines that I'd put in a storage locker in Dallas before I enlisted. The thrashing never came and I was forced to assume she wasn't going to do it in front of Peter and Char.

Peter, however, caught the action as well and he grinned. "Aw, did Jasper never tell you he had a couple motorcycles?" she shook her head. "Oooh… I just got someone in tuh-rub-bull!"

"Why would you say that?" she asked. "I'm not his mother… or his girlfriend… or Rose… Does Rose know you have motorcycles? Because if not, you should tell her… so I can watch." She smirked as I blanched at the thought of Rose's reaction to my toys. "Oooh, that struck a nerve."

The waitress brought our pizza over and Peter eyed it quizzically. "That… does not look very good."

"Just eat it, Fucker. It's amazing."

"Like a screamin' orgasm, amazing?" he countered. I didn't have an answer for that, but Peter was eyeing Sage. "Something tells me she knows what I'm talking about."

I felt my eyes go wide and my eyes dropped to watch Sage's impassive face. Her mouth curved into a smile, her eyebrows shot up and then down once, and she replied with, "Only thanks to the power tool, but it gets the job done."

Wow…

That's actually kind of a turn-on.

What am I thinking?

This is SAGE!

Peter was just staring at her, mouth agape. Finally, he blinked and said, "Jasper said you weren't allowed to date."

She smirked. "That's why I said power tool… do you need a definition or can you figure it out on your own?"

He moaned. "Oh God, even Char won't admit to having a little friend." He sighed longingly.

At that point, Charlotte piped up with, "Well, I need a replacement. Maybe I'll have to get with Sage here and compare notes."

Both girls laughed and I felt my dick twitch. There was only one thing running through my head.

Sage has a vibrator.

Sage has a vibrator.

No! Stop! No thinking that!

Shit.

"Jazz, you OK?" Sage elbowed me in the ribs.

"Yeah." I answered, silently cursing when my voice came out husky.

Peter cocked an eyebrow at me, giving me that I know what you were just picturing look. Thankfully, neither of the girls seemed to notice. They were too involved in a conversation about ways in which to procure power tools.

We finished the pie in record time.

"Sugar, I have to use the ladies. Come on, let's chat some about that tool you're packin'." Char said, sliding out of the booth. I stood to let Sage out and the girls disappeared down the back hallway toward the restrooms. I sat back down and sighed.

"She's hot." Peter smirked and I could barely contain the growl that threatened to erupt. "Oh chill out. I love Char. No need to get all jealous."

That struck a chord. "I'm not jealous." I said dumbly.

"Bull-fucking-shit." He replied. "You think I didn't see that look you got when she admitted to self-service? I thought you were gonna jizz your pants!" I blushed. "Furthermore, no man looks at a girl the way you look at her if there isn't something going on."

"There's nothing going on between us." I admitted lamely.

"Yet." He amended for me. Sometimes he just had these feelings and it always unsettled me when they concerned me. Add Sage to the mix and my protective instincts were in overdrive.

But there was the way he'd said yet. It both gave me hope and shattered it all at once. "She doesn't think of me that way." I stated firmly, taking a sip of my soda.

"Right… 'cause you're privy to all her personal thoughts… she doesn't keep anything from you. As demonstrated by the look of shock and the immense chub I 'spect you're sportin' after learning that little gem of info from her." He winked. "Just don't count it out." I rolled my eyes at him.

Sage and Charlotte seemed to take forever in the bathroom and when they finally emerged, their arms were linked and they were giggling uncontrollably.

"Oh shit…" Peter groaned. "They've bonded." He looked as though someone ate his puppy.

"Over vibrators, no less." Charlotte added, smiling mischievously in my direction. OK, so she wasn't as oblivious as I'd hoped. I could only pray she hadn't clued Sage in. "Sage has an interesting knowledge base."

SHIT!

"What can I say? I can't even give it away, so I gotta get what I can—might as well have the best." Sage smirked.

Oh fuck me.

The worst part was that I knew in that moment she could've easily given it away to me. I would've eagerly taken it and tried to give back… but my own demons were threatening to rear their ugly heads.

Sage POV

Frankly, I was glad that Jasper ended it with Maria. In all honesty, if I'd seen her again, I'd probably have spit in her eye, nevermind what I might've done if I ever caught her in my room again. I'd nearly taken a sledgehammer to the walls; you don't fucking invade someone's space. I had enough trouble with Emmett doing that without worrying about Jasper's girlfriends.

But now my walls were a fresh color and I'd decided to forget about the bitch, even though Jasper was still trying to find a jeweler who could fix my necklace. I wasn't willing to have another chain—I wanted the one from Iraq—and Jasper was unwilling to have me wearing the crappy aluminum chain that had come with the tags. So we were at an impasse until one of us caved or someone fixed the chain. In the meantime, I'd taken a black cord and strung the tags on it, hanging them safely on the inside doorknob of my room so that I would always know where they were.

Emmett and Rose never mentioned what Jasper had told me about Rose's past and I didn't ask, though they eventually lightened up a bit.

I'd enjoyed meeting Peter and Charlotte. Peter was definitely one to watch my step around; he knew things, Char said. He'd demonstrated it plainly enough by calling me out on my solo flights. Char was easy to talk to and we'd exchanged phone numbers while in the bathroom discussing benefits of certain "tools".

When they headed back down to Texas, Peter had promised it was only temporary and that they'd be much closer in the near future… though he failed to elaborate, which caused Jasper to wonder if Peter was playing Stalker on me.

"I'm just saying he's had this fascination with you for a while, is all."

"He's your friend. I'm sure it's fine." I replied easily, not even bothering to look up from my literature text.

Rose and Emmett were upstairs screaming about God only knows what for the past forty-five minutes. Jasper and I had been cooking dinner at the time. We'd just eaten without them and stuck the leftovers in the fridge; it so was not worth getting in the crossfire.

Finally, Emmett slammed their bedroom door and stormed down the stairs. Jasper and I did our best to shrink into the couch cushions, but he'd already spotted us on his way down and we were the next targets.

"You would think," he fumed. "That if you go to the trouble to put on a little music, be a little romantic, that your woman would appreciate it." Clearly, this was directed at Jasper. I have no desire to seduce a woman. Never have.

And of course, this is where Jasper's mind differs from everyone else's.

"What music did you put on?"

Say huh?

Emmett paused for a moment, considering him, and then mumbled something that sounded like, "Bbbumbblek."

"What?" I asked.

He sighed. "Baby Got Back." He admitted exasperatedly. I couldn't help it. I burst out into giggles and Jasper followed suit. "Yeah, yeah… laugh it up… but since you two have so much experience in the Romance Department, what would you play?" we stopped and he glared at me. "Fall Out Boy? America's Suitehearts perhaps?"

Jasper shook his head. "Nah… Sage is a good ole romantic." He shot me a grin. "I'm willing to bet she'd go country… Lady Antebellum… maybe Rascal Flatts."

"How'd you guess?" I gasped.

He shrugged, still smiling.

Emmett simply rolled his eyes. "Lovely. Beautiful. I'm going back to the garage."

With the rapid approach of mid-terms, I was forced to abandon a lot of my free time activities with Jasper and focus on my study group for Chemistry. Everything else I knew I could pass, but Chemistry was the bane of my existence.

I cleared it with everyone to have my study group at the house on Wednesday nights, knowing Emmett and Rose worked until eight and Jasper wasn't usually home from his job as a part-time ranch hand until nine.

My group was an interesting bunch. Jane and Alec, twins with light brown hair, were both astonishingly pretty. Yes, Alec was pretty. Heidi was what I'd call the knockout. And she was friendly to boot. Part of me was glad Jasper wasn't around when she was. Felix and Demetri, large, dark-haired Italian-American cousins rounded out the group. They were all intelligent and good-looking and so friendly.

Alec was constantly trying to coax me out to have coffee with them, go to parties with them. They all lived in the dorms, though Jane and Heidi were in the middle of Sorority Rush and Alec was pledging a Fraternity.

They seemed to genuinely like me.

And my therapy continued at a snail's pace. Carmen and I had discussed what was going on with Emmett and agreed that it wasn't the best time for me to leave therapy. In truth, it helped to have someone to talk to who didn't live under the same roof as me.

So when Carmen encouraged me to get out and have fun, I took her seriously.

"That's a bit dressed up for a Friday night in." Jasper commented from the bathroom doorway. "Should I be flattered?"

I smirked, but I instantly felt bad. "This isn't for you. I'm going out." I watched him in the mirror as I straightened my denim skirt and burgundy wrap-blouse.

"Out where?" he asked casually.

I shrugged. "My study group wants me to go to a party with them." I grabbed my black ballet flats from the closet and slipped them on my feet.

His eyebrow was raised now and he looked suspicious. "A party where?" I turned to find him leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

I shrugged. "Whatever Frat house Alec's pledging."

His eyes went wide. "A Frat party?" I nodded. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Sage."

I raised an eyebrow. He was going Emmett on me. "Well, it's a good thing I didn't ask you, then." I felt bad, especially after the look he gave me, like I'd taken a swing at him. I sighed. "Jazz, I need to get out and have fun. I need to do something on my own."

He nodded, though his eyes were on his feet. "Well do me a favor… text me the house when you get there… just so someone knows where you are."

I nodded. "Sure."

"And if you get into trouble, you call me… No questions asked."

I was with him up until the last part. I'd heard the no questions asked shtick before. From Rosalie—and it'd been a huge mistake to trust her. If Uncle Charlie had let him, Emmett would've locked me in my room until I died.

"I mean it."

"I know." I grabbed my purse and made sure I had my keys. "Emmett and Rose are down at Half Moon Bay again." He nodded. "So… don't wait up." I smiled and headed for the door, but he caught me by the arm.

"I beg your pardon?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I said don't wait up."

"Right. Because that's going to happen." He scanned my face carefully and I felt like I was being X-rayed. "You're not planning on texting me the name of the Frat house." It wasn't a question. I didn't answer. "Well, then you're not going."

I yanked my arm out of his grasp and headed for the stairs. "Thanks, Emmett, but I've got this one." I cringed as his palm connected with the surface of my door. When I turned, he looked murderous.

"I. Am. Nothing. Like. Emmett." His voice was dangerous. I'd brought on Army Jasper accidentally. "Now, I've told you it's just so I know where you are. And I've told you to call me if you get into trouble, no questions asked, but I get the feeling you'll ignore that too. So you're gonna tell me why. Now."

I really wasn't in the fucking mood. I didn't want or need a babysitter.

I squared my shoulders and said, deadpan, "Ask Rose." His eyes widened and I turned on my heel and hightailed it up the stairs and out the door before he could recover.

The truth was that my one act of teenage rebellion prior to my eighteenth birthday had cost me a lot. Emmett and Rose had been home for a visit and I'd pretended I had a paper due and needed library time for research. Rosalie had suspected something was up and told me to call her if I needed her… No questions asked.

In reality, I'd driven to Port Angeles to a jazz club to meet up with some friends using a fake ID that Bella's old friend Mike Newton had managed to snag for me. It had been fun, and I'd had a blast. But then it came time to head back home and I'd been the only one who'd parked at the south end.

I ran into some guys when I was crossing the alley between the club and the storefront next to it and they'd made a grab for me. I was lucky I'd been in my old hightops that night or I might not have been able to get away. Casual chic. There's something to be said for it.

I was so freaked out that I only made it a few blocks before I was forced to pull over and call Rose. I begged her to come and I begged her not to tell Emmett. I told her I'd have Seth take me down to get my car in the morning. She'd agreed and she'd been there in record time.

But when I climbed out of the car at home, Emmett was waiting and he was quickly approaching violent reactions. Rose apologized, but that didn't stop me from hating her in that moment. She'd offered me sanctuary and then thrown me to the wolves. It took me a long time to forgive her for that… but I was never going to forget it.

Still…

I felt horrible for what I'd said and how I'd treated Jasper. I knew he was only trying to make sure I was safe, but I just didn't want that. No one in the house reported their whereabouts to me. Half the time all three of them could've been dead in a ditch somewhere and I'd never have known.

It just didn't feel right that I was the only one who was constantly kept tabs on.

And it pissed me off royally.

By the time I made it to the Frat house, the party was in full swing. Jane and Heidi met me out front and we entered together… three scared freshman girls in a house full of drunken Frat boys.

Big.

Fucking.

Mistake.

I wasn't even ten feet in the door when someone slapped my ass so hard I knew it would bruise. From the looks on Heidi's and Jane's faces, they'd suffered the same.

Alec appeared before us, wearing a coconut bra and a grass skirt. From what I could see, there were no clothes on under the skirt. He simply shrugged. "I'm a Pledge. I do what they say."

"That's right!" one of the older guys yelled, stumbling toward us. He grabbed Heidi by the hips, but Jane grabbed her shoulders and I kicked the guy in the shins.

"Hands off!" I yelled.

Big.

Fucking.

Mistake.

My night was apparently going to be full of them.

I grabbed Heidi and Jane's hands and we immediately turned and headed for the door, only to find it blocked by two overgrown behemoths with dark hair and sallow, pointed faces.

"Vladimir! Stefan! Show our guests around!" the creep I'd just kicked called.

"Oh shit." Jane whispered.

"Ditto." Heidi half-sobbed.

I immediately jammed my hand into my purse, searching… searching… there was a reason I was Charlie Swan's niece, dammit! Then I hit pay dirt and prayed it still worked; I yanked the tiny can out just as Vladimir and Stefan came toe to toe with us and sprayed in an upward arc, grazing their eyes and they doubled over.

"Pepper spray!" one yelled.

"Run!" I yelled and we three little girls screamed and tore out of there as if the hounds of hell were behind us.

We piled into Jane's old Buick and tore off down the street. I would have to go back for my car in the morning.

"You don't think they'll follow us, do you?" Jane asked anxiously.

I snorted. "I'd love for them to follow me home. I've got a pissed off Army Corporal who's probably waiting to whoop my ass when I get home." They glanced at me curiously. "Had a fight with Jasper, so if they follow me home, I may actually get through my ass-whooping in one piece."

"I don't know if I want to go back to the dorms…" Heidi whispered. "Alec's got a key to the dorms since he still lives there, and he could tell them our room number, Jane."

"Alec wouldn't do that!" Jane defended.

Heidi shook her head. "He was gonna let that guy just do whatever to me!" she yelled.

"Chill out!" I yelled over the din. When Jane and Heidi were down to a silent seethe, I huffed and said, "If you don't want to go back to the dorms tonight, you can stay at the house."

Jane shook her head. "We've got a deadbolt and a chain lock. I don't see the big deal."

Heidi shrugged. "Fine." She whispered, but I could tell she'd rather be camped out on my bedroom floor.

They dropped me off ten minutes later and I hesitantly made my way into the house, being sure to lock the door on my way in. The sliding glass door was open and I could barely make out Jasper's hunched shoulders over the reclined back of one of the lounge chairs. There was a thick fog of smoke hovering around him and he seemed to be staring at the floorboards of the deck.

I took a deep breath and stepped out onto the deck. "Jazz?"

He gave a start and turned to me, a cigarette dangling from his lips and a glass of some amber liquid I could only assume was whiskey clutched in his hands. He flicked the cigarette into the yard and put his glass down before standing and taking the two steps toward me. I instinctually flinched, but he grabbed me and pulled me into a suffocating hug.

Emmett had never laid a hand on me in anger, but I was so used to palpable rage that I'd immediately expected it from Jasper. This reaction floored me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered against his chest. "I shouldn't have said… you didn't deserve that."

"Shhh." He whispered into my hair. "It's OK, I'm just glad you're safe."

Say huh?

Where was the yelling? The punching walls? Where was the threatening to dismantle my car and smash my cell phone? Those were the things I was used to in this situation.

Jasper backed up until his legs hit the lounger again and he pulled me into his lap. "I've been so fucking worried." He choked. "I didn't want you to think I was angry and be afraid to come home."

Ah. Now I remembered.

I had written to Jasper about the Rose incident.

But then realization seemed to hit him and he stiffened. "Why are you home?"

I groaned. "It… probably would've been a good idea for me to just stay home in the first place." He looked at me quizzically and I told him what had transpired.

When I was done, I was shaking like a leaf. He picked up his glass and offered it to me. "Here. It'll take the edge off. Drink it slow." As I took a sip, he pulled two cigarettes from his pack, stuck them both in his mouth and lit them before handing me one. "You did the right thing. That was brave." He murmured.

"I was stupid." I argued.

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, you're supposed to be: you're eighteen. Sometimes even I forget that you're eighteen. Sometimes I think things would be easier if you were still that twelve year old kid strumming my Resonator like you were playing for God himself."

And suddenly, I was affronted. I stood and took a very long drag off my cigarette.

"What?" he asked. "Sage, wh—"

"I'm not a kid." I snapped and his eyes widened.

"No, I didn't mean—"

"I got what you meant, Jasper. I'm not a fucking kid." I glared at him and drained the whiskey, finished my cigarette, and tossed it in the butt can. "By the way, Emmett doesn't like hard liquor in the house."

And then I marched myself straight to bed, making sure to lock both doors to my room.

I heard Jasper come downstairs several minutes later and his shadow stopped in front of my door as though he were debating whether or not to knock, but then he walked the rest of the way to his room.

End Note: Leave me a review and I'll send you a teaser!