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Jasper's POV

Two weeks had past since I had confessed my love for Bella and she had…well what had she done? I'd been over this so many times in the past few weeks, but I couldn't stop thinking about that one word. "Yet." That meant that she would, no, she could love me in the way I loved her, didn't it? Was I overanalyzing it? Clearly, she hadn't meant to say it anyway. But I had lost the chance to have her explain it to me when Edward walked in.

I hadn't brought it up again. It was too risky; anyone could overhear it. I had crossed a line and I couldn't cross back. Maybe I shouldn't have told her. But it was killing me. After losing Alice, I thought I would never be able to love again. Hoping for that love to be returned seemed almost too much to ask. Still, I hoped.

But for what? What could I hope for? How could I think of doing something like this to my brother? It would crush him, like I was being crushed now, every time I saw her with him. Edward wasn't the bad guy in this situation, not really. He loved her, this I was sure of. It was just sometimes I got the feeling that he didn't love her in quite the way that she thought he did...And on more than one occasion, she had confessed to me her frustration with his over-protectiveness; his unwillingness to let her make her own decisions. But these were dangerous thoughts.

Bella and I talked all the time, like we had before. At first, she wouldn't look into my eyes. But as we fell into our comfortable pattern of talking to each other and just spending time in each other's company, things went back to normal. There could be no reason for any of the others to be suspicious. I thanked my lucky stars that Edward's power wasn't working. It was almost unbelievably convenient. If Edward could still read my mind…I stopped that thought too.

Instead, I spent my time thinking about Bella. How is it that this one human girl could change my life so much? Every night I ached, knowing that she was sleeping in Edward's arms. I wanted her in my arms, no longer just dreaming that she was moaning my name. No. I had to stop this. Stop this before it started. Continued, rather.

Because tonight was my turn to "babysit" Bella again. I had been anticipating this all week. I was anxious. I was excited. I was fearful. I was hopeful. I had so many emotions running through me; I wished I could use my own power to calm me down as Edward kissed Bella good-bye.

Rosalie and Emmett followed behind him. "Hey, bro, we're gonna be taking an extra long time tonight, make it up to Mr. Pouty-pants over here," Emmett smirked. "You cool with that?" "Well, I dunno," I said, looking at Bella and feigning disgust. "Yeah, I guess. I'll take one for the team." I winked at her and nodded to Emmett. "We'll be fine. We'll just pop a movie in." I moved to Bella and pulled her hand to follow me into the living room, carefully watching her reaction. "Bye, guys!" she said, and eagerly followed me.

"So what is it that you want to watch, darlin'?" I asked, letting the pet name slip for the first time in two weeks. To my surprise, she picked a sappy, romantic comedy, Music & Lyrics. Could this possibly reflect her mood? All I could tell were that her emotions were positive. A good sign. But she could simply be happy to be spending time with her best friend.

We mentioned nothing about our previous...moment. We started the movie sitting close to each other, close enough that I could feel her heat. The burn in my throat was nothing compared to the urge to ravish her right then and there. But I didn't; I wouldn't. No less than half an hour into the movie, Bella had snuggled up to me, her head resting on my chest. My arm wrapped around her automatically, stroking her luscious brown hair.

Another ten minutes and she was asleep. In my arms. I reveled in my…victory? Surprised to realize that I was fighting a war. I smiled to myself. This is what I did best. Strategize. And then I frowned. Bella was not some…prize to be won. This was clearly something that Edward didn't realize, treating her like he did. I would have to remind myself of this, if there was any chance that she would ever…

The movie ended and Bella's eyes fluttered open. The lack of noise had awakened her. She straightened herself up and smiled at me, but then the smile faded from her face. "Jasper…" I tensed, waiting for her to tell me to back away. But she wouldn't because she wouldn't want to hurt my feelings. So I did it for her. I moved away from her, sadness overwhelming me, but I put on a happy face for. "Sorry 'bout that, darlin'," I said, giving her a little smile. "You just looked so comfortable, I didn't want to disturb you."

"No, you don't understand," she said, moving back to my side. She didn't say anything for a while, and it made me nervous. She wanted to be next to me, but still…dare I hope? "I've been thinking about what you said and I think…I think I lo—" But she didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she bit her lip, a red blush spreading across her cheeks.

And then I kissed her. It was really the only option I had. Well, the only option I had that would end with her alive. I couldn't pretend like her blood didn't call to me. It did. And I was normally very good at controlling myself. But the way she bit her lip and the blood rushing to her face as she blushed was too much for me. She looked so beautiful, she smelled so good. Both of my options would end badly, I was sure. But I picked the safest one I could.

And to my surprise, she didn't push away. I should have known she wouldn't. All I felt was positive feelings radiating back at me. She returned my kiss, grabbing a fistful of my hair. Regretfully, I pulled away from her, giving her a chance to breathe. I could feel her heart racing; and it was all for me. She leaned her head slowly, tentatively towards me. I knew the others would be back soon. It was one of the hardest things I had to do to pull away from her. I expected the negative feelings that were emanating from her; rejection, fear, shame. I guessed. How could I know?

"They're coming back soon, Bella. It's not that I don't want to…because believe me, I do. But—" I broke off, feeling that she was no longer upset. Words were no longer necessary. We started another movie, something less romantic. We sat apart, though not at opposite ends of the couch. Just far enough. Not ten minutes into the movie, my two brothers and sister returned, chattering happily. It had been a successful time then. Good.

Bella got up to go with Edward, promising to finish the movie with me tomorrow. "Good night, darlin'," I said, smiling at her. Edward looked at me, picked Bella up, and carried her up to their room. I sighed. What a night.

A/N Next chapter, get inside Bella's head as she grapples with what just happened.

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