Here we are, another update as promised! It's not the most exciting of chapters, but hey we get more interaction with the Cullens, so there's that! It's a bit of a shorter one, but not for a lack of substance, I hope. I've had this one written since I wrote the last chapter, and I couldn't really wait to post it. Not much to say here, so review responses will be below as always!


CHAPTER EIGHT
Come With the Water


It felt like a cruel dream. Even when I woke up on an unfamiliar couch in an equally unfamiliar room, I thought for a moment that I'd made up the entire scene. There was no way Josh could act as cruelly as he had. He was my best friend and he had to know that doing such a thing was wrong, right? It wasn't until the wedge of sunlight washed over my face that I fully realized that I was in an unknown room. The north wall was made of glass, a wall of windows that brightened the room. Outside the room I could see clouds hugging the tops of trees; we were clearly on the edge of town where the forest was.

"Oh, you're awake, dear." The voice surprised me, causing me to sit up quickly and whip my head around. The rapid movement sent pain through my head, clearly an effect from the previous night. My hand reached up to hold my temple as I nodded, blinking to wipe the sleep from my eyes and focus on the woman. She looked perfectly graceful. Even without a closer look I could tell she was the mother of the Cullen family; her deep brown hair hung in perfect ringlets and her golden eyes twinkled brightly as she looked at me. "Are you feeling alright? Jasper told me what happened."

Mrs. Cullen was acting open and kind to me, as if she'd met me before. Was this just her personality? I couldn't help but notice how opposite she acted from her adoptive son. "I'm-I'm okay," I managed to return, head still swimming as I tried to remember everything that happened. I went to homecoming. Josh tried to force himself on me and when I thought I'd lost, Jasper came to rescue me as if he knew where I would be. "I'm sorry, I don't...I don't remember much. Did he bring me here last night?"

"Yes, the three of them did. Emmett and Jasper were both worried for you, they've both become quite fond of you, and they wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed pretty shaken up last night," Mrs. Cullen further explained to me, remaining in the doorway from the kitchen as if preferring to allow me space. She watched me patiently as I sat up on the couch, swinging my legs over the side to sit properly. The headache I was sporting was terrible and I'm sure my makeup was a wreck. My high heels were off and sat beside the couch and I still wore my homecoming dress, though it was a bit crumpled from sleeping in it. "Do you need anything? I could get you a glass of water, a bite to eat?"

This woman was too kind. "No, thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I returned then, giving her a trying smile.

"Please, call me Esme."

"Of course, thank you," I responded gently, rolling my shoulders in an attempt to relax. "Where is he? I'd like to tell him thank you, for saving me." Esme told me that he was in the other room with the other guys, likely watching TV. I walked slowly to the door she'd gestured to, taking my sweet time in an attempt to avoid acting like a fool. Jasper had easily seen me in one of my lowest moments and had saved me from it at the same time. It didn't feel right to owe someone when just a day before I was convinced they were too dangerous to be around. "Jasper?" I called out softly when I stepped just into the doorway. As promised, there were three boys sitting around on a smaller couch, watching something on the screen. I was familiar with two of them, both being my lab partners. The third must have been Edward, the other Cullen sibling who I hadn't had a chance to meet as of yet.

"Back to the land of the living, I see," Emmett was the first to greet me, as expected. He gave me a smile, though there was an uncharacteristically serious look to his gaze as if he was actually relieved to see me standing there.

"How're you feeling?" That was Jasper. His expression could only be described as guarded. It was clear he was worried for me, but he was hiding something else, too, something I couldn't make out in his face. He still sat tensed around me, though it had eased somewhat since I'd last been near him. What had Esme meant when she said he'd grown fond of me? If anything, it seemed more like he'd grown tolerant of me.

"Better than last night," I responded then, my arms wrapping themselves around my middle as if to protect myself. It wasn't because I felt scared around him, but rather that I was scared in general. If I couldn't trust one of my most beloved friends, then who could I trust? Not only that, but how off was my trust if I was hurt by my best friend and protected by someone I'd wanted to keep at a distance? "Um, can I..can I talk to you?"

I was expecting some kind of protest. Instead, Jasper nodded and stood from his seat. He made his way over to me, my heart rate speeding up as he grew nearer. The guy continued past me, glancing back every so often to make sure I was still following. Eventually we ended up outside, just at the line of trees. It was relaxing out there in the middle of nowhere. The only sounds came from those of nature; birds, the rustling of trees in the wind, distant water flowing. We sat down on what was a larger rock in the ground. From the corner of my vision I could tell he was watching me, likely waiting for me to speak, but I remained silent.

"Nothing makes sense," I finally blurted out in typical fashion. Truly no one had such a horrendous way with words as I did. I turned my head to look at him then, only noticing how close we were together. We weren't touching, nor were we close to, but no longer was Jasper trying to sit as far from me as possible. His shoulders were still clearly tensed as if he were trying hard at something, but he no longer looked entirely repulsed by me. "Didn't you tell me you were dangerous?"

Jasper watched me for a moment, his golden eyes flickering as he took in my expression. "I am," he responded coolly, for once little tension in his voice.

"Then why did you protect me? That's not a very dangerous thing to do." Everything hurt. The confusion involved in the situation was likely adding to my headache. I just wanted it all to go away. Everything was so much simpler in Roseville. When I lived there, I'd cursed such a simple life, but what would I do to return to that? "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, unbelievably grateful, but it doesn't add up."

"Why wouldn't I help you? You clearly didn't want to be in that situation, so I helped you get out of it. That doesn't mean I'm any less of a threat to you," he responded slowly, as if truly thinking through each syllable. It was the reduced speed of his voice that caused me to notice his drawl much better.

"No, actually it does mean that. You've given me reason after reason to make me think you're a good person to be around, and yet you give me no proof that you're harmful. Why wouldn't I think you're wrong about being dangerous?" I turned my head away again when he didn't respond. I watched as the tree branches swayed in the gentle wind. It should have chilled me to the bone considering the revealing dress I was wearing, but I couldn't feel any effect from the weather. It might have concerned me had my mind not been racing. "You can't give me one explanation?"

"I will, when you give me one in return."

What the hell? My head twisted to face him again, and my expression of shock must have been amusing because he cracked a smile for just a moment before his expression neutralized again. "What do you mean? I've been pretty open about everything so far."

"That's not true. You've been more of a mystery than I have," Jasper told me, not taking his eyes off of me. I would have felt uncomfortable under such a stare had it been anyone else. "You carry this constant weight on your shoulders, this constant guilt, anger, fear. You never give anyone any explanation for it."

It was silent for quite awhile. What was there to say to that? It was as though he could read everything I was feeling, know exactly what it was I've been struggling with since I'd come to Forks. It was almost ridiculous, actually. "What's up with you Cullens and your character analyses?" was the only retort I could come up with. "How about we both start being more open with each other, baby steps."

"You have yourself a deal."

We sat like that for quite awhile longer. I knew I needed to get home, Will was probably worried for me, but that was precisely why I didn't want to move from my spot beside Jasper. Besides, what if this moment ended and Jasper returned to being repulsed by me on Monday? I didn't think I could handle such confusion. Eventually though, I knew it was time. "Can I ask you a favor? I think Josh took my car home, could you, um, drive me home?"


I was standing on the front porch. Jasper had dropped me off after Esme made sure I knew I was welcome back any time. On the other side of the front door was Judgement Day. Will would be worried and I had no good excuse to give him. There was no way I could tell him the truth; I wasn't sure I wanted to say it out loud. If I never said it out loud, then I could pretend like it didn't happen to me.

I couldn't avoid it any longer. Eventually I was walking through the front door where I could see Rebecca and Will in the living room. Laurie was likely upstairs playing in her room, since I could hear her muffled giggling. "Yes, thank you, Chief Swan. Actually, she just walked through the door. Thank you, have a good day," Will spoke through the phone, soon hanging up and dragging a hand down his face in a show of his exhaustion. It was clear he hadn't slept much that night. "It's nice of you to actually show up." His tone of voice was harsh, causing me to recoil in surprise. I'd expected worry, but not anger.

"Will, I'm sorry, I-"

"You're sorry? That was the chief of police, Valerie. I thought you were missing! Josh comes home telling me you'd left him at the dance for another guy, and then you don't come home all night! You can't do that to me, Valerie!" Will began shouting, cheeks turning pink with the effort. I left the front door open, but I couldn't even think about it in that moment, focused instead on his words. Was he seriously that angry with me?

"I didn't mean to be gone all-"

"You didn't mean to? God, Valerie, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you know all of this gets recorded? I could lose custody of you! Do you know what would happen then? You'd get sent to an orphanage. You know why? Because I'm the only one who actually wanted you!" Will's voice continued growing in intensity until he was shouting with full force. I could tell from the sudden dizziness that my face must have blanched. Rebecca was looking at her husband in surprise, as if even she didn't know he could act that way. "Will, maybe you should g-" "No! This is absolutely ridiculous! I have been patient. I've dealt with your accusations for over a month now thinking that was how you were getting over Mom. Now you're breaking your friend's heart, making him leave for Alabama early! Now you're disappearing all night with some strange guy and making me call you in missing! And you have no explanation for me!"

This was too much. My heart was pounding more than it ever had. It was in that moment that I truly began to understand the fight or flight response. I could turn and run upstairs, gather some of my belongings, and rush out the open front door. I could likely make it on my own for awhile, too, and I would longer have to bother Will and his family. I'd already put him through so much. I could also stand my ground, prove to him that I didn't disappear without good reason. So the words slipped from my lips before I had the chance to think of the consequences. "I was almost raped last night!" The scream tore through my throat, and afterward I was out of breath as though I'd run a sprint. My chest ached as the sentence truly hit me. The silence was crushing but I couldn't stop talking lest I never get the words out. "Josh came onto me and-and he wouldn't stop. I thought, I thought he was going to rape me. He was going to, but Jasper Hale saved me. He, he saved me and took me home so I could recompose myself before coming home. He let me stay at his house so I could wait to come home until Josh left. I was too out of it to think to call you, and I'm sorry."

"Oh, Valerie," Will whispered, rushing over to me and catching me in his arms right as my knees gave way. The sobs wracked through my body then, causing me to convulse in his arms. My brother just held me tight, whispering reassuring words in my ear. He was rubbing my back with one hand, telling me things will be okay he would make sure of it, he could call Chief Swan back and get Josh charged, he was sorry for jumping to conclusions he was just so damn worried for me when I didn't come home. I didn't hear a lot of what he said to me, just that he knew all would be okay. He was sure of it, and I was too. For I was crying now, but the weight pressing on my chest was easing with every sob that jerked my shoulders.

"No, no, I-I don't want to press charges," I cried back to him, gripping onto Will's shirt just as tightly as I would have Dad's when I was younger. We were crumpled in a mess on the ground, him bent down to keep me supported and me wrapped around him for comfort.

"What do you mean? Of course we have to push charges, that sick bastard can't get away with that! And then to come back here and tell lies about you, it's r-" Will began to shout, but I quickly cut him off.

"He didn't mean it. I'm not saying I'll ever forgive him, because I won't. But, but I just want to move on. He thought I liked him, and I didn't know that. He felt I was leading him on. It's no excuse, but at least I know he didn't have any malicious intent," I whispered. The last thing I wanted was to stand trial again in my hometown, to allow my struggles to be on public view. "I just want to move on from this."

Will sighed as if it physically pained him not to go after Josh, but soon he nodded as if resigning to the fact. "Okay, I'll follow your lead on this one. If, you promise no more secrets between us. I know you've been struggling more than you've been letting on, but I let you work through it on your own. No more of that, okay?"

He wasn't the first person to ask me that day to open up more. It had to have been a sign, then, letting me know that now was the time to trust Forks. I had gotten all that I could out of Roseville and it was time to shut the gates on it. It was time to try to work through the scars I'd been dealt and I couldn't do it alone. It would take the friends and family I'd found in tiny Forks, Washington, and they were all more than willing to help. I just had to take the first step.

"Okay, I promise. No more secrets."


So there we have it! Again, it's a bit shorter than what I normally write but I felt like this was such an important transition chapter for this story. We meet Esme, Jasper and Valerie have a moment, and Valerie will finally begin to start dealing with everything she's struggling with thanks to Jasper and Will. Up until now, she's been pretty stuck in Roseville and her past even if she won't accept it, but now she'll start building a life in Forks. Including more time with friends and more time talking to Jasper, that's for sure!

19irene96: Yeah, I know. It needed to happen though not only to show Valerie's naivety in her past life and her transition to maturity but also to really split her from Roseville. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

yasminasfeir1: Honestly, I didn't have it planned until last week. I knew Josh was going to end up being a jerk but I had it planned for much further down the road, but it felt like it fit here. Thank you so much for reading and I'm glad you liked it!

SarahELupin: Thank you! I've worked hard on this character so I'm so glad you like her. c:

As always, thank you so much to everyone! I won't be updating again until next Friday, so until then! Thank you all so very much and I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter.