A/N:

Thanks to Jilburfm for Betaing and.. OCD for being awesome.

Umm... The girls on the thread for Basement Night because it was amazing… and if you guys haven't gone to the thread at all yet, check it out -- link in my profile!

S. Meyer owns Twilight, not me.

**

The Bedroom

Jasper POV

"Alice?" Carlisle said again, waiting for some indication of whether or not the antidote would work. Bella had gone downstairs over an hour ago, which meant that, if Alice saw it working, it was nearly time to put it to a test.

"I think we should try it…" she said. Her certain tone contrasted the doubt that I knew she was feeling. "It's not going to go well, though. He's seriously outnumbered and even if he wasn't he would be no match for any of us, but I can't see exactly how bad the aftermath will be."

"Maybe we should give him a few more days," I added, dreading being a part of this. "Maybe we can get him to drink on his own… or Bella -"

Carlisle interjected then, although we all knew his opinion on this particular issue. "No, Jasper. I won't allow Bella to be near him when he feeds. We have no idea what he'll be like. We're not going to compromise her that way…again," he paused, pointedly glancing at Alice. "It'd be the ultimate act of irresponsibility."

He meant well, of course, but if there was one thing that Carlisle was confident about, it was this.

"Besides, it's not an issue of his willingness. Medically speaking, the only way to get the blood from our hands to his stomach is to avoid his senses."

I looked to Alice, begging her reassurance. It'd be so much easier if she wasn't so antsy about the whole thing; her emotions betrayed her carefully constructed façade.

"I'm just going to give him a few pints tonight – to make sure that everything's working well. If his body accepts the blood, I would imagine that we'd see some improvement relatively quickly."

There was a hesitant moment of silence while we all considered what the evening would bring before Emmett finally spoke. "I don't mean to be a downer… but what happens when Bella wants to come back tonight?"

Everyone turned their attention back to Alice for the answer. "He'll be okay," she said certainly, and based on the wave of relief I felt, I knew that I was the only one who caught her in her lie. She had no idea if she was telling the truth.

"Okay," Carlisle said, mostly to himself. He went to the foyer to retrieve his medical bag, the scent of the blood strengthening as he came back toward us. "Bella leaves first," he began assuredly, "Emmett and Jasper, you'll possibly need to hold him down. He didn't put up much fight last time, but the more still we're able to keep him, the easier this will be for everyone."

"I think you should go down first. Try to calm him down, and then I'll get Bella," Alice said to me.

"Do you think she'll go without a fight?" Emmett said with a laugh, amusement his most prominent emotion. I envied him.

"I know she won't," Alice answered sadly, "but Carlisle's right – she can't stay here while he feeds. He could potentially lose control over himself. I don't think he'd hurt her intentionally, but if blood triggers something in him, we wouldn't want her in the line of fire…"

With a deep breath, I moved to the door. I stood there for several seconds, allowing myself to calm down and plan out my route.

I could already hear the vampire growing aggressive downstairs, the breaths speeding, the soft pattering against the wall with each quiver of his body. The fear was palpable, but something overshadowed it. Resolve? Not just from Bella, but from the vampire, as well. They were prepared to fight for one another. Suddenly I heard Bella's footsteps moving closer, and I knew I'd have to act.

With a sigh, I opened the basement door.

I could hear Alice shrieking behind me as I did, but it was too late to stop. I made it down the steps in a split second, knowing that I'd be met with resistance and not wanting to have to deal directly with Bella.

When his body slammed into mine I was taken aback by his burst of energy. The last time I saw him he had no strength at all, he hadn't even bothered to lift his body from the table. Now as I pushed him into the wall, he was fighting hard. I had no idea where this strength came from, and although it was still no match for mine, the mixture of agony and fear and panic made it difficult to contain him.

"Alice!" I shouted, needing Bella far, far away. She was bawling and closing the distance between us, ready to fight me off of him. Her panic and anguish hit me like a wrecking ball, causing me to nearly lose my hold. "Alice!" I yelled again.

I tried to calm myself but it was only marginally effective. Their emotions were strong, stronger than necessary, stronger than healthy, for either of them. Bella had no reason to be this afraid, and yet she was trying to protect him, trying so hard to save him from me, although she knew she had no chance.

Alice came down an instant later, dragging Bella back while trying to soothe her. But her efforts were wasted, Bella was almost as fearful as this vampire. The two struggled with one another and I was running out of patience. I wouldn't be any help if I had to deal with twice as much fear as I was prepared for. I pulled in a shaky breath, using all of my willpower to calm myself.

"Get him to the table," Carlisle spoke calmly, knowing what effect this was all having on me. He dodged Alice and Bella at the foot of the stairs. "You need to go, Bella. We're going to feed him, going to help him. You can come back later, afterward."

At this, Bella calmed slightly. "You're hurting him!" she cried. And she truly believed it. It was hard to gauge how much actual pain he was in, but I could see that Bella was at least partially correct. This needed to go faster.

I pulled him over to the table where Carlisle waited, the two of us struggling with his thrashing body until he lay flat on his back. We each had a grip on his shoulders, keeping him pinned while we waited for Emmett.

"Please, Alice," I heard Bella say. Don't, Alice. Of course she would, though. Because she was Alice, and, as no one could say "no" to her, she couldn't say "no" to Bella.

"You can't stay while he feeds. Just take a minute to talk to him, try to calm him down," she whispered. Bella nodded, her tear-streaked face was red and swollen.

She ran to the corner and grabbed the discarded blanket, quickly making her way over to us.

"Jesus, Bella. Please be careful," Carlisle said, tightening his grip.

She moved to stand beside me, opposite Carlisle, and put the blanket over his shaking body.

"It's okay," she whispered. She looked at his face and ran her fingers down his cheek. Something else… was overriding her fear. Something I wasn't entirely comfortable with. Something I don't think any of us would be comfortable with. It made simply watching this exchange uncomfortable. Like I was witnessing something deep, something that I wasn't meant to see.

I closed my eyes, trying to channel Bella's feelings into something constructive while giving her what little privacy I could.

The vampire wasn't exactly calming, but he was using less force. His body was stilling, so I chanced a peek at him. He looked at her with intense fear, gulping in air around him, letting it calm his nerves.

"They're going to help you," she cried, pushing his hair back. "I trust them. Please…please trust me."

It didn't help with the fear, but I assumed that her presence in general was calming him.

"You need to go now, Bella," Carlisle interrupted them, looking to Alice and back to the vampire before continuing. "He needs to feed; it's time for you to let us help him."

Her misery returned as Alice came to her side, grabbing her hand and leading her away.

"It'll be okay," she whispered on the way out, not noticing when the vampire began to fight us once more.

Carlisle moved so that Emmett could take over the task of restraining him. He retrieved a long tube from his bag, a little jar of lubricant and some sort of wire.

"Bella seems to think that you can understand what's going on," Carlisle said suddenly, putting one hand firmly on the vampire's forehead, ignoring the struggling. "We're going to help you – we're going to feed you." He ran the tube across his face and down his torso, measuring. He swallowed hard, looking at both Emmett and I before turning back to his subject.

"I'm running a feeding tube to your stomach," he explained, as he dipped his fingers into the jar and coated one end of the tube.

The vampire was violently trying to break Carlisle's grasp, paying less attention to us, his fear growing by the second. I knelt down beside the table, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths to calm myself. I could feel my grip on him slipping once more and I knew that it would make everything so much worse if I were to lose my hold.

"Dude, calm down," Emmett said, resting his hand on the vampire's forearm. "Look at what you're doing to Jasper… you need to relax."

I looked at Emmett, who was the calmest out of anyone in the room, as he reached down to grasp the vampire's hand.

"Bella really needs to start sleeping and shit, bro. And she's not going to do that until you're feeling better, so I think you should let us do this."

While it was completely fucking ineffective, both Carlisle and I cracked a smile, allowing me to shake some of the intensity of the situation.

Emmett kept talking to the vampire, which never actually helped, as Carlisle finished getting everything ready.

Once the doctor in him was satisfied, he brought the tip of the tube to the vampire's nose. There was growling and thrashing and pain and fear, but I knew I needed to override it. I averted my eyes, not enjoying the picture. His breathes were coming hard and were now accompanied with terrified whimpers, begging someone to help him.

"If you swallow, it'll go down easier," Carlisle said, waiting briefly for any indication of understanding. When he was met with none, he began pushing the tube further.

The vampire's back arched off the table as his legs kicked uselessly against nothing. I could feel my body begin to shake harder, all the while my grip continued slipping, so I called for Rosalie. I knew Esme wouldn't be able to handle this any better than I was.

She came down moments later, looking annoyed and slightly horrified at the picture, crossing her arms and shaking her head in refusal to be a part of this.

"Rose, please," I gasped, my knees buckling under me. "I can't… I can't hold him much longer."

She slowly made her way over to me, too slowly, as the vampire's growing and thrashing continued to increase. The smug superiority that usually emanated from her was gone now, replaced with disgust and sympathy. My legs were shaking hard, my hands pulling back on their own accord, but Rosalie came to our rescue, taking my place.

I darted from the basement, up the stairs and out of the house, running freely for as long as it took. I had no destination and paid no attention to where I was going, I just ran.

**

Bella POV

It was 5:30 by the time I got home. Alice stayed with me, unsure of whether I'd be capable of keeping it together for Charlie.

He wasn't there yet, so Alice offered to begin cooking dinner while I showered and got cleaned up.

When I came back downstairs, the table was set for two and the noodles were just softening. "What do you need me to do?"

Alice turned to me, looking me up and down slowly. "God, Bella. You're a wreck."

I swallowed loudly, waiting for the lecture. Instead, she walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. "He'll be fine," she whispered. "They've already gotten the tube in, which means I can officially see –"

"That it'll work?!" I asked, all too hopefully, my mood changing instantly.

"Yep," she said, releasing me.

"So he'll be okay?"

"I know Carlisle isn't really giving him a… full meal yet. He wants to give him another dose of the antidote at some point to be safe, and he didn't want to give him too much blood just in case something goes wrong. But it looks like he'll be stronger tonight…" She bit her lip, almost as excited as I was for the news.

Charlie walked in the door then, smelling the food and calling my name.

"In here, Dad," I said, feeling better about the evening.

He walked through the door and stopped short. "You look like hell, Bella," he said curtly, eyeing my face with little effort at inconspicuousness.

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes, turning my attention back to preparing dinner.

"You're eating here tonight?"

I smiled sardonically, "You act like I haven't stepped foot in the house in years."

He looked at Alice then back to me. "Are you sure you want to do this now?" Uh oh.

"I'm actually heading off, let you two eat dinner and… yeah," Alice said. I shot a hateful glance her way as she briskly exited the kitchen.

Huffing, I finished with the spaghetti and turned to the salad that was waiting on the counter.

When we finally sat down, I focused all of my attention on eating my food, watching the fork maneuver the noodles, until Charlie finally cleared his throat.

"So… you've been spending a lot of time with the Cullens," he said, awkward and cranky. "To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it, Bella."

"How you feel about me spending time with friends? I thought that's what you wanted…" I said innocently. Do not lose your temper. Do not lose your temper.

"You know what I mean."

"No, Charlie, I don't. I'm spending a lot of time with Alice. Alice! You love Alice."

"Is this about a guy?"

I'll admit, that caught me off guard. "What?" I choked.

"That… brother. One of the guys saw you two at the diner together, said you looked pretty cozy."

I tried to cut in, but he kept going.

"You're old enough to date, Bella. You know that, I just… don't like the idea of you spending the night at the Cullen's if you're dating Alice's brother."

My face turned beet red and I turned my gaze back to the noodles. "Charlie! I'm not dating EMMETT!"

"I'm just saying, Isabella…" God, this was as bad for him as it was for me. "It's okay if you are, but I want to know about it… and…" Oh please no, please, please, please, please, no. "I hope you two are being…" please, please, please. "…safe."

"DAD!" I closed my eyes. "I'm not dating Emmett. I swear."

"Okay, okay. Just… curfew, right? 10 o'clock from now on…" Embarrassment was quickly replaced by overwhelming anger. I didn't think I could actually win this argument, at least not until I turned 18, and that wasn't for a few weeks, but the idea of leaving him every night killed me. I wasn't sure whether I should agree to it or take a stand, so in the end, I just nodded. "And… if… if you are dating someone… just be careful, Bells."

I stood up, not speaking to nor looking at him, and cleared my plate. I headed straight to my bedroom, resisting the urge to slam the door like any other 17 year old would've done. I knew it wouldn't get me anywhere. Being mature about it was the only way to go, and hopefully I'd still have my weekends.

By the time 7 o'clock rolled around my knee was perhaps permanently damaged from constantly banging it on the underside of my desk. I reached to my phone but was interrupted by a knock at my door.

I wasn't planning on dealing with Charlie anymore tonight but, if I was going to leave again, I knew I shouldn't act terribly childish.

"Come in," I grumbled, hoping to hear out whatever he had to say as quickly as possible.

I was surprised when Alice entered, but immediately felt relief. Because she was on my side, and that was worth the world.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, my anticipation growing with each silent moment.

"Everything's fine, I actually didn't go to the house… but I came here to get you."

I grabbed my book, preparing for another possible evening of catching up on schoolwork, and headed out the door with Alice on my heels.

Charlie met us in the kitchen, shooting daggers right at me. "Isabella?"

"10 o'clock, Charlie. I know," I said, breaking his gaze and putting my coat on.

He grumbled his reluctant approval and goodbye as we headed out the door.

**

When we got to the mansion it was almost 7:30. I knew I didn't have enough time with him, so I immediately went to the basement.

I eagerly pushed my way past everyone, finally making it downstairs, but was taken aback when he wasn't in his corner.

I looked around the dark room before finally turning on the light. I couldn't find him anywhere.

"Alice?" I said, panic creeping into my voice. What if he left? If he ate and got strong and left?! What if I'd never see him again? "ALICE?!"

She appeared behind me, turning my body to face hers.

"Relax, Bella," she said, clearly unaware of the fact that this was a mere impossibility. "He's okay."

"Where is he, Alice?!"

"He's… upstairs," she said.

"What?"

"Well, apparently they moved him with you in mind… There's really no reason to keep him down here, anyway. I can see that he'll be fine up there."

"Where… upstairs?" I couldn't imagine my vampire anywhere but in his corner, anywhere but in this basement. But when I allowed myself to picture it, it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"He's… in the guest room. He's pretty weak, and hasn't tried to move at all, I think he's doing a little better, though," she said, reaching for my hand.

I gave it to her and allowed her to lead me up the stairs and into the living room.

There, everyone waited but Jasper and Rosalie. Alice had told me on the drive that Jasper wouldn't be here tonight, so it was only surprising that Rose was missing too.

"Bella," Carlisle stood to greet me. I sat down on the couch, sandwiched between Alice and Emmett, waiting for another lecture. I was fully prepared to tune it out.

"Where's Rose?" I asked Emmett, hoping everything was alright. My vampire couldn't have hurt anyone after he fed, could he?

"She's with your boyfriend," he responded glumly. "Apparently you're not the only one with a cru--"

"Emmett," Esme chided. "You know that's not the case."

He grumbled something that sounded dangerously close to "whatever" and turned his attention to the window.

"We thought it'd be best to keep someone with him for now. The feeding tube is still in place and we didn't really want him moving around too much. She's actually in the hallway by the door, listening for signs of trouble," Alice said.

"But…Rosalie?"

Emmett coughed to hide his chuckle then went back to glowering.

"She sort of had a… I don't know, a moment with him," Carlisle explained. "I think her nurturing instincts kicked in…"

I felt a wave of irrational jealousy roll through me as I pictured Rosalie comforting my vampire. I took a deep breath and pushed it away, not wanting to waste any more of what little time I had tonight.

"Just… say what you have to say. I have a curfew now." Emmett laughed again and I punched his arm, ready to pummel him if he continued.

"We're just not positive how safe it'll be," Carlisle continued. "We gave him a few pints of blood to start, if he keeps it down and everything works right, we'll give him more before you come back… but, it's fair to say that he's feeling stronger now. And we're – I'm not sure that you should go upstairs tonight – not until we can figure out his intentions."

I began to interrupt, to defend my vampire, but Carlisle ignored me, much as Charlie had earlier.

"There's absolutely no reason for him to leave you unharmed if he's stronger. Or even if you startle him, Bella. The only reason I even consider letting you go up there is because Jasper and Alice agree it's for the best. But know that we'll not be far, and if anything happens to indicate that he might hurt you, we will intervene."

I didn't like the implications of this speech. My vampire wouldn't hurt me, would he? He hadn't hurt them. Arguing now would just take more time, though, so I agreed to his terms.

Alice practically squealed as she dragged me to my feet, leading me to the stairs. "I feel like I have to tell you to be careful, but Bella, it'll be fine."

"I know it will," I grumbled.

I followed her, waiting to see where we'd end up. "Guest room" could mean any number of rooms in this house, so I was excited and nervous to see where my time would now be spent. When I saw Rose leaning against the wall by the door to my guest room, I couldn't help the smile that overtook my features.

I knew there were several empty rooms throughout the upper levels of the mansion, but there was just one that was fully furnished for my frequent sleepovers. And that was the room they had chosen for my vampire.

"Bella," Rosalie sneered through her teeth, glaring at Alice. "I don't think he's feeling too well," she continued. "Maybe you shouldn't go in tonight – we don't want to make him any less comfortable."

My eyebrows pulled together in sheer anger. Who the hell is this? I decided to let it go for now, though, because every minute I spent being jealous was a minute I lost of the night.

I pushed past them and opened the door slowly to the familiar sounds of my vampire's growl.

"I'll come up at 9:30, okay?" Alice asked as I entered the room. I nodded before closing the door behind me.

He lay on the bed, his back facing the ceiling, the blanket pulled all the way up to his neck. I couldn't see anything but the back of his head, but it was enough to make me smile.

I walked around to the side that he was closer to and was shocked by what I found. When I was able to look past the tube that ran from his nose, I could hardly contain my awe.

It was the same vampire that I had grown to know, but different. His cheeks were slightly fuller; his lips had a little color. He was still too pale, still too sunken and hollow, but there were visible differences from the feeding. His eyes were closed and still rimmed in dark rings, but somehow his features looked more peaceful. I touched his face and he flinched, but inhaled deeply; his growling eased as he opened his eyes.

They looked more or less the same, but the pitch black that I was used to now showed very vague crimson undertones. It wasn't enough to notice if you weren't looking for it, but I'd been searching those eyes for over a week which made this change significant to me.

He didn't look upset or hurt, he just looked… resigned. I touched the bridge of his nose, hoping the tube wasn't uncomfortable, and he pulled back a little. So I removed my hand and slipped out of my shoes.

"You look good," I told him with a smile, tracing his lips with my finger. He trembled and recoiled a bit, but let me continue. He inhaled, taking in my scent, his eyes closing at what he smelled. It occurred to me that I was risking my fingers, keeping them this close to this mouth, but I trusted my vampire. He wouldn't hurt me. I smiled wider, moving to the other side of the bed and pulling back the covers.

I climbed in, the shift of the mattress startling him, as his body cowered further under the covers.

Slowly, not to disturb the bed any further than necessary, I made my way closer to him. When I was finally satisfied with the distance between us, I pulled the blanket up to my waist, leaving his upper back partially exposed.

His head wasn't facing me so it was difficult to gauge how affected he was by my actions, but his trembling had calmed almost completely. He simply lay there, accepting my touch.

I moved my leg to rest against his, hoping it wouldn't bother him much. I felt his muscles tighten and pull back before resting again, so I moved myself closer still. When I reached his leg again, he growled briefly but quickly gave up. I chuckled to myself and brought my hand to his back.

His wounds there weren't as prominent as they had been. I traced the lines, no longer afraid of them hurting him. They looked more like month-old scars than fresh cuts.

He was still starving, it was clear by his protruding ribcage, but I couldn't feel anything but happiness in that moment. Because he was eating, and he was getting healthier. And Carlisle promised that they'd feed him again before I came back.

I bit my lip, trailing my fingers down his spine absentmindedly. I was resting on my side, my head propped on my elbow, rubbing his leg and back, and he wasn't growling. And he wasn't trembling. And my vampire was getting better.

I could see that he was trying to turn his head toward me, so I reached around him, manipulating the tube so that it wouldn't be affected by the change in position. When his head finally rest on his other cheek, I let mine fall to the pillow.

I brought my hand to his neck and his eyes closed briefly, and I don't think I had ever smiled so widely in my life.

I knew I was running out of time, and a large part of me wanted to blow off Charlie and his rules. I was almost 18… he wouldn't be able to punish me forever.

I let my mind wander, not breaking my vampire's gaze for an instant. Eventually, though, we heard a knock. It startled me back to reality, my vampire growling and tensing. We shared a fearful glance before the door crept open and Alice peeked in.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. "It's only Alice," I said. "It's okay." I was trying to convince us both, but honestly, I wasn't sure that my body was cut out for living in fear like this.

"Bella – it's 9:30. We need to get going if you want to be allowed back here again."

"I'll be right down," I whispered, turning back to my vampire.

I explained the events of dinner to him, how Charlie thought I was dating Emmett, how he gave me a curfew. I left out the sex part because somehow it embarrassed me to tell my barely-coherent vampire about the speech I got.

When I was finished my thoroughly one-sided rant, I realized for the first time that I wasn't going to sleep here. I guess I was in denial, but it hadn't occurred to me. His first night in a real bed and I had to sleep at home. By myself. I reached under the blanket and grabbed his hand, pulling it up so that it was exposed. I traced the veins there, running my fingers along each of his. Slowly, I pulled back, crawling out of the bed. Everything was cold again, all my feelings of security and warmth gone.

I slipped back into my tennis shoes and walked closer to the bed. His head was now facing the opposite direction, so I sat on the edge, over the blankets, and pulled them back up to his neck.

His breathing was low and even as I ran my fingers through his hair. I sighed then, getting up sadly and walking to the door.

"'Night," I said. "Don't go anywhere tonight, okay? I'll be back tomorrow after school."

His eyes bore into mine and his eyebrows pulled together. I could see the frame of his hand clutching the blanket and at that moment I fought one of the hardest battles of my life. The choice to leave then was more difficult than any choice I'd ever had to make. I wanted nothing more than to run back to him, to curl up under the covers and to help my vampire get through this.

But I had to leave. And when I got back, he'd be even better. And possibly gone.

"Don't leave me," I whispered sadly, before backing out and closing the door.

I made my way slowly down the steps, meeting Alice in the foyer.

She drove me home in almost complete silence, a goofy grin on her face the whole time. I tried to ignore it, it was messing with my angst, but I eventually found that it was contagious. And suddenly I was smiling too, because my vampire was on the mend. I allowed myself to be happy, to set aside my worries, if just for a moment.

"He'll still be here," she said as she pulled into my driveway. "So you can stop worrying."

"I thought you couldn't see him?" I asked.

"It's clearing up."

**

A/N:

So, sorry for the cliffhanger last chap guys.. really, I am.

Review if you're going to miss the basement.. or review if you're happy the vamp is getting healthy.. or review if you're indifferent. Seriously, it's my heroin, guys.

Oh! I can answer a few questions that might come up:

Its senior year, beginning of the semester. Bella moved to Forks junior year in the middle of jr year (as per twilight). One day, one day we will know the tale of how she learned about the Cullens.

And the vamp is still naked.

I swear there were other questions. And I forget them, which is really what I get for updating so late…