Disclaimer – I own nothing related to Twilight, it all belongs to Stephenie Meyer and company. Which is fine, I'll just take the actor who plays Jasper. The places mentioned within this fanfiction are from my own imagination, and any similarity to any establishment is purely unintentional.

I am truly, truly sorry for the long wait. I have a ton of chapters written, I'm just having some beta issues. So, if there are any errors in this chapter, I am sincerely sorry.

Bella's POV

I knew I was at home, because I warm. Admittedly, I had been fairly cold last night, snuggled up against Jasper, but that hadn't mattered at all. On a hunch, I turned on my side, sliding my hand across the pillow until I felt paper. I giggled and excitedly kicked my feet before turning on my back and reading the letter.

Dear Bella,

My apologies for not waking you, but you seemed so peaceful. I would have just left you where you were, but I didn't think your father would have approved of you being out all night without calling. So, if you're up to it, I have something planned today, for us, if you're game. Give me a call if you're interested. I hope you slept well.

Yours,

Jasper

I allowed myself a minute or two or ten to squeal and flail around in my bed, getting all my excited energy out. When I finished, I was so exhausted that I fell back asleep for a few minutes. When I woke up again, I shot straight up and rushed into the shower. I was so distracted that I accidently used the conditioner twice and squirted half a bottle of soap onto the floor, making the tub as slippery as an ice rink. I brushed my teeth and combed through my tangled hair, all the while failing to keep my towel on; multitasking wasn't really my thing.

Running to my bedroom, I noticed that Charlie's door was still closed, and I wondered what time he got in last night. I shrugged it off, deciding to let him sleep. I went back to my room and looked out my window, smiling when I saw it was overcast. I touched the glass and shivered – it was cold. I briefly glanced at the clock, not surprised it was only eight in the morning. I decided on jeans and a long sleeved black sweater. After I pulled the sweater over my head, I ran to my bed and tucked Jasper's sweater more fully underneath my pillow.

I grabbed my phone and made my way downstairs, slowing my pace when I nearly slipped. I made myself a bowl of cereal and sat at the table, wondering what Jasper had planned. My heart thumped with excitement, but I willed it to calm down. After a few minutes, I realized I'd only pushed around my cereal rather than eating it. I rolled my eyes and dumped the contents – I hated soggy cereal. I patiently washed my bowl and put away all of my things before opening my phone.

I scrolled through the few names until I found Jasper's and then hit the call button. He answered on the second ring.

"Good morning, sunshine."

I smiled and sat back at the kitchen table, sliding my feet into the chair across from me. "Morning," I said, chewing my lip. I wondered if he could feel my emotions through the phone… I'd have to ask him sometime.

"How are you?" he asked, and I hear could the smile in his voice, which made me smile more.

"Good," I said, fiddling with the edge of the table. "How are you?"

"Happy you're awake," he said with a chuckle, but then cleared his throat. "I mean, did you read my note?"

"Yes," I said. "What did you have in mind?"

He didn't answer for a minute. "I don't think I'm going to tell you," he said finally. "I know you aren't keen on surprises, but it would kind of ruin the whole thing, don't you think?"

I laughed and decided to play along. "Alright," I sighed, "I trust you. When did you want to go?"

"One thing first," he said. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Uh, no, not exactly," I said, feeling kind of stupid for wasting my cereal.

"Oh, good," he said, and I raised my eyebrow, even though he couldn't see me. "Want to go out for breakfast?"

"I don't think venison is really a morning food," I jibed.

I could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "Bella, Bella, Bella," he sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Take me to breakfast, obviously," I said, laughing.

Jasper mumbled something I didn't hear, but he didn't leave me time to say anything. "Alright, are you ready to go now, or did you need a little bit?"

"Now's fine," I said quickly, but then cringed as I realized I sounded a little too anxious.

"Good," he said, unfazed by my overdone response. "I'll see you in a minute. Bye."

"Bye," I said before closing my phone, cutting the connection.

"Morning."

I screamed and jumped, nearly falling out of my chair. I looked up and saw a very disheveled-looking Charlie.

"Jeez, Dad, don't do that," I said, putting my hand over my racing heart.

"Sorry, kid," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Long night."

"Yeah, I can tell."

He was still wearing his pajamas – flannel pants and a plain black t-shirt. His dark hair stuck up all over the place and the stubble along his jaw made me wonder when he had shaved last. He walked to the fridge and pulled out a pizza box, taking a few pieces and putting them on a plate before sticking them in the microwave. I suddenly realized it was the same pizza that Jasper had gotten me yesterday, but I kept my face unreadable.

"So, what are you up to today?" he asked, putting the pizza box back into the fridge.

I worried my bottom lip, trying to decide whether or not I should tell him. "Hanging with a friend," I said finally.

"Yeah?" he asked, glancing at me. "Same friend you went with to Seattle yesterday?"

Damn it. I didn't want to lie to him, but I worried about what he'd say. "Yes."

"Ah," he said, pulling the pizza out before the microwave had the chance to 'ding'. "Is he coming to pick you up?"

"Yeah," I said, but then I realized that Charlie said 'he'.

He smiled at me. "I'm not an idiot, Bells; people talk when the Cullens are around."

I gaped at him. "Dad, I…"

He held up a hand. "I know it's not Edward," he said, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "It's Jasper, right?"

I nodded my head dumbly. "How did you know?"

Charlie rolled his eyes and took a bite of pizza. "Jasper volunteered for a while at the station, just doing filing and helping out with paperwork and whatnot. He said it would look good on his college applications, and we were really shorthanded, so it worked out for the best."

Before I could say anything else, the sound of the doorbell rang throughout the house. I jumped out of my seat, but Charlie somehow beat me to it.

"Sit," he said sternly, and I couldn't help but listen. I wasn't used to Charlie taking charge… it was weird.

I strained in my chair so I could hear them down the hall.

"Chief Swan."

I smiled as I heard Jasper.

"Jasper, nice to see you again."

"You too, sir."

"Now, there's no need for the 'sir' crap anymore, is there?"

My eyes widened and I about fell out of my chair when I heard Jasper laugh. Charlie never once said anything like that to Edward in the time they were around each other; what was going on? I pinched myself, thinking I still had to be sleeping – nope, not dreaming.

"My apologies, but I was raised right, Chief Swan."

I rolled my eyes. Charmer.

"Well, alright," Charlie said awkwardly. "Come on in, she's been waiting for you."

I nearly groaned. Now was not the time for my dad to be embarrassing me. However, I couldn't help but smile when Jasper walked into the room, his eyes nervous as Charlie followed closely behind. Jasper's face lit up with a smile when he saw me and I forced myself to think of something else as I took in Jasper's appearance. He was wearing one of those button ups – the light blue one I really liked – and also a pair of those dark, snug jeans that he looked so good in. The cowboy boots and slick looking blonde curls didn't help, but I managed… I think.

"Have a seat," Charlie said, walking around Jasper and sitting back down.

Jasper glanced at what Charlie was eating and I could see the amusement in his eyes. "Actually, sir, I was just coming to pick Bella up."

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked, and I restrained myself from telling him to hush.

Jasper looked at me before turning his attention back to Charlie. "I'm taking her to breakfast, and then I have a surprise for her."

"Really?" Charlie asked, glancing up at Jasper. "How late do you plan on being? Not that it really matters; she is nineteen."

Jasper chuckled. "It is your business; she's still your daughter." Brownie point for Jasper. "How late is too late, sir?"

Charlie glanced between Jasper and me, obviously surprised. "I think that two o'clock would be appropriate."

"Dad," I finally said, "how do you know that what Jasper has planned won't take more than a few hours?"

Charlie looked at me as if I was crazy, and I saw Jasper stifle a laugh. "In the morning, kiddo," Charlie said, shaking his head.

I nearly choked. "Oh," I said dumbly. "Well… well, that's alright, I guess."

"No later than two, though," he said sternly, looking at Jasper.

"That won't be a problem, sir," Jasper replied smoothly before turning back to me. "Ready?"

"Yeah," I said, still staring at Charlie, dumbfounded.

"See you later, Bells," he said cheerfully, still chomping away on his pizza.

I stood, dazed, and hugged my dad quickly before following Jasper out of the house. "Bye, Dad!" I yelled just before closing the door.

"Good morning," Jasper said once we were outside. He bumped his arm into mine and I smiled up at him, glad to see him in such a good mood.

"Weird morning," I said, shaking my head.

Jasper laughed.

A sudden thought came to me, and I couldn't help but ask him, "Did you… did you do that?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow at me as we reached the car. "Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Manipulate Charlie's emotions?" I asked.

Jasper looked appalled. "No," he said quickly. "Bella, I wouldn't do that to your father unless it was absolutely necessary."

I felt myself relax. I didn't know why it was so important, but I was really glad that he hadn't. It was good knowing that Charlie approved of Jasper. I never said anything to Edward, but it used to really bother me that Charlie hadn't liked him, so it was a nice change of pace. We got into the car and Jasper pulled away from the curb, heading toward the highway.

"So," I said, curiosity getting the better of me, "why didn't anyone, especially you, tell me that you volunteered down at the station?"

Jasper chuckled. "Honestly, I didn't even think of it. One day I was getting bored, just sitting around, and went for a drive. I passed the station and it just sort of popped into my head, and your dad was nice enough to let me work there a few days a week. It was just before you moved up, and I only did it for a month or two, so no one really thought it was important, I guess."

I nodded. "That makes sense," I said. "Did you enjoy it?"

He glanced at me quickly before turning back to the road. "Can I tell you something kind of silly?"

I raised my eyebrow, interested. "Of course."

Jasper shifted in his seat a little, looking uncomfortable. "I used to want to be a police officer," he said quietly. I didn't say anything, wanting him to talk on his own time. I didn't have to wait too long. "I used to be a major in Texas, and I really did enjoy helping people, even though it was a time of war and it was more killing than saving lives, but I enjoyed it anyway. But, in truth, I thought it would balance out how horrible I had been before. I thought that if I were catching the bad guys, it would make up for me having been one back then."

I wanted to tell him how wrong he was, but I knew that he wouldn't agree.

"So why didn't you enroll for the academy?"

I decided to ask him about the present, rather than the past, because I didn't want to push him to tell me his story. I knew he'd tell me in his own time, but I couldn't help but wonder which war he was talking about. I assumed it was the Civil War, making him older than all the Cullens, other than Carlisle, and I had to suppress my interest.

He looked a little surprised that I had asked that. "Well, it would look a little funny, don't you think? I might be able to go through the academy, and even go for a year or two as a police officer, but people would notice I wasn't getting older. The stations are so close-knit that they would be concerned if I just left. I could easily make fake birth certificates and social security cards, but I would have to quit every five years or so, wait a few decades, and then go through the whole thing again. And that's only if they don't do physicals anymore. I'd probably be able to find a way around those, though."

"Sounds like a pain," I said. "However, you could always just do it, just once. After a few years, tell them the job is just too much; Charlie says that happens all the time."

He glanced at me again, a slow smile creeping onto his face. "Maybe," he said, and it sounded as though that was all he wanted to say on the matter, so I let it drop.

We didn't say anything until we reached a diner quite a ways out of town, and I was suddenly worried when I saw a flicker of pain cross his face as we pulled into the small parking lot. We sat in the parking lot for awhile, Jasper just staring at the old wooden building that was tucked in between large trees, not visible from the main road. It was one of those hole-in-the-wall places, quaint but homey. To me it seemed like it was made only for locals, as it didn't even have a name on the outside of the building, no markers along the road pointing outsiders to it.

"Carlisle and I used to come here," Jasper said quietly after a few minutes. "If he had a really bad day, like losing a child or some other mishap, we'd come here, and I'd let him tell me all about it before helping him with my gift."

"Why didn't you do it closer to the house?" I asked.

Jasper chuckled lightly, but it was humorless. "He didn't want anyone else to know," he explained, sighing. "We were far enough that Edward couldn't hear our thoughts, and no one else could feel me projecting. He has lost many people on the table over the decades I've known him, but it was never easy for him. He wanted to change all of them, even if it was an eighty year old man who had a heart attack; he wanted to save everyone."

"I can see that," I said with a slight smile. I had always admired Carlisle. "I don't want this to offend you, Jasper, but why you? Why not Esme?"

He glanced at me quickly, and the smile I saw on his face told me I hadn't said anything wrong. "Because the guilt he felt over it used to eat me alive. I used to have to leave for a week anytime he lost someone. I always tried to keep it to myself, but I've always had constant guilt over what I did before joining the Cullens. Carlisle's guilt was too strong for me to be able to compose myself enough to help him."

I thought about that for a minute. "So how did you end up coming here then?"

Jasper laughed, a far off look in his eyes. "I ran off once, when he lost an elderly woman to a massive stroke, and he followed me. We were just over there," he said, pointing out my window, "on the edge of those trees, and I stopped because I could smell humans. Carlisle controlled his emotions long enough for me to be able to get a grip on mine, and we ended up sitting down to talk."

"I bet the servers were curious as to why you two were just sitting there, not ordering anything," I said.

He smiled at me. "At first, I suppose they were, but I wasn't really paying them any mind." He paused for a few minutes, just looking at me. "This is going to sound odd."

I shrugged. "I'm kind of used to odd, Cowboy."

Jasper's smile widened briefly, but then his face fell back into a serious expression. "It was… masochistic, in a way," he said slowly, choosing his words. "We fed off each other's guilt and brought ourselves to our lowest before allowing ourselves to feel better."

Well, to me that made sense, but I waited for him to continue.

"He would tell me their name, their age, their height, weight, eye color, hair color, cause of death, their family members. He made me want to save them, to feel as horrible as he did." Jasper sighed and raked his hand over his face. He was quiet for awhile; I waited. "And every time, I would tell him one, just one, of my many horror stories. I'd tell him about the people we massacred for no reason, time and time again; of the men, women and children who were taken down for nothing."

Without thinking, I reached across the middle console and placed my hand atop his clenched fist. He let out a huge breath, his eyes closing. He took my hand in his and brought it to his face, brushing his cheek over my knuckles before resting his forehead against the back of my hand.

"One day, Bella," he whispered. "One day I'd like to tell you about my past."

"I'd love to hear it," I whispered back. "Whenever you're ready, Jasper, I'll be here to listen."

He smiled ruefully and kissed my hand. "Hungry?" he asked, opening his eyes and cocking his head to the side to look at me, my hand now against his cheek.

"A little," I said.

"Well," he said, sighing and letting my hand go slowly, lingering as his fingertips slid off mine, "let's go then, we have a lot to do today."

Inside, the diner was nearly empty, only one or two other couples and a small group of lumberjacks took refuge within it. Everyone turned and looked at us when we walked in. I assume Jasper felt my nerves twitch, and he put his hand at the small of my back, guiding me to the 'Please Wait to be Seated' sign. A teenage boy, no more than fifteen, smiled and greeted us kindly before showing us to a booth in the back corner of the diner.

Jasper ordered coffee, waving off the suggestion of the daily breakfast special, commenting that he wasn't all that hungry. I ordered the stuffed hash browns – two layers of stripped, fried potatoes with onions, cheese, and sausage in the middle. Jasper watched me intently as I squirted ketchup on top of the whole thing before taking a bite. I couldn't help the moan that left me as the different flavors exploded in my mouth.

"Oh my God, it's so good," I groaned.

Jasper chuckled, leaning back in his seat with a pleased smile on his face. "I'm very glad you like it."

I waved him away, wiping the corner of my mouth with my napkin. "Don't watch me eat," I pleaded.

He mumbled something and picked up the newspaper he had grabbed on the way in. The greeter/waiter came back over and asked if there was anything else we needed. Jasper looked at me and I shook my head no. The boy asked if it was one check or two, and of course Jasper spoke up and said one. I rolled my eyes but said nothing – what was the point?

We got back into the car awhile later and started on our way to wherever it was he was taking me. He told me more stories about his trip to Austria, which is where he spent most of his time. It was about an hour and a half drive, and I laughed so hard my sides hurt when he pulled in to our destination, a large neon sign greeting us with "Not So Mini-Golfing. Fun for the whole family".

"What's wrong with mini-golfing?" he asked incredulously.

I sucked in a breath, trying to calm my laughter. "You just drove nearly two and a half hours to go mini-golfing?"

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his face falling.

I sobered instantly. "Oh, Jazz," I sighed. "I'm so sorry. I just… I've never been mini-golfing, so it seemed kind of strange to me. But I bet it'll be fun."

Jasper smiled a little. "I hope so."

"Have you ever been?" I asked.

"Once, with Rosalie," he said, his nose crinkling as he made a face.

I giggled. "Oh, I bet that was fun."

"It was… when she wasn't around," he said, laughing. "We didn't go to this one, but I've heard this is the best in the state."

As we entered the large grey building, I realized it was anything but just plain old mini-golfing; this was a mini-golfing palace. The Not So Mini-Golfing's golf course was all indoors; the square footage was at least a few thousand. The color scheme was intense, no inch of the inside was anything but brightly colored; it felt like I had just walked into Wonderland. In a surreal realization, I saw that I was in Wonderland… Not So Mini-Golfing style. I had been so taken with the colors that I hadn't realized it was Alice and Wonderland themed. The walls were covered in multi-colored mushrooms surrounded by tea parties and alive-looking trees. There were character portraits that spanned the three stories, all in various positions and scenes.

"Ready to play?"

I turned around and saw Jasper standing there, and I couldn't help but laugh. Held in his left arm were two golf clubs, both Styrofoam and gigantic. They didn't quite stretch out to match his six-foot, three-inch frame, but they came close. In his other arm, he was carrying two balls, one green, one orange. They were big enough to easily cover my entire head. I gaped at him, confused but interested.

I suddenly got it. "Oh!" I said, slapping myself in the forehead. "Not so mini!"

Jasper laughed and tossed me the orange ball, and I was surprised how lightweight it was.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "I didn't know until I got up there."

"This is going to be interesting," I said, reaching out to take my matching orange club, which could not have been more than two pounds.

"Extremely interesting," he agreed. "Ready?"

"Yes!" I said excitedly. "I'm going to kick your ass!"

A/N – Please take just a moment out to review! Thank you!