"Jasper?" Edward repeated. "You there?"

The line had gone deathly silent.

Jasper cleared his throat a little after a moment. "Yeah, I'm here," he replied, his voice low.

Edward half smiled at hearing his voice – despite the sudden stab of guilt that punctured his chest.

Garrett was in the living room on the couch, laughing at something on the TV.

Edward placed a hand over the speaker on the phone and moved away from him, towards the bedroom so Jasper wouldn't hear –

"Who's that?"

Edward closed his eyes.

Fuck. Too late.

He grimaced and rubbed his fingers against his forehead as he answered, "Garrett."

Jasper missed a beat before asking, "Garrett? Your ex, Garrett?"

Edward couldn't hold back his sigh. "Yeah."

Again there was silence.

"Jasper – ?"

"What's he doing at your house?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair. Shit, how the hell was he going to explain this? "He… he came over unexpectedly."

Jasper was silent on the line a moment before prompting – rather impatiently, "And?"

"And… he said he wanted to talk. So I let him talk." Edward sighed deeply. "He told me he wanted me back."

Edward heard Jasper take a deep breath – as if steeling himself. He could already hear the resignation in Jasper's voice as he said, "Alright. And then what happened?"

"Jesus." Edward scrubbed a hand over his face. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight – I… I never really did when it came to him. Plus, I'd had a few beers… And… and you said we should take a break and I wasn't sure if… if that break was permanent, you know, seeing as you had Bella to think about. I was lonely, and… afraid of being alone again, and –"

"So what happened?" Jasper repeated. He was almost yelling now.

"I'm sorry, J."

"Fuck your apology," Jasper said through clenched teeth. "What. Happened?"

Edward grimaced. The words that were about to leave his lips were like foul tasting bile. "I slept with him."

Jasper laughed – but it definitely wasn't a happy laugh, or even a bitter, sarcastic laugh.

It was more like the hysterical, disbelieving laugh of a person at the end of their tether. The laugh of a person who'd had a fucked up day and the thing you just said or did to them was the last straw, the thing that would tip them over the edge.

"It's been what, a week, and you're already running back to fuck your ex? Christ, I didn't know you at all."

"Jasper –"

"I mean, shit, Edward, the piercing hasn't even fully healed yet. What, you just couldn't wait to get off? Thought you'd get someone else to fuck you while I couldn't?"

"Fuck, Jasper, you know it's not like that –"

"Then how is it like, exactly? 'Cause right now, I'm failing to understand this shit. I only asked you for a little space, just until I sorted out all this stuff with Peter's death. I'm not saying we were on our way to marriage or anything but I thought we were exclusive. I thought maybe…" Jasper trailed off. He sighed instead, defeated. "I was wrong, I guess. And maybe this is a good thing. Maybe I need to be on my own for a little while, get settled into this visitation thing with Bella –"

"Visitation? What?" Edward couldn't help interrupting.

Jasper scoffed. "Yeah, while you were busy getting your rocks off I got told I have no rights to keeping Bella, my fucking daughter, at all. But I should be grateful, I guess, because her mom's a decent person and I'm allowed to see her. I won't bore you though, you're probably relieved to be getting away from me and all my crazy baggage –"

"That's not fair, J. You know how much I care about Bella too."

"Oh, really? You do? Bet you weren't fucking caring when you crawled into bed with your ex after he fed you a few sweet lines though."

"It was a mistake."

"Yeah, well, too late."

The line went dead before Edward could say anything more.

With a curse, he tossed the phone on the bed, the bed where he'd made love – no, the bed where Garret had fucked him, and sagged against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut.

When he opened his eyes Garrett was in the doorway, staring at him.

"What's going on? You ok?"

Edward couldn't even bear to look at the guy anymore. Because the more he looked at him, the more disgusted he felt – with himself.

"Look, tonight… it was a mistake. You should go."

Garrett showed no outward sign of surprise, like he'd expected it – like he'd been listening to Edward's phone conversation all along.

"I meant what I said; I want you back," he said.

Edward shook his head. "I didn't give you an answer earlier on because I wasn't sure. Now I am. I don't wanna be with you."

Garrett sneered. "Well, you're gonna end up all alone. I mean, your blond boyfriend doesn't want you anymore."

Edward's eyes snapped up to look at him then.

Garrett's eyes met his dead on, and he smirked. "No one else wants you, Edward. No one else will, and you know that, which is why you stayed with me so long." He took a few steps towards him and leaned in to whisper, "I want you, Edward. Blondie doesn't. Does it make sense for you to be alone when there's someone right here" – he brushed Edward's cheek with the back of his fingers – "who wants you? Who loves you?"

Christ, the guy hadn't changed in the slightest, Edward thought. Garrett was still the abusive, manipulative dick he'd always been. And Edward felt like a complete idiot for letting him snake his way back into his life like this, and for fucking things up with someone who was a hundred times the man Garrett was.

And it was Edward's relationship with Jasper that had allowed him to see what Garrett was doing. If he hadn't been with Jasper and seen what a healthy, happy, normal relationship with someone was like, he would have believed every single venomous word that came from Garrett's mouth.

Hell, he'd already started to believe them long before Garrett spoke them.

From the moment Jasper had asked him for some space, Garrett's words had begun floating in his mind: No one else wants you. No one else will, and you know that. Jasper doesn't want you. You'll be alone.

Because abuse, in whatever form, wasn't something that was easily cured.

Garrett had said things like that to him all the time during their time together, and when someone keeps telling you something over and over… well, eventually, you start believing it.

"Get out."

Edward was calm as he spoke the words, his face smoothed out into a stoic mask as he held Garrett's gaze.

Garrett smiled. "You don't mean it," he said, equally calm. "When I go and you think about it, think about how lonely you're gonna be without me, you'll call."

Edward shook his head in disbelief at the sheer arrogance of the guy, but refused to entertain him.

"Get out," he repeated.

-x-

The weekend had been terrible. Edward had spent it drinking copious amounts of alcohol, calling Jasper's phone only to get his goddamn voicemail, and sleeping.

So work on Monday was a relief. At least he had something to do to keep his mind off how stupid he'd been, something to at least make him forget about Jasper for a few hours –

"How could you, Edward?"

Oh, right. He'd forgotten about Alice.

He sighed, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache. He had a feeling he'd be getting one shortly anyway.

"I know, Alice," he muttered. "I'm an idiot."

Alice sighed too and perched on the edge of his desk. "You're not an idiot. But… why? I mean, I met the guy and he was such an asshole… I don't get it."

Edward shrugged helplessly. He didn't get it either. "Like I said, I'm an idiot."

"Jasper's really hurt."

Edward closed his eyes. "What did he say?"

"Not much. He told me that you… you know, with Garrett. And that was only after I'd asked him if he'd seen you over the weekend. I was thinking he didn't sound like himself even before he told me what happened, but I figured that was because of the whole Peter thing. Bella's living with her mom now, you know."

"I know."

"Have to tried to talk to him?"

"I was calling him all weekend but his phone kept going to voicemail."

"Did you leave any messages?"

"No."

"Good. He needs time to calm down. I say you give him some space, don't call, text, go over to his place, nothing, for at least a week," Alice said.

Edward nodded.

"And then maybe you can try talking to him again. I'm not saying that'll work, but it's worth a try. You two were so good together… I just don't get why you'd go and mess it up like that. Anyway," Alice stood up abruptly. "I've gotta go do some actual work. Lunch?"

Edward nodded again.

"Ok, see you then."

-x-

Edward didn't mean to eavesdrop.

He knew eavesdropping was nearly always a bad idea.

But it was damn near impossible for him not to. Especially when he was waiting for Alice outside her office at lunch and heard her say,

"But hey, you said Charlotte seems a lot more responsible now, right? At least you know Bella will be safe with her."

Edward had been slumped against the wall as he waited for Alice to finish up in her office. But hearing Bella's name had him perking up and moving closer to the door. Because Alice could only be talking to one person if she was talking about Bella.

Jasper.

He could hear her shuffling papers on her desk as she spoke. "So how are you doing, Jas? Feeling any better today?"

Edward moved even closer to the door, as if that would make a difference to how much of the conversation he heard.

Alice laughed softly. "I know you're not sick. Do you have to be sick for me to ask how you are? Besides, you're only being a smart ass because you know what I'm referring to when I ask you that question, and you don't wanna answer it."

Edward knew what she was referring to, as well. And hoped that he would answer it.

He waited, barely breathing, as Alice was silent for a long while, only letting out an "uh huh" or "I know" occasionally.

Until finally she said, "Yeah, I spoke to him today." She sighed. "Honestly – and don't get mad – but I'd say he feels almost as shitty as you do. He certainly looks like he does. And I know he's the one in the wrong. I mean, he cheated after all…"

Edward winced at the word.

"But maybe you should just hear what he has to say before completely making your mind up. And I'm only playing Devil's Advocate here so don't bite my head off, but you know, one could argue that he didn't cheat because, technically, you were on a break."

Edward heard Alice snicker.

"Oh, really? I seem to remember you were Team Ross though. Kind of hypocritical, don't you think?" She sighed. "I know it's not the same situation. I'm kidding. I was just trying to cheer you up a little. But I've gotta go now anyway, I'm starving. I'll give you a call after work, ok? Alright. Bye."

When Alice wrenched the door open a second later, Edward nearly jumped back in surprise.

She raised her eyebrow at him in a knowing way. "He says he'll talk to you – but still, give him a week, like I said. You're welcome. Don't screw up your chance." She grabbed her coat and put it on before shutting and locking her office door.

Edward could only stand there, stunned.

Alice rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the elbow. "C'mon, Eavesdropper, I'm hungry."

-x-

Sunday, Edward decided, was when he'd try to talk to Jasper.

And Alice agreed that it was a good idea.

The week passed by unbelievably slowly – and yet, when Sunday finally rolled around… it seemed too soon.

Edward had spent that week going over and over what he wanted to say to Jasper:

I'm sorry. Sleeping with Garrett was a stupid mistake. I could try to explain what was going through my mind at the time but that would seem like I was trying to justify it, which I'm not. I'm sorry. Maybe we could start over? Go slowly this time? Anything you want. Please? I just don't want to lose you, Jasper.

But when Jasper opened his front door that Sunday afternoon, and met his eyes with an ice-cold glare,

Edward's mind went blank.

A/N: Hope you liked it. Next up, the awesome, ArcadianMaggie.

Yogagal & PerfectlyPersuasive note: A big thanks to the awesome Savannah-Vee for working her magic on this chapter! You can read more of Savannah-Vee's work, like the super excellent Uncomfortable, over on her profile (she's in our favs, go check her out!). We'll see you all next week when ArcadianMaggie decides how she wants to handle Edward and Jasper's fates!