Hey everyone! Back with another exciting chapter!

I haven't seen Jasper since breakfast, and since he's usually following me or one of the kids around like a shadow, it's starting to worry me. When Rosalie passes in the hallway I stop her. "You haven't seen Jasper, have you?" Instead of answering, she pulls me upstairs to her room and opens the door just slightly. It takes me a moment to notice the small lump under her blanket that seems to be breathing. She shuts the door quietly. "What is he doing?" I ask, puzzled.

"Pretending to be a rock?" she suggests. "I don't know, mom. He's been there all morning. I just found him like that when I came back from breakfast. He hasn't made a sound. What do I do?"

I consider it for a moment. "Well, he did seem a little down at breakfast. Maybe something is upsetting him. Why don't you try talking to him, Rose? Maybe you can help."

She frowns. "How would I help? He doesn't even like me that much."

"I don't think that's true," I assure her. "I think he's just a little hesitant. He's a lot like you when you were his age. I think he could use someone who really understands what he's going through. It can't hurt to try, right? Unless you want him hiding under your blankets forever."

She sighs, but nods. "Worth a shot I guess." She opens the door again, slowly sitting down on one side of the lump while I take the other. "Jasper?" she murmurs. The lump shifts a little. "It's Rose, honey. We're kind of worried about you out here. Is something wrong?" There's no response. "Listen," she continues, "I know you're scared. I get it. I was scared too. But hiding in there won't make you any less scared. You can feel safe out here too. Let us help." Slowly, a little face peeks out from the edge of the blanket. His cheeks red from the heat, Jasper cautiously shifts closer to Rosalie, who smiles and pulls him into her lap. "There you are. I was beginning to think I'd have to talk to myself forever. Now, what's wrong Jazz?" The boy shrugs silently. "Come on, you can tell me. I want to help."

Jasper sighs. "They're going to be there."

"Your aunts?" Rose guesses. The boy nods. "And you're scared to see them again?"

"What if I see them and I can't say what I have to say? They'll take me away. They'll make me go back there!"

Rose sighs, hugging him gently. "Oh honey, they're not going to make you go back with them. You're ours now. It's going to be okay." Jasper looks at her doubtfully. "Listen, we're going to be right there to support you. Even if they are there, just focus on us. You'll be just fine. We're family now. We're here for you. We're not going to let them do that to you."

Slowly, the boy looks up at her. "Promise?"

"I promise," she assures him. "I understand how you feel. I had to do the same thing once. And you know what I learned?"

"What?" Jasper asks.

Rose smiles. "I learned that if you let them scare you, then you let them win. Don't be afraid, Jasper. Everything is going to be alright."

On the morning that Jasper is called into court, the boy is unusually silent as we pack everyone into the car. Edward, Rosalie and Emmett have insisted on coming along, and Alice is staying with Bella until we get back. She hugs Jasper tightly before hopping out of the car. "I'll see you soon, okay?" The boy nods, though he doesn't seem sure. He stays quiet the whole ride to the courthouse.

While the other children climb out of the car, Jasper stays seated, staring ahead and tugging nervously at the hem of his shirt. I sit down beside him, reaching for his hand. "Jasper?"

Slowly, he looks up at me, blue eyes wide. "Are you sure, Mama?" he whispers.

"I'm sure, sweetheart," I assure him. "You can do this. Everything will be alright."

He nods, climbing out of the car. Inside the courthouse, Jasper pauses outside his waiting room. Carlisle crouches beside him. "We'll be right there waiting for you," he assures the boy. Jasper hugs him tightly. Carlisle smiles and hugs him back before releasing him so that the other children can hug him too.

The boy steps back, looking at us for a minute. "I love you," he murmurs.

"We love you too," I smile. "We'll see you soon, I promise. Be good." He nods, disappearing through the door.

Carlisle and I shepherd the other children into the room, taking a seat just behind the bar. Chief Swan smiles as he sees us. "Morning," he greets.

"Good morning," Carlisle replies. "What do you think? How are we doing?"

The chief sighs. "Well, it's a little early to call it yet, but I think if Jasper can do this, we'll be okay. How's the little guy doing?"

I shrug. "About as well as we can expect him to do," I answer. "He's scared, but he's holding it together so far."

"Well that's all we can ask of him. I've pulled as many strings as I can to make this as painless as possible. The rest is up to him. It shouldn't be too long now."

We wait impatiently until Jasper is called into the room. Accompanied by a scary-looking bailiff, he looks impossibly small as he climbs up into the witness stand. He glances around the room nervously. "Good morning, Jasper," the state's lawyer greets cheerfully. "How are you today?" The boy doesn't answer, fidgeting in his seat. "Jasper," the lawyer continues, "Can you tell everyone how old you are?" Jasper stays silent, distracted by the gaze of his aunts, one of whom is grinning meanly at him.

Chief Swan and I exchange a worried glance. Suddenly, a familiar voice calls out. "Permission to approach, Your Honor?" I look beside me to find Edward on his feet, addressing the judge.

"Edward…" Carlisle murmurs, shocked.

But the judge holds her hand up. "Who are you?" she asks.

"My name is Edward Cullen. I'm one of Jasper's new brothers. I'm sorry for interrupting."

The judge nods thoughtfully. "I take it you had a good reason, yes?"

Edward nods. "I think…you really need to hear Jasper tell his story. It's important. I can help, if you just give me a minute. Please?"

"Objection!" the other lawyer calls. "Your Honor, that is completely inappropriate."

"Overruled," the judge replies. "I want to hear this. Go ahead, Edward."

Relieved, Edward nods. "Thank you, Your Honor." He scrambles over the bar and walks up to Jasper, whose attention has been momentarily torn away from the gaze of his aunts. Edward takes something out of his pocket, and it takes me a moment to realize that it's Jasper's wristband. He sets it in front of the younger boy and smiles. "You forgot it this morning." Slowly, Jasper picks it up, running his fingers over the crest for a moment before undoing the latch, revealing the picture of his parents. "It's gonna be okay, Jazz," Edward says softly. "You can do this."

Jasper nods, slipping the band around his wrist before reaching over to hug Edward tightly. "Thank you," he murmurs.

"Of course," Edward replies. "I'll see you in a little while, okay?"

The younger boy smiles a little. "Okay."

Edward looks at the judge gratefully. "Thank you, Your Honor."

He returns to his seat as the attorney stands again. "Hello Jasper," he starts again.

"Hi," the boy murmurs shyly.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions to help us all understand what happened. Do you think that would be alright?"

Jasper looks over at us for a minute before nodding. "Okay."

This time he gets through all the questions without a hitch. When they send him back to his holding room I tap Chief Swan on the shoulder. "What do you think?" I ask.

He smiles. "He was perfect," he replies.

He turns his attention back to the judge as she quiets the room to make her final ruling. "As you know," she begins, "Child abuse, neglect, and assault are taken very seriously here. And after hearing what I've heard in this trial, I must say I'm truly appalled that this was allowed to go on as long as it was. That is why, presented with all the evidence, I have no choice. My final verdict is that Maria, Lucy, and Nettie Flores are guilty on all charges against them, including the Class A felonies of neglect and abuse of a child, child endangerment, and assault of a child in the first degree. Class A felonies carry life sentences, and that is what I believe you deserve. Officers." She watches as several officers step forward to handcuff the sisters, taking them out of the room. "Now," she says, "Will Mr. and Mrs. Cullen please step forward?" Carlisle squeezes my hand as we stand before the judge. "Now, I've been asked to also rule on the custody of Jasper Whitlock, in order to not put him through another trial. I hear you intend to adopt the boy. Is that true?"

I nod. "Yes, Your Honor. We've already started on the paperwork."

"Well, usually under these circumstances the child would be placed in state custody until the adoption was made final. However, I'm also aware that Jasper has made progress in his recovery since living with your family."

"Yes, Your Honor. He still has his issues, but Jasper has made incredible progress so far," he explains proudly. "He's worked very hard. He's a totally different child than he was when we found him."

She nods thoughtfully. "I could see that in the evidence. And even with these issues, you still want to adopt him?"

"Of course. We love him very much, no matter what issues he has. He's become a part of our family, and we want to make that official."

"Well, I have to say, in these kinds of cases I usually hear a lot about how good a family could be for a child like Jasper. But very rarely do I get to see it with my own eyes as I did today. That is why, though it is unusual, I think taking him away from you would hurt him far more than a boy who has suffered so much should be allowed. Therefore, I've decided to grant you permanent custody, if you make me one promise."

Carlisle glances at me, perplexed. "Of course. Anything."

The judge smiles. "Promise me you'll take care of that boy. He deserves it."

I can't help the laugh that escapes me. "Of course, Your Honor. Thank you so much."

We grab the rest of the children and hurry as fast as we can down to the room Jasper is being kept in. He runs out, hugging me tightly. "What happened?" he asks nervously.

I smile, brushing his hair back from his face. "You did it, Jasper. They're gone forever."

A smile breaks across his face as Carlisle scoops him up. "Wait, what about me?" he asks. "Can I stay?"

Carlisle chuckles, hugging the boy securely. "Yes, you can. Forever." Jasper sighs, relieved, and finally relaxes as he hugs Carlisle back. "Come on, I think this calls for a celebration!"

"Can we get Alice too?" the boy asks.

"Of course we can," I assure him. "Let's go."

Sitting in the diner, the children chat happily until Alice comes in, accompanied by Bella and Chief Swan. She slides into the booth beside Jasper, hugging him tightly. "You did it!" she says excitedly, kissing his cheek. The boy blushes and smiles.

Bella sits beside Edward. "I heard what you did," she murmurs. "That was brave of you." She leans in to kiss his cheek, and Edward blushes as well. Rosalie reaches over and smacks Emmett lightly in response to his low "ooooh."

Chief Swan smiles at Jasper. "Good job today, buddy," he says. "Really, you were great. Congratulations."

The boy smiles up at him. "Thank you. And thanks for all your help."

Charlie nods, sitting beside Carlisle and I. "Congratulations to you too. How's it feel?"

I smile. "Great. Like we can finally move on and stop looking over our shoulders."

Carlisle nods in agreement. "Thank you, Charlie. We couldn't have done it without you."

"You don't have to thank me," he replies. "Honestly, I'm just happy he gets his happy ending. He deserves it."

"Well at least sit and celebrate with us," I insist. He laughs, but agrees, and we watch happily as Jasper laughs with the other children.

Later that night, Carlisle carries an exhausted Jasper upstairs and helps him get ready for bed. "You know, we're really proud of you Jasper," he says, pulling the boy's pajama shirt over his head.

"You are?" the boy asks, yawning.

"We are," I tell him. "We know it wasn't easy to do what you did today, and you were very brave."

Jasper shrugs. "I had to. You're my family. I couldn't leave you, and I had to make sure they were gone so they couldn't bother us."

I smile, kissing his forehead softly. "You did great. Goodnight Jasper."

"Goodnight Mama," he smiles, yawning again.

Carlisle hugs him before tucking him in tightly. "Goodnight buddy. We love you."

"'Night Daddy," the boy murmurs sleepily. "Love you too…"

When I wake up early the next morning, I notice that Rosalie's door has been left open. When I go to close it, I find that she's not in bed. The same is true of Edward, Emmett, and Alice. When I walk back into the hallway, I find Carlisle standing in the doorway of Jasper's room. "Have you seen our children?" I ask. He holds a finger to his lips and motions inside the room. Peeking over his shoulder, I see all five of them curled up together on Jasper's bed, fast asleep.

There you go, a happy moment for us all. But don't worry, it's not the end yet! Please remember to review and make me smile!

Love,

TheSongSmith