Jasper does get the best lines, doesn't he? LOL! The last chapter was my longest ever, but I bet that one line at the end will be the only thing anyone remembers.

I can't even explain how much I want to write this chapter from Jasper's POV as well, since Bella can be quite obtuse sometimes and doesn't always get nuanced communications (sometimes she reads too much into things, sometimes not enough – LOL!). I can't actually do Jasper's chapter, but if anyone wants some insights into what he's thinking let me know in a review and I promise I'll respond. Or, if you prefer to keep things mysterious for now, just keep reading and see how the story unfolds. :-)

As always, thanks to everyone who left reviews on the last chapter! Feedback is awesome! And a huge thanks to mmsimpy09, who helped me out by pre-viewing this chapter and providing advance feedback!

All the Twilight characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

He was silent for a moment. I started turning back to the house when I heard him say quietly "Get inside and pretend to go to bed, then call me. I'll be waiting."

Chapter 11: Whispers in the Dark

My stomach did a perfect summersault and I'm sure I flushed from head to toe. Did he really just say what I thought he'd said? I turned around again but he was gone, undoubtedly on his way home to await my call.

I walked back into the house and locked the front door as quietly as I could, then I turned and leaned against it heavily. I noticed my breathing was faster and shallower. What the hell just happened?

I forced myself to slow down and re-played the conversation in my head. Upon review, it was much more innocent than I initially perceived it. Jasper simply wanted to hear about how I handled Mike, nothing more. It was just the quiet, low tone of his voice that made the request sound so incredibly sexy. I really needed to get a grip. Jasper was married to my best friend; I had dated his brother; there had never been anything between us even remotely hinting at the possibility of anything other than friendship.

It must have been all the things that happened today. All the stress over what would happen tonight, combined with all the real and mock flirting, must have increased my level of sexual tension and caused me to misinterpret Jasper's words. That was the only logical explanation.

Slightly calmer, I grabbed the cordless phone from the cradle in the living room and made my way upstairs. I sighed with relief when I heard Charlie snoring in his bedroom. It would be easier to talk without having to worry about him overhearing something he shouldn't.

I laid the phone on my bed, grabbed my toiletry bag and headed for the bathroom, where I quickly got ready for bed. Back in my bedroom I threw off my jeans, shirt and bra and pulled on a t-shirt and sweat pants that I liked to wear at night. For a while, when Edward was staying with me nearly every night, I had worn clothes that were more attractive, but now that I was alone it made sense to just be comfortable.

I took out my wallet and extracted the piece of paper with Jasper's phone number. I stared at it for a long while, memorizing it. Then I grabbed the phone, turned off the light and got under my quilt. I dialed his number in the dark from memory. He answered on the first ring.

"Hello Bella."

"Hi, Jasper," I whispered. I knew Charlie was sleeping, but I didn't want to give him any reasons to wake up. "Thanks for being here tonight and I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"It's all right. No harm done."

"It's just that Edward . . . well, he would have watched me all day and I guess . . . I know I overreacted."

"I understand. It's not a big deal. Forget about it."

I didn't say anything for a while. There was only one thing to say

"Thank you."

More silence passed, but it wasn't uncomfortable. In the dark, lying in bed under my quilt, I felt strangely comforted just knowing there was someone on the other end of the line. I may have let the silence go on forever, but then I heard him whisper.

"I've missed you. Tell me about your day." My breath caught and my stomach did another summersault. He's just speaking quietly, Bella. It means nothing. Calm Down!

"Well, I spent most of the day at LaPush with Jacob."

"Jacob? The Quileute boy who came to Prom last year?"

I was surprised that Jasper remembered, then I remembered he had perfect recall.

"Yeah. His dad and Charlie are good friends and he's become a good friend too. Edward and I were never at LaPush and Jacob is so great, so happy all the time, spending time with him helps me forget . . ."

More silence, this time less comfortable. I wonder if I'd made a mistake telling Jasper about Jacob.

"It sounds like you had a good day," he finally said, his voice betraying no emotion. "What did you do?"

"We walked to the beach and then we just talked. Jake is, well . . ." I struggled to find the right words, "He's like sunshine, but he doesn't sugar code things either. He calls me out on things when I need it, just like you did last night. But most of all he makes me feel safe, and comfortable."

"I see." His voice still sounded detached. "What did you do after the beach?"

"We had lunch and then I watched him work on his car – he's building one for himself practically from scratch. And then I followed your advice and asked Jacob to come with us to the movies. And it worked, Jasper, it worked really well. Jake is younger, but he looks really grown up and a little intimidating, I think. And he's pretty good looking too," I stifled a giggle, remembering the effect Jake had on Jessica. "He didn't even have to do much. Just a couple of hugs here and there. Mike didn't have a chance. At least not until. . ."

Another longer than necessary silence.

"So you had no problems until Mike was dropping you off," his voice sounded harder, colder. My perception of his disapproval deflated my good mood.

"Yes," I whispered. "And you already know what happened then."

More silence. This was starting to be painful. I couldn't believe only moments ago my stomach had been doing exited flip flops over the prospect of this conversation. Now it was tied up in the worst kind of knots. I didn't understand any of this.

"Jasper, why are you mad at me? I was just following your suggestion."

He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm not mad at you."

"Then what? Something isn't right."

"I don't know, Bella. I'm not sure I understand it myself. It's painful to know you needed help and I wasn't able to be there, to know that you had to rely on someone else." I could hear the pain in his voice.

"Jasper," I said gently, "It's not your job to protect me. And even if it was, I'm not sure you could do it alone." I laughed bitterly, "As much of a danger and trouble magnet as I am, I'm sure no one person could provide enough protection."

"Protecting you would certainly be a full time job," he agreed, his voice a little warmer.

"Not following you today was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," he continued. "I knew you wouldn't want me to do it, and yet it took all my self restraint to stop."

"I . . . I don't know how to respond to that." I was extremely confused. I knew Edward had been extremely protective of me, but that was his nature. I didn't know why Jasper should feel that way.

"Did you ever notice that you have a way of bringing out the protective instinct in people? I know I felt protective of you before, as has every member of my family, but it's so much stronger now that they're not around. And it's not just us. I know I've felt the same thing from the human boys at the high school last year, especially Mike. From Jacob too, at prom. It's actually quite remarkable. I've never felt anything like it before. And even when I felt it around you, I couldn't identify it until just now."

"What are you saying, Jasper?"

"I'm not sure. I don't have an explanation. It's almost as if nature knew that you would need protection, and gave you the ability to solicit help without asking."

I though about what Jasper said, not sure how to feel about it. I supposed it was good that people felt protective of me, but also stifling. It was easier to take when I thought the over protectiveness was their choice. I didn't want to think of myself as forcing this feeling in people.

"I always thought I was a freak of nature. I guess now I have solid proof." My voice was still bitter.

"Bella," it was just one word, but the way he said my name, in a soft whisper, my stomach started doing summersaults again. "You're not a freak of nature. You're special. Really, really special."

I stopped breathing again. I was grateful that Jasper was nowhere near me for this conversation. I could only imagine the emotions I was sending out right now. I felt so pathetic. Not even two weeks without my ex-boyfriend and I was weak at the knees the first time someone called me special. Worse yet, I knew that someone was totally off limits and couldn't have meant the things he said in the way I was interpreting them. You're a fool, Isabella Swan. A pathetic, hormonal, teenage fool. I had to do something to change the topic of conversation before I actually said something that betrayed these stupid thoughts and feelings.

"Jasper?"

"Yes, darlin'?"

Darlin'? Oh, come on! And spoken in that soft whisper! Was he trying to make me do something idiotic? It's just a team of endearment. It doesn't mean anything!

"We always talk about me, but I'd like to hear about you, too. What did you do today?"

There was another prolonged pause on the other end of the line.

"I was in Port Angeles during the day. I came back this afternoon, way before you would have gotten there," he added quickly, as if to re-assure me that he hadn't been spying on my outing. "I bought you some more chips and soda" he said. Was if just me or did he sound embarrassed to admit that? "Then I hung out at a café. That was . . . tasking. There were a lot of people, some in close proximity. I had to swallow quite a bit of venom."

"But nothing bad happened?"

"I stayed in control. I was preoccupied, which seemed to help."

"What were you preoccupied with?" I asked.

"Do you really not know?" The question caught me off guard. I had no idea. I tried to think. Maybe he missed Alice? I knew he had gone shopping in Port Angeles with her frequently. Maybe being there on a busy day reminded him of her?

Apparently I left the question unanswered too long. He sighed.

"No, I guess you wouldn't," he said, sadly. Then, abruptly, "I got you a present." He sounded excited, like he was the one who was getting something.

"A present? You didn't have to do that. I hate presents. Besides, what's the occasion?"

"It's nothing big, Bella, I swear. And it's as much for me as it is for you. Is there," he hesitated. "Is there any way I could give it to you tomorrow?"

"Um," I bit my lip in frustration. I had no excuse to be away from the house tomorrow. I would have to think of something to tell Charlie. "I can try to get away for a little while."

"I know it's difficult for you. I know you hate to lie to your father. But please, I really would like to see you," he paused for a moment, then added, "I need to see you."

Oh darn it, there went the stomach again. Maybe it was something I ate. I hope whatever was causing all these weird emotions would be out of my system tonight. I could never face Jasper again if I was going to feel like this around him.

"Okay," I said softly. "I'll think of something."

There was another pause in the conversation. I couldn't stifle a loud yawn.

"It's getting late," he said. "I should let you get some sleep."

"I suppose. I wish we didn't have to hang up. I have to keep the line clear just in case there is an emergency call for Charlie, but I wish we could just talk until I fell asleep. Ever since Edward left I have a hard time falling asleep in this room without crying. I know talking to you would help."

I head an owl screech outside my bedroom window, then a loud intake of breath on the other end of the line, something that sounded like a rush of wind and a faint echo of a similar owl screech in the background. I guess the birds were out on the prowl.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." There was a strange quality to his voice. It almost sounded like he was scared.

"It's OK, Jasper. Maybe I'll put on some music. Sometimes Edward used to hum me a lullaby . . ." I choked at the memory. I sensed the tears starting to come. I had to finish this conversation before I completely broke down.

"I do need to go, Jasper," I said, my voice quivering, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, darlin'," he said softly. "I'll see you later today."

Reactions? Speculations? Leave a review!