Good day to my lovelies! I hope you're all doing well on this fine Monday. Err, like Monday could ever really be fine, but anyway.

Here we are with the new chapter, and just to warn you before you start reading, this is in Jasper's POV. I know we're all very unhappy with him, but I'm hoping with you this chapter, you'll give him a little bit of a chance. Remember how bad it was? Well, I'm hoping it'll be just that good when all is said and done.

And his voice of reason might not come from where you expect it to. That's all I'll say for now.

Thanks for all of you who are reading, and especially those of you who have reviewed, fav'd and put on your alerts.

I don't own Twilight. But I love Rob, and he deserves all the happiness in the world. So let's all give him some love, okay?


Of Past Regret and Future Fear

After going through every corner of his office in just an hour, Jasper was surprised to discover that nothing around him mattered to him anymore. He'd come in early, hoping to get it done before anyone else came in since it was Tuesday, but when his boss, Aro, had come into his office at eight a.m. sharp, Jasper had been forced to reevaluate why he'd taken this job in the first place.

There were no photos of anyone in his family anywhere. Most of the paintings on the walls belonged to the magazine. A day after facing Carlisle and being completely written out of his brother's life for good, Jasper found himself more lost than he'd ever felt in his life. When he'd decided to quit his job, next to nothing his boss said would persuade him to change his mind. And that was still the case.

And after finishing all the paperwork at the courthouse, Jasper had called the main office in New York to have the secretary there contact his father. There was nothing in this office except the asshole he'd been three weeks earlier when his sister had been killed in a car accident. Not even having Irina in town was enough to make Jasper reconsider quitting his job, and he was glad she wasn't here now. But she was sure to show up at any point before he left this building for good.

"Mr. Cullen, you have a visitor."

He looked up to see Yvette there with a tall man behind her as he wore a cream-colored sweater and jeans with white sneakers. Jasper smiled as soon as he saw the short-haired, blond man who'd come to see him.

"Peter Emerson," he chuckled.

"Jasper Cullen. Didn't think I'd see you again so soon," he grinned, stepping around Yvette to sit in one of the chairs in front of Jasper's desk. "Especially not like this. How ya been, man?"

Jasper sighed heavily and shook his head. "I've been better," he said, packing away the few books from his shelf that he wanted to keep. "How's Charlotte?"

Peter nodded. "She's good. Still on assignment in Uganda, but she's due back in a week. What's goin' on, Jasper? I heard you quit."

"I did," Jasper confirmed.

"What happened? A few weeks ago, you were talking about getting back to New York for the Spring Spread."

Placing the last book in the box on his desk, Jasper stepped around it and sat in the chair next to Peter. "You'd never believe me if I told you. And it's complicated. Let's just say I had a pretty big wake-up call, and I have to change directions if I'm going to avoid something like it happening again."

Peter leaned back, looking at Jasper with a measure of confusion in his indigo eyes. "Shit, it sounds serious. Whatever it is, you can tell me. We're friends, man. Come on."

Jasper sucked in a deep breath, pressing his lips together and leaning over his legs as he turned away from Peter. "It's about my brother Carlisle."

"The doctor?"

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, he, uh, he's gay," he admitted reluctantly, glancing at Peter to see a surprised look on his face. "I know I never told you — or anybody." Jasper looked away, rubbing his forehead. "I was stupid. I did something stupid, but it was probably a long time coming. I thought if I tried to fix what I'd done that he'd — It doesn't matter now. But this job wasn't helping. I gotta start fresh somewhere else, and I don't know where that is. But it isn't here."

"Why didn't you tell me when we were in Madrid?" Peter asked. "Were you ashamed or something?"

Jasper moved his hand to the back of his neck, still rubbing and feeling blood rush to his face. "Like I said, I was stupid. I didn't know how to handle it, and it never really made sense to me. But I guess it's not supposed to. It's his choice, and whether I get it or not, it's his life. I just wish I'd realized it before Rose died."

Silence filled the space between them, and Jasper stood up from the chair to step in front of the window as it overlooked Lake Michigan.

"I'm sorry about your sister," Peter said softly.

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, me too. Thanks."

Peter stood up then, following Jasper slowly. "I guess it's good that I never introduced you to Charlotte's sister and her girlfriend," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "They were in Madrid while we were on assignment. I was seriously thinkin' about it, but for some reason, I just didn't."

"Was I that obvious?" Jasper asked regretfully.

Peter shook his head. "Nah, man. I just didn't know how to tell you. Taylor's really cool, and so is Gianna, but we were really deep in country, and it would've taken them a couple of days to get to us. By the time we got back to the hotel, they were already back in New York."

"If it's not too weird, I'd like to meet her," Jasper insisted. "I'll probably be back in New York by tomorrow."

Peter shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Maybe we can even book some tickets to Uganda to meet Charlotte."

Jasper nodded. "I'd like that."

It got quiet after that, and then Yvette knocked on Jasper's door again.

"Mr. Cullen, your cousin is here to see you."

Jasper sighed, absolutely certain that Irina had come to torment him again with all her reasons for him to hold his ground and not be such a pushover where Carlisle was concerned.

But when he turned around, Jasper was stunned to see Kate there alone. "What are you doing here?" he asked without thinking.

She smiled at Yvette and then stepped into Jasper's office. "Well, I was in the neighborhood and wanted to see for myself that you'd really turned your ass around for the better."

Again, Jasper's face flushed with blood, and he glanced at Peter before speaking again. "Peter, this is my cousin, Kate Prescott. Kate, this is a colleague of mine, Peter Emerson."

Instantly, Peter moved forward and took her hand in his. "It's nice to meet you," he greeted. "Jasper's told me a little about you. You're a nurse at Cook County, right?"

She nodded. "I am. And he's told me nothing about you. You're a photographer too?"

Peter glanced at Jasper. "Photojournalist," he corrected. "And I probably should get back to the hotel. We're starting the Spring Spread in a couple of days." He reached over to shake Jasper's hand. "We'll talk about that trip to Uganda."

Jasper nodded. "I'll call you as soon as I'm in town."

With that, Peter stepped away from them to leave the office, and within a moment, Jasper and Kate were alone.

"You're leaving?" Kate asked.

Jasper moved back to his desk. "To get back to New York," he confirmed. "Yes."

"So you're running away?"

He looked up at her, noticing a distinctively different appearance to her than he'd ever seen before but unable to place why she looked so different. "Carlisle doesn't want me around," he told her. "I screwed up. This is the price I have to pay. That's his right after what I did."

"Why'd you do it?"

"What?"

"Attack Edward. Take Bella. Try to stop the adoption in the first place. I just want to understand."

"Is it important?" he asked. "I don't know why anymore. It just seems so meaningless now, and just because I thought I was doing the right thing, it doesn't excuse what I did. And if Carlisle doesn't want me around anymore, then I owe him that."

A thoughtful expression crossed her face, and she stepped closer to him. "I didn't want to believe Carlisle when he said you had changed," she admitted. "It didn't make sense because you've been like that all this time. But he's right. You're different."

Jasper grinned without meaning to, but it wasn't because he agreed with her. On the contrary, he didn't understand how she could say that at all. Just because he'd come to the stark realization that he'd been an asshole to his family his entire life didn't mean that he'd changed. Even if he felt different and wanted to be different, it didn't mean he was. "I screwed up," he said again. "That doesn't mean I'm different."

Kate shrugged. "Admittance is the first step on the road of recovery," she said. "The Jasper I knew wouldn't have admitted he messed up in the first place. And Carlisle has a lot of people depending on him now. Whatever he wants is because of them. I think he still needs his brother."

Jasper shook his head. "He doesn't need me. He doesn't want me. I'm not going to force my presence on him just so I can feel better about myself for being a screw-up."

She moved around the desk to be beside him, turning him to face her even as he stood several inches taller than her. "You were mean when you were a kid," she told him. He laughed, and she did too. "And you were whiny and stuck up. I never knew you wanted to be a photographer. And I never knew you wanted to travel. That's my own fault. I chose Carlisle's side because so few of our family really understood what he was going through when he told us. But how did that make you feel, Jasper?"

All of a sudden, Jasper felt tears well in his eyes. "I felt like I was losing my brother," he said softly. "And I felt like I'd never be able to talk to him again. And I — I hated him for keeping it from me for so long. I thought I had to hide how I felt, and nobody really ever asked what I thought. They all just assumed I didn't like it. But I didn't care." The moment it came out of him, Jasper realized how true it was. He couldn't believe it had been there the entire time, and it felt so horrible knowing that he could've said it all along but never knew how.

"And what did you want?" Kate asked, taking his hands in hers to hold them as tight as she could.

"I just wanted my brother," Jasper whispered, amazed that he was getting so emotional and saddened by the fact that it was coming too late.

"See," she said, tapping his chin and making him to look at her. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Again, he laughed, and his tears slipped down his cheeks before she wiped them away.

"And you know," she went on, "once you've hit bottom, there's really only one way for you to go."

Jasper realized what she was suggesting, and he gently nudged her away, stepping around her to move back to the window. "Carlisle doesn't want that," he said. "He wants me gone. If I showed up now, it would just make things worse."

Kate followed him slowly. "Carlisle wants Edward and the girls and Michael safe. He wants Tan safe. He'll do anything to make that happen, and if that means depriving himself of the only immediate family he really has, then he'll do it. But you're always going to be his brother, and he knows that. I don't want him regretting this. And I don't want my baby to grow up without knowing you. You're my family, Jasper. You deserve to know your nieces. And you deserve to know Michael."

"Your baby?" Jasper asked, turning to face her.

Kate smiled with her hand over her stomach. "Yes. My baby."

Unconsciously, he reached out for her, and she pulled him closer, allowing him to lay his hand over her stomach.

"Really?" he asked.

She nodded. "Really."

Then he lifted his eyes to hers. "Who's Michael?"

Kate laughed, grasping onto Jasper's wrist. "He's Edward's son," she revealed. "He adopted him just after Rose's funeral. He was a premie in the nursery that Edward helped deliver last month. Michael's twin died the night of Rose's accident, and his mother wanted Edward to take care of him."

Shocked but not worried, Jasper gasped softly. "Really? I mean, he really helped do that?"

Kate nodded again. "Edward's a really amazing guy," she said. "He makes Carlisle really happy. I think you'd like him if you got to know him."

Jasper didn't hesitate, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Kate to hold her as close to him as he could — closer than he ever had before. "I want that," he whispered. "I want it so much, but I don't know if I have the right to it anymore. And I'm so happy for you and Garrett. I know you'll make a great mom, and your kid's already the luckiest kid in the world. Like Alice and Bella. And Michael."

She didn't say anything in response, but her hold on him was just as tight as his was on her. That told Jasper everything he wanted to know right then.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang, startling them both, and he stepped back slowly, still holding her hand and bringing the phone to his ear without looking to see who it was.

"Hello?"

"Remember me?" James asked.

Just the sound of his voice made Jasper's skin crawl. Kate noticed instantly, stepping closer.

"Who is it?" she asked.

He nudged her away, moving back to his desk. "What do you want?" he asked James.

"From you? Nothing. I just thought I'd call and let you know. I know where Edward is."

The earth beneath Jasper's feet spun on its end so fast that he had to sit down to keep from falling. "What are you talking about?"

James laughed, his hoarse intonation setting off Jasper's nerves. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. See, I knew you wouldn't ever tell me where the little bastard was, especially considering how you fucking clammed up when I got there. That's why I had myself a little spy do some digging for me. And it was just so easy for her to find him. It's been nice knowing you, Jasper. Maybe we'll see each other in the afterlife."

The phone went dead, but Jasper couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.

This was all wrong. Edward was supposed to be in Chicago. Wasn't he? Why would James call now? What did it all mean?

"Jasper," Kate said as she now stood in front of his desk. "Who was that?"

Instead of answering her, he asked a question of his own. "Where's Edward?"

Kate stepped back, hesitating.

"Just tell me," he said. "Please."

She sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "He's in South Carolina. He and Tan took Michael and the girls down over a week ago. Why? Who was that?"

Suddenly, Jasper felt nauseous. He leaned over his legs with his head between his knees, realizing what this meant.

If James knew where Edward was, then that meant something bad was about to happen.

"Jasper," Kate said again. "What's wrong? Who was that?"

For once in his life, Jasper didn't lie. "It was James. He — When he got here, he wanted to know where Edward was, but I wouldn't tell him. After I got arrested, I never saw him again. I thought he'd left town. But now he — "

"Now he what? What's happening?"

Jasper leaned over again, trying to compensate for all the blood rushing to his head. "He — He knows where Edward is now. I don't understand how he found out, unless — "

Victoria.

"Oh, my God," Kate whispered.

"Where's Carlisle?" Jasper demanded, rising and leaning over his desk.

"He left for South Carolina before I came over here." She stepped closer to him. "Why did you call that bastard? After what he did to Edward."

"What did he do?" Jasper pleaded. "I could never find out."

Kate clenched her fists at her sides. "Jasper, he beat and raped Edward when he was in college," she said through her clamped teeth. "He was nineteen."

This made the nausea worse, but Jasper tried to stay focused. "Was anything done about it?" he asked, even though by now, he already knew the answer.

"No," she said simply.

"Shit, what did I do?" he breathed, unable to keep the contents of his stomach down as he leaned over a trash can nearby and vomited without really meaning to. Even with that, he tried to apologize. "God, I swear, I didn't know. I swear, I didn't fucking know. I have to — Christ, I have to do something."

"Like what? What can you do if you're going back to New York?"

He sat in the floor, shaking and feeling so fucking stupid. Kate brought him a glass of water and a wash cloth, kneeling in the floor next to him.

"I'm not going to New York," he declared. "Someone has to warn Edward. Carlisle's on his way. You can call him. He won't listen to me, not about this. But I can go. I can take the jet and be down there in an hour and a half."

He drank the water, swishing a bit of it around to clean his mouth and then wiping his face off. Slowly, unsteadily, he rose to his feet, and Kate followed him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "Carlisle can find a flight and be down there in just as much time."

"You mean he's driving?"

She nodded.

Jasper shook his head. "If he's doing that, it's for a reason. And I can deal with James."

"If you don't think Carlisle will listen to you, why do you think Edward will?" she asked. It wasn't a statement meant to wound him. She was genuinely concerned.

"I'll figure something out," he said. "But you call Carlisle. I have to — I have to go. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Is there anything you need me to do?"

He glanced around the office, seeing the box of books. "Can you take the books with you?" he requested. "They were Mom's, and I was going to ship them to New York. But will you keep them?"

"Of course," she said. "Just go."

He leaned forward and held her closer, whispering to her softly. "Thank you for coming here. I'm so glad it was you and not Rina."

"You're welcome," she said with a light laugh. "Now go."

He stepped away from her reluctantly, knowing she was the only person who'd given him the chance to do what he needed to do and hoping he got to make up for all the shitty things he'd done to her as a kid.

As soon as he stepped into the corridor outside his office, he motioned for Yvette to follow him.

"I need you to call the pilot on the jet and have him get it ready," he ordered, his voice quivering slightly. "I'm going to South Carolina now, and my cousin will finish clearing out my office."

"Is everything all right, Mr. Cullen?" Yvette asked as they walked.

"No," he said honestly. "But I'm hoping to fix that. Just call the pilot and tell him I'm on my way. And Yvette."

They stopped at the elevator, and she lifted her eyes to his. "Yes, Mr. Cullen?"

"Don't tell Aro, okay? Last day's request and all."

For the first time since he'd met her, she smiled and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Cullen."

He stepped onto the elevator then, hoping he mustered his courage before it reached the lobby sixteen floors down.

On the way down, Jasper called the pilot himself. Not because he didn't trust that Yvette would do it, but because he wanted to know if there were any landing strips closer to his hometown than Charleston. The closer he could land, the better.

He was away from Chicago before eight-thirty, pacing with a glass of Scotch after the jet took off and berating himself that he'd never even tried to get to know Edward. If he'd just told Carlisle the truth instead of being a stupid jerk all these years, he'd have Edward's phone number and could warn him before he even landed.

Instead, Jasper got a little more worried with every minute that passed.

What if Edward didn't believe him? Why would he? There was no reason for Edward to think Jasper would do anything to help him, and it was completely understandable.

But Jasper couldn't think of anything worse than James finding Edward and the girls, and he didn't want to think of what would happen if any one of them were hurt. The idea of James getting his hands on those girls made Jasper more physically ill than anything else ever had. He couldn't let that happen. Whatever he had to do for Edward to believe him, Jasper had to do that and more.

The flight passed like time had literally slowed down, and it wasn't until they were almost ready to land that the pilot informed Jasper that they'd been able to find a small airport that was a little closer to the town than if he'd had to drive from Charleston.

"I also spoke to the control tower about a vehicle for you," the pilot said as they approached the small runway. "There should be a car for you to drive when we land."

"Thank you," he replied. Jasper didn't care whether it was a car or a fucking tractor. As long as it got him to his destination and wasn't difficult to maneuver.

As soon as they landed, Jasper was ready to get off the jet. He wondered if Kate had been able to call Carlisle. Would Edward already know Jasper was coming? Would he be willing to listen to Jasper after everything that had happened?

He didn't have any luggage, so disembarkment was quick and easy. Jasper ran from the jet to a car that was sitting on the tarmac, speeding away from the small airport so he could get to the house before eleven. Though the airport was probably thirty minutes closer to his destination, its size actually helped quicken the process of getting off the jet and into the car. Whatever happened to the jet now was no longer any of Jasper's concern.

It was difficult not to speed along the highway as it set empty of traffic. Getting pulled over by a cop right now wasn't exactly ideal, and Jasper had to watch his speed the entire time he drove. His anxiety rose as he neared the town he'd grown up in, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

He just needed Edward to listen to him.

Jasper hadn't been back to this town since he'd left for college almost ten years earlier, but as he pulled through the west part of town on the highway, everything he saw looked exactly the same — right down to the gas station and the diner that led him toward the road his house was at the end of.

The police cruiser parked in front of the house confused Jasper, and he thought for a minute that either Kate or Carlisle had already called Edward and warned him. At first, this was a good thing. He parked the car he was driving next to the cruiser and got out without thinking, hurrying up to the porch and stopping just short of the door.

If he barged in, it would probably startle everyone in the house. Was he supposed to knock? Ring the doorbell?

Despite it being his own house, Jasper calmed his nerves as best as he could and slowly lifted his finger to press the button for the doorbell. Then he held his breath, hoping and praying.

It took probably a minute, but when the door opened and a tall, tan guy with cropped dark hair and intensely confused dark eyes answered with Bella on his hip, Jasper could do nothing to hide his astonishment.

Who the hell was this?

Bella immediately began squirming, and the guy put her down, staring after her as she ran away to the back of the house. Half a minute passed, and when Jasper opened his mouth, a voice he never thought he'd be grateful to hear echoed up from behind the guy in the doorway.

"Sam, what's wrong with Bella?"

Edward appeared in the propped open door instantly, now holding Bella as she clung to him with all her arms and legs. The bemused expression on his face changed instantly as he regarded Jasper. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Jasper's heart sunk. No one knew what was going on. "Kate didn't call you?" he asked.

Edward clenched his jaws. "Why would she?"

"Look," Jasper said, remaining at least three feet from the door. "I know you don't have any reason to believe me, and I don't really expect you to. But I — "

"You have no goddamn business being here," Edward accused. "And if you don't leave now, I swear I'll have you sent away in shackles like you should've been in the first place."

"I didn't plan on coming here at all, but this was my fault. I had to come so nothing bad would happen."

"Oh, like you beating the shit out of me or taking Bella from her house like a fucking coward?" Edward yelled.

Jasper squeezed his eyes shut, balling his fists tightly. "I never wanted that to happen. I told all of that to Carlisle! It was the worst mistake of my life, and I'll never be able to take it back. But this is different. It's about — "

"I don't give a shit what it's about," Edward bellowed. "Leave! Now!"

"It's about James!" Jasper screamed.

All the blood drained from Edward's face, and his hold on Bella tightened as his eyes widened slowly. His jaw went slack, and his mouth fell open, but he didn't say anything.

"He knows where you are," Jasper said a little more calmly. "He knows you're here. And I can't let anything happen to you. Any of you. Please."

Edward lifted his hand to Bella's head, pressing his cheek to her forehead and then glancing at Sam. "Baby, I need you to go to Sam, okay?"

She cried softly, holding him tighter.

"It's okay, baby. Sam won't go anywhere." Slowly, Edward turned to Sam and shifted Bella to his arms. "Just take her."

Bella cried louder, reaching for Edward as Sam stepped away but didn't leave the porch.

"I was stupid," Jasper said. "And I never meant for this to happen. I swear. I — He called me this morning and said someone had found you for him. I never, ever told him where you were. I didn't trust him, and it was a mistake calling him."

Edward didn't say anything at first, moving away from the door and leaning over the railing of the porch. "Why did you think Kate called me?" he asked quietly.

Jasper followed slowly. "She came to the office while I was packing the few things I wanted to keep with me. She was with me when he called. I thought she would call Carlisle, and he'd call you. I don't know why she didn't, but I had to get here." He stepped up to Edward's side, seeing that he was still angry but obviously not so much that he couldn't think a little more rationally than expected. "I didn't know what he did until today. And it's not a good enough reason, but I'm sorry. I never — "

"I don't need your fucking pity," Edward said between clenched teeth.

"It's not like that," Jasper insisted. "I'm just sorry. I don't know what he'll do if he comes here, but I can't let him do it again. And I'm not asking you to forgive me. Just believe me. Please. For Bella and Alice. Carlisle trusts you with them, and I need you to trust me."

Bella cried for Edward again, and he groaned softly, stepping across the porch to take her. Jasper stayed back, fully expecting Edward to dismiss him without a word.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, remaining near Edward and Bella and glaring at Jasper.

"I'm fine," Edward replied as the door opened wider to allow another of the house's occupants outside.

"What the hell is all this yellin' for?"

Jasper couldn't hide any of his surprise to see Charlie there with a bewildered look on his face. What was he doing here? Then Charlie saw him.

"What the fuck are you doin' here?"

Jasper was confused over Charlie's reaction, but it only took another minute to figure out that Sam and Charlie both knew what Jasper had done.

Charlie stepped around Edward and Sam, facing Jasper like only an authority figure could. "You've got about six seconds to tell me what the hell you think you're doin' here," Charlie commanded. "And even after that, I ain't makin' no promises to let you get away without a decent ass-kicking."

"I can explain," was all Jasper got out before Charlie grabbed his shirt and shoved him into one of the porch posts so hard the wood cracked.

"You got a lot of fuckin' nerve thinking it's okay for you to come around after what you did," Charlie growled softly. "I always knew you were a stuck-up jackass, but this is worse than anything I ever pegged you for. And now you have four seconds."

With Charlie's hands clenched around his collar, Jasper couldn't move one way or another, but that seemed to be the intent.

"I was wrong," Jasper squeaked. "I had to make it right."

"What?" Charlie yelled, clenching tighter and pressing Jasper into the post harder.

"I was wrong!" Jasper yelled as loud as he could, though it wasn't much.

"Stop," Edward shouted.

Charlie released Jasper and backed away from him.

"Just stop," Edward said, turning to Jasper as he still held Bella against him. "How long ago did he call you?"

"A couple of hours ago," Jasper said.

It was quiet for a minute, and then Edward glanced at Charlie and Sam before he spoke again.

"Come inside," he said to Jasper.

With that, he turned with Bella to go back into the house, and slowly, Jasper followed him. Charlie and Sam were close behind, and as they made it into the foyer, Jasper watched as Tanya came down the stairs slowly.

"What's going on?" she asked only a split second before her eyes found Jasper's. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

Edward spoke before Jasper could. "It's complicated. But I need you to keep Michael and Alice upstairs for now, okay?"

It looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn't, turning on her heel and moving back up the stairs without a word.

"You're not seriously gonna to listen to this asshole," Charlie said to Edward, "are you?"

Edward didn't say anything to him, moving into the living room with Bella but remaining stood as he turned to face Jasper again. "Carlisle said you quit your job. Is that true?"

Jasper nodded. "It is. I was packing my stuff this morning when Kate came by the office. She wanted to know if it was true too."

"Why?"

Exhaling sharply, Jasper planted himself a good four feet from Edward — and Sam and Charlie as he thought over the answer himself. "Decisions were being made without consulting me, and when I tried to go to the DA the first time to put a stop to it, I got hit with more red tape than the side of a construction site." He glanced at Charlie, stepping another couple of feet away. "I never meant for any of this to happen," he said to Edward. "I never should've come back to Chicago in the first place, even if it was my sister's funeral. And I didn't mean any of the things I said to you at the church. I was angry and hurt, and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have." He paused and stepped closer to Edward. "Listen, I'll tell you anything you want to know. Just tell me you believe me. A lot of this — in fact, all of this is my fault. And I need to make it right."

Charlie scoffed from the couch, and Jasper huffed.

"It's not for me. I swear." He looked at Edward. "It's for you, and her. It's for Alice and your son."

Edward lifted his eyes to Jasper's, and for the first time since they'd met, Jasper really looked at him. It wasn't just that his appearance was different or even his demeanor. There was something in Edward's eyes that told Jasper who he was and how he worked, and it didn't have anything to do with the fact that he was gay. It didn't have one damn thing to do with who he chose to love and why.

It was in that moment that Jasper knew Kate was right.

He'd been so stupid letting all of this slip away.

"I believe you," Edward said, to which Charlie shot up and stalked over to him in two strides.

"You cannot trust this self-serving dick," he argued. "What about the kids? He's gonna lead whoever that asshole is straight to the house."

Edward shook his head. "No, he won't. I did that. And so did Carlisle. And I'm thinking of Bella and Alice right now. I'm thinking of Michael and Tanya. I'm going to need your help if James is really coming." Edward turned and looked at Sam. "I'll need both of you now that John's in Charleston."

Charlie pursed his lips in annoyance, obviously still pissed and rightfully so.

Sam stood up from the armchair he'd settled into, moving around to where they all stood. "We'll do whatever you need us to, Ed," he agreed.

Edward looked at Charlie, and reluctantly, he nodded.

"Yeah, all right," he conceded. "But I'm not taking my eyes off this pompous ass until I'm sure he's not here for any other reason than that."

Edward nodded, still holding Bella and not moving for several more minutes.

Jasper was relieved, but now he was even more worried than he had been before leaving Chicago.

Why hadn't Kate called Carlisle, knowing for sure that he would've called Edward to warn him? Why had she even come to see him in the first place?

Jasper didn't understand, but he was grateful for whatever reason.

Now he just had to make sure James didn't hurt anyone in his family. For the first time in three years, he actually considered Edward to be a part of that group.

Maybe it wasn't good enough for Charlie, but right now, it would do.


First:

Charlotte's sister: Taylor

Taylor's girlfriend: Gianna

Just so we're clear.

And next time, we'll be back in Edward's POV to get a view on how he's dealing with this new development.

I hope you were able to see what Kate saw, and if not, I'll just keep trying.

Carlisle's on his way, and he's just three chapters away! I see a massive, amazing, lovey, sexy reunion coming!

Laters!