Author's Note: Thank You for reading and Reviewing! I think Saturday might wind up being in three parts so stay tuned. Shout Outs at the end! I did get Jasper and Alice design up on my redbubble check it out Redbubble Profile: MJFITZ . Please Enjoy ~mj

Saturday

Jasper

I groan inwardly. I'm too tired, sore and in no mood for whatever this is. I should have stayed in the sitting room. I've been trying to read but I'm having a hard time concentrating the past few days. Or maybe I should have seen if Rosalie was in the garage.

I would have like to have stayed somewhere out of the way but Alice asked me to get lunch with her and I didn't want to disappoint her. Though I seriously considering foregoing lunch just to stay away from Dr. Cullen.

Since last night he's been talking at me. Every time I've been in the same room as him he's stood right in front of me and stared while he talks.

He's talking about packing lunch or buying school lunch or something now. Every time I moved he moved with me so now I'm standing perfectly still trying to keep Alice in between me and him as she makes sandwiches.

I probably did this to myself, this probably has something to do with the conversation we had on the phone yesterday. I never should have answered it.

I try to avoid looking in the doctor's direction. I feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Having his eyes lock onto mine every time I look up is just too much.

Alice finishes and gives me a plate with our sandwiches on it as she grabs drinks. I follow Alice as fast as I can out to the deck and don't look back.

Esme

Jasper can't get out of the kitchen fast enough and I cringe at his discomfort. We've misstepped and I feel bad about it. Jasper's already got enough he's dealing with. "I don't think it's working Dear."

"I really thought it would help" Carlisle says disappointedly as he leans against the counter defeated.

"I think we need to just talk to him about it."

Carlisle and I talked as we hurried home from the expo about the possibility of Jasper having difficulty hearing.

Carlisle explained exactly what happened on the phone. He speculated that maybe Jasper's hearing had been damaged in the attack on the base. He was certainly close to at least one explosion.

We were enthusiastically coming up with ideas about how we could help him. We could certainly get his hearing tested. We had hoped that for now if we made sure to look at him and enunciate clearly when we spoke to him that he would be able to understand us better and he'd relax a bit and talk to us.

Since he opened up about his circumstances the first day we brought him home he really hasn't said more than a few sentences to either of us.

He mostly says 'yes Mrs. Cullen,' 'no Mrs. Cullen,' and 'I don't know' to me and Carlisle confirmed that that is mostly what he gets from Jasper most of the time too.

I got a little carried away after Carlisle and I talked. I had imagined that we'd get home and Jasper would be so happy that he could understand us clearly when we spoke to him that the pained and anxious expression we're used to seeing on his face vanished and he smiled.

We haven't get that kind of miraculous turn around. I think we've gotten the opposite. He was asleep when we got back yesterday evening and when he woke up he seemed ok, mostly perplexed by my and Carlisle's attempt to position ourselves in front of him when we spoke.

The other kids looked at us a bit oddly but Jasper was flat out trying to look anywhere but at us by the end of the night and sadly, I think now he's shying away from us more than before.

"We really need to let him know we want to help. Maybe we can sit down with him and see..." before I can finish my thought the phone rings.

Carlisle stands up from the counter and reaches over to answer it.

We get calls all hours of the day and night, many from the hospital. So I'm not surprised when he asks the person on the line to hold. "Esme, I'm going to take this in the study will you hang this line up for me?"

"Certainly." I'm disappointed that our conversation has to be postponed but I know it's not just any phone call. This is a well practiced routine in the house. When Carlisle has an important call he prefers to take it in the study. The kids and I know to hang up the kitchen line when I hear him in the receiver.

Rosalie

"What are you doing in my room twerp?" I demand when I find Edward in the room looking through my bookshelf.

"I'm trying to find my stuff and this room is the only room I haven't checked."

"I didn't give you permission to come into my room, you need to get out."

"It's not just your room any more is it?"

This is true. I volunteered to share my room with Alice. I would have loved nothing more than to have Eddie have to share a room but if I'd caused a fuss Edward would have wound up rooming with Emmett. I know Emmett had never had his own room before coming to stay here so I really didn't want to take that way from him.

I know Emmett wouldn't have said anything so I had to look out for him.

"I know Alice didn't tell you you could come in here, so what are you doing in OUR room?" Honestly I don't know maybe Alice did tell him he could be in here but I really don't care. It was my room first and it's my stuff he's going through.

"I've looked everywhere else, my stuffs got to be in here somewhere Rosalie." He looks around as if his rain coat or his shoe or any of his stuff is going to he laying in here out in the open. Please, I'm not that dumb.

"What stuff are you talking about Edward?"

"gggrrrr... all my stuff, My metronome, my Seattle Pilot's hat, the Abbey Road album. I know I didn't just lose all that stuff. It's got to be here somewhere." Oh he's so frustrated. Good.

"Well as you can see, none of your stuff is here." I gesture dramatically around the room.

He glares at me and shakes his head. "Fine whatever, you know what, I can live without it. If you happen to see the Abbey Road album could you let me know?" He says accepting defeat. I win this round.

"Why's it so important?"

"I've been looking for it all week cause I wanted Jasper to hear it."

This is a surprise to me. I wonder if it's a set up, Edward trying to manipulate me into giving up his stuff.

"Oh... well if you want to play him the Beatles why not play Sgt. Pepper or Revolver or one of the others they're all good." I say still playing innocent.

"IF I could find any of the Beatles's albums maybe I would!" That's right I've got them all and I know now I'm saving Jasper from one of Edward's pretentious music lectures so it's even better. "But he liked 'Here Comes the Sun' on the radio the other day and I want him to hear the album."

That makes me pause. Is Edward telling the truth? Is he actually looking for something because Jasper might genuinely like it? That is a surprise. I can't believe Edward may have had a change of heart since last weekend.

"Ok, if you promise you're done messing with Jasper then maybe you'll see your stuff again."

"Rosalie..." Edward says in a warning tone.

"Edward" I say snidely back while narrowing my eyes at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about me 'messing with Jasper.'"

"How could you not know? You told us all about last Saturday when you made grilled cheese." Come on Edward I didn't think you were that dense.

"How was I suppose to know that would upset him? The guy's all over the place anything could upset him, how's a guy suppose to keep up." That's true but no excuse.

"You could have explained to him nicely that Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle let us cook instead of being bratty." He roles his eyes but doesn't argue. I don't let him off the hook. "and you questioned him about why he joined the army..."

"I want to know...I have a right to know." Edward's actually getting red in the face now.

"You can't know everything about everybody Edward, there are some things that are none of your business."

"You want to know too, you've been just as interested in theorizing and hearing anything we've learned about him as I have."

"Yeah maybe but why are you still so upset by him?" Jasper seems to try really hard to not be a bother to anyone. Edward's got to see that.

"I'm not! It's not him. It's just... I knew things were bad with the government and the war. So many lives have been ruined, seriously. I watch the news, I read about all this terrible stuff.

It's one thing if Jasper was grown and got himself into this. It's another if he was a kid and went into this and no one looked out for him and said 'you shouldn't be here'... So many things seem to be pointing to him being younger than he should be.

If it's true... he shouldn't have been there. It makes me so mad that someone turned a blind eye and a kid that should have been in school and playing ball was sent off to get maimed in the jungle. I just want to know why."

I'm taken aback, I didn't know that was what was bothering him. I thought he was still worked up about Jasper being brought home and being a potentially dangerous inconvenience and all that.

"That's all well and good but don't make things worse for Jasper just because your upset."

"Geez Rosalie, I get it. Really. I'm sorry I was a brat ok."

Alice

"Have you ever seen trees like these before?" I ask him as we look out into the woods around the Cullen's house. They look to me like something out of a fairytale. Like from little red riding hood or Goldilocks.

"Not growing up. In Vietnam the jungle was big and dense like this but different."

"Was is scary?"

"You could never be sure what was through the leaves. There could be a man with a gun who wanted to kill you or poisonous snake just past the next tree." I watch him. "It was scary but it wasn't all horrible." Even in profile I see the tiny upturn twitch of his mouth. But his words aren't happy and he sounds more sad than anything. "It was definitely away from her."

Jasper has told me before that that was how he felt about being in a war zone, it was safe because she couldn't get to him.

I nudge him in the shoulder before I lose him to his thoughts.

"I visited a forrest in Mississippi when I was in the girl's home and the older girls said there was a monster in the woods like a Bigfoot monster." These woods are big like those It looks like the trees go on forever from here. There could be anything out there. "Do you think there could be something like that out there?"

"...well it is a big forrest."

I start, surprised by his answer. I turn to him and find him looking at me, a terribly mischievous look in his eyes.

"Hey!?" I say wrinkling my nose in mock indignation at being teased. Really I loved that he was joking with me. Now if I could just get him to laugh. Before I get a chance say anything the door to the deck opens.

We both turn to see Dr. Cullen stepping outside. Jasper tenses. He's been tense around Dr. and Mrs. Cullen today. I think he's uncomfortable with the attention they've been giving him.

"Jasper could you join me in the study." Dr. Cullen asks simply.

"Yes Sir." Jasper nods. He takes his crutch from where it's been leaning on the railing and moves to join Dr. Cullen at the door. Before he goes he looks back at me. I know he's nervous.

I smile. "It'll be ok." I tell him. I'm sure it will be fine. Dr. Cullen really is looking out for us.

Carlisle

I can see them out the glass doors. They're leaning on the railing with their backs to the door. Their shoulders touch as they look out into the woods. I open the door and the quiet conversation they're having stops.

"Jasper could you join me in the study?"

He looks curiously at me. I feel bad for what I'm about to drop on him.

He asks for Alice to excuse him and follows me. It's a tense walk down the hall. My teeth are clenched and he looks worried. He's walking a little better than he was yesterday, his limp isn't as deep, so we move faster than I thought we would.

Once we're in the study and the door is closed I turn to him "Jasper, Dr. Knox just called."

Tbc...

Author's Notes: Apparently there was a big fear of poisonous snakes among the U.S. Troops in Vietnam but like disproportionate to how many actually got bitten. There is De Soto National Forrest near Biloxi. FYI I am nearing the end of Stanchion and planing to take a break before posting the third section of this story which I have been calling 'Solace' more on that to come.

Shout Outs!

deltagirl74: Alice being with him at night would definitely help him sadly they can't be together now, maybe someday. Thank you for your review

Georgia Peaches: Thanks the phone scene was a late addition to the chapter I'm glad it worked out! Though it didn't exactly work out very well for Jasper.

Granny: Maria is horrid, I've been thinking about Jasper's past and wondering just what kind of awful things I might write (I'm not enjoying that part and really think I'm going to imply a lot more than I write) But she definitely made Jack and Jasper suffer and is still causing Jasper torment.

Sky Dog: Jasper can use all the help he can get and appreciates that you and other's can understand him. He's starting to get some support at the Cullen's and Alice definitely tries, it's going to get better for him but it's never going to be perfect. Thank you for reading and for your review!

Carly: Yes poor guy has to weigh all the options and consider everyone else before making a decision. It's part anxiety, executive disfunction and Maria making him question himself.

Brazos: Ahhh yes, he was having a rough time at the end of the chapter. Thank you for letting me know it got through to you. I hope I can continue to write scenes that give people feels, that's always my favorite! Thank you

Our Miss Connie: Absolutely! I don't think he's been ditching his meds but I think he's always more trusting and relaxed when things come from Alice!

Wendy: Oh Yes Eddie was having a rough week to and it made for some good comic relief. I enjoyed thinking up things of Edward's that could go missing. Thank you for your review

Fourjays: Esme was ready to drop it all for Jasper, she is a special and yes 'very classy lady' Thank you for reading and for your review

Peekaboo: Exactly! I'm glad you noticed that. Yes Jasper's decision making is very much based on not taking away from what other's might want. He tries really hard to not be a bother. That has to do with anxiety, executive disfunction and Maria. Thank you for your review

Houston Gal: Haha yes If you live in a hot climate you get used to in, I've been there and then gone North and it is a shock to the system. I have made a note to remember that when winter comes around in the story. Thanks

Lady Tomorrow: Yes, Jack isn't far from his mind. It gives me all the feels. Thank you for your review

painedjasperluvr: I'm so glad you're enjoying it, I am too! Thank you for reading and reviewing

IGP: Alice is excited! I know that other Fics have had Jasper stay home. My plan is currently that he'll go to school all be it with some difficulties and challenges (from his injuries and from people) but he's tough and he'll have help, it'll be interesting. Thank you for your review