"Man, is this all kids do? Sleep and eat?" Emmett groused as he returned after checking in on Bella. Based on the pout on his face, Jasper assumed that his guess was right, and the little girl did not, in fact, wake up as he'd predicted.
"What do you think humans do when they're young, Em?" Edward shook his head as he focused on the game he and Jasper were playing. "She's five years old. She needs rest."
"Especially after being injured the way that she was," Jasper added, and that seemed to bring the mood down exponentially as Emmett frowned. Plopping down on the floor beside Edward, he takes a moment to stare down at the controller. "Everything takes a toll on humans. Especially the little ones."
"Hopefully, Carlisle and Alice will find the bastard tonight. I don't like knowing he's out there." The burly vampire said before resuming his game with Edward, the latter nodding in agreement.
The three took turns playing their games until finally, Bella woke up, her heart being unusually fast before the sadness hit Jasper once again. Not liking what he was feeling from her once again, Jasper stood up and walked up the stairs to greet her, murmuring to his brothers as he did, "She's up but let me talk to her first. It feels like it's going to be a rough morning."
Knocking on Bella's open door, he smiles warmly as the little girl looks at him from where she was lying in bed. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears once more, and he decides to step in and ease the pain.
"Mornin' Bella. Did you sleep well?"
Bella nodded but shut her eyes when she moved her arm from under the covers.
"Is your shoulder hurting?" He asked as he sat on the bed beside her. She bit her lip as she nodded. Slowly, Jasper tried to ease Bella's pain with his gift as he offered, "Want to come downstairs with me? Emmett and Edward are playing games in the living room."
"Ed...ward?" The little girl questioned curiously.
"Yes, Edward," Jasper chuckled as he ruffled her hair, glad to see that she didn't shy away from his touch even today, "He's our youngest brother."
"Is he small like me?"
"No, darlin'," Jasper watched her with endearment as he noticed Bella's hope simmer down into disappointment, "but he might as well be, so I think you'll like him."
"Ha ha, very funny," Edward chimed from the living room, which earned him another joke at his expense from Emmett.
"Where's Esme?" Bella asked as she got up on her knees and faced Jasper.
"She went into town to buy some groceries. Why?"
Bella's cheeks turned a light pink color, her blood rushing to her head and causing Jasper to hold his breath before the burning in the back of his throat could start.
"I need to...change?" She looked down at herself before looking back up at the empath.
"...Oh. Right, well," Jasper cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked around the room and noticed the dressed in the corner of the room. He glanced back at Bella before walking over and pulling open one of the drawers. All he saw was an array of bright colors, and it threw him off to distinguish what sort of piece of clothing was neatly folded in the compartment. Jasper blew out a breath, "Looks like Alice decided to buy you a whole rainbow, huh?"
Looking over his shoulder, Jasper's smile faltered as he noticed Bella was no longer sitting on the bed, "Bella?"
A sharp pain in his chest made Jasper wince, and he started to panic when he realized it was coming from the little girl. Walking around the bed, he finally spotted her, hugging her knees to her chest as she sat on the floor by the pile of stuffed animals Emmett had bought for her. She was so small, and she could probably be mistaken for a doll if someone didn't look closely, Jasper thought to himself.
Kneeling, he sat in front of Bella, whose face was hidden by a curtain of her long coffee-colored hair. Jasper couldn't see her face since she rested her forehead against her knees, but her emotions told him enough. Grief couldn't be summed up into one word to describe exactly what Bella was feeling right now.
"Bella? Talk to me," he gently urged her as he slowly reached a hand out and brushed the hair away from her face. Bella flinched before looking up at Jasper's pleading eyes. "What's going on, doll?"
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sniffled, "I don't know. I'm just...sad," she answered meekly, and the confusing frustration he felt from her had Jasper clenching his jaw. So many raw emotions have been bombarding him ever since Bella came into his life, and it made Jasper wonder if this is how every child feels when they're sad or angry. Angry at the world for ripping them away from the only thing they know. Of course, Bella would feel this way. She's lost her mother and father in one day and was traumatized by the bastard that caused their deaths.
How could she not be affected after all she's been through?
"What can I do to make you feel better?" Jasper asked before realizing Edward and Emmett had become silent, listening intently to the little girl just as much as he was.
Bella looked up at his face for a long moment before her eyes trailed down his arm and stopping at his hand.
"H-hug...?" She almost seemed too afraid to ask.
Jasper tensed for a second as he adjusted to the warring emotions that constantly changed and slowly extended his arms out towards her until she looked up at him to find that he was waiting for her patiently, "Come here."
Slowly, she crawled over to him until Jasper swept her up onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Bella cried silently as she rested her head against his shoulder and trembled as his hands rubbed her back, humming gentle words to her, "Do you think a hug would help you feel better whenever you start to feel sad?"
She nodded, sniffling as he leaned back to look her right in her grieving eyes.
"Then you can always ask me for one, Bella. Don't ever hesitate to call on me or anyone else if you feel sad. You don't have to hide, not from us. Okay?"
"I'm sorry," she hiccuped before Jasper shook his head, wiping her cheeks of the tears that slowly stopped falling. "I just...I'm sorry."
"No apology is needed. It's okay, darlin'. It's okay."
Bella nodded again, and this time, she wrapped her little arms around Jasper and let him rock her back and forth. The feeling of utter protection Jasper invoked in her comforted her greatly, and she surprised him when he felt that she trusted him, without question.
A gentle knock brought them out of the tender moment after a few peaceful moments, and Bella finally settling into a peaceful state. Jasper looked over his shoulder to find his sister standing in the hall, her arms crossed, and a scowl masked an uncertain look on her face as she said, "I'll help the kid change. Doubt you or any of those fools downstairs will be able to dress her right anyway."
Bella's heart jumped in her chest as she looked up and noticed Rosalie for the first time. The awe and admiration lit up her heart-shaped face in a way that Jasper never truly saw before. But of course, he had because it was the same way Bella looked at him that day in the grocery store.
He smiled and rested his chin on top of her head for a second, forcing himself to grow used to her scent as quickly as possible, "Be nice to her, Rose. She's just a kid."
A snort was all he received before he settled Bella back on the bed as he excused himself, hesitating for a fraction of a second when he felt Rosalie's own emotions swell with conflict.
But when he looked back and watched Rosalie walk closer to Bella, Jasper noticed the small smile that broke out on her full lips as she finally greeted the girl, "Good morning, Isabella."
Hmm, maybe she didn't dislike Bella after all...
Little footsteps made Emmett break out into a huge smile as he sat up from his perch on the couch and reached for the big teddy bear he'd bought for Bella the other night—her "last" gift that would only be added to the pile of stuffed animals he'd already filled her room with. Keeping his amber eyes on the hall, he smiled as Rosalie walked in with a feigned look of disinterest, and seconds later, a shy Bella was following after her. Her cheeks were bright pink as she toddled behind the gorgeous blonde, her eyes staring at her as if Rosalie were a fairy of some sort. The sight of the two only made Emmett break out into a deep chuckle.
Bella noticed Emmett and slowly climbed up on the couch beside him to watch the television. Her burnt orange pocket dress hanging past her knees as she swung her legs off the edge. "Look who's finally awake!" He greeted Bella as he ruffled her hair, earning him a scowl right away. Better to see that fire in her eyes than sadness, he thought with satisfaction. "Got you somethin'. Want to see it?"
The moment Bella nodded, a huge teddy bear, almost the size of Emmett, was plopped onto the seat beside her. She gaped up at the bear as it practically towered over her, a big smile on its plush face. It should thrill her to see such a big present just for her...but-
"It's really big," She breathed as she poked its round belly with her index finger. Then, looking over her shoulder, she noticed the excitement on Emmett's face as the dimples on his cheeks became more prominent. "T-thank you, Met."
"You're welcome! Bells, did you meet my Rosalie?" He gestured to the brooding blonde that silently witnessed her husband's exchange with Bella from the couch.
As soon as Bella's warm eyes met Rosalie's, she smiled sheepishly, a blush appearing on her cheeks again as she felt the attention of everyone in the room on her suddenly. She didn't like having so much attention put on her; it made her feel shy and uncertain.
"Rosalie is beautiful..." That seemed to capture Rosalie's attention, making her eyes widen as she hadn't expected to hear Bella say that about her—considering she'd been cold to her this morning while helping her change into some clothes to the day.
"Thank you, Bella," Rosalie nodded awkwardly, which was a first to see. Apparently, Bella invoked uncertainty in Rosalie that none of the Cullens have ever been able to do before, not even Emmett, and he was probably the one who could fluster the stoic woman the most.
There she goes again with that word; Jasper shook his head with amusement as he crossed his arms and leaned against the glass wall. In his observations, Jasper's golden gaze shifted to the grand piano in the corner of the room and noticed one brooding young man practically glaring at the girl from across the room. What's wrong?
Edward snapped his attention up to Jasper and straightened as his eyes flickered between his brother and Bella, who had yet to notice him as Emmett continued testing her patience with amusement, "I can't hear her thoughts."
That was surprising news to everyone as Emmett paused before poking Bella's cheek playfully and earning himself another scowl despite Bella fighting off a smile too.
"Interesting..." Jasper murmured too low for Bella to overhear.
"Maybe for you," Edward frowned as he looked at Bella and hid the grimace that fought to present itself when his throat began to burn again. "She's like a blank page in her mind. Like something is preventing me from reading her thoughts."
"Maybe Carlisle will know how she's doing that," Emmett added as he looked away from Bella for a second. Apparently, a second too long because the teddy bear behind her was toppling forward the next thing he knew.
A loud thump brought all the vampires out of their silent conversation, and a subtle "Ouch..." made all of them tense as they found Bella on the floor with the huge bear lying completely on top of her little body.
"Bella!" Emmett was beside her in an instant, lifting the bear off of her without any difficulty. Bella laid on her stomach, with her head popping up to look at him with a wry smile, "You okay, kid?"
"That hurt," She chuckled as she sat back on her bum and rubbed her cheek where she must have hit it, "I'm okay. Sorry..."
Why an apology had to follow her statement caused a great deal of concern to Jasper, especially when he felt the tendrils of fear that followed the way Bella continued reassuring Emmett that she was alright.
"Did you hurt your shoulder?" Jasper crossed the distance between them and placed his hand on her cheek to soothe the red mark that started to arise over her pale skin, hoping the cool touch can distract her from the gift he dispelled over them to ease the dull ache she felt. The good thing was that he couldn't detect any blood from her injury, which was possibly the most concerning thing to him, especially since Carlisle wasn't home. Bella was surrounded by vampires who barely interacted with humans to begin with.
It was the empath's turn to scowl at Emmett now, "You had to buy the biggest toy in the store, didn't you?"
"I didn't think it would crush her! Humans—I mean—kids are so fragile," He corrected himself as Bella watched the exchange between the brothers curiously. Meanwhile, she didn't notice that Rosalie had somehow disappeared from the living room within the blink of an eye, just like she didn't notice Edward sitting stiffly by the piano. His hands gripping the leather of the bench underneath him until the material ripped.
You can't hurt her. You can't hurt her. You can't!
Thanks to Alice's persuasion, his resolve had been to remain in the house with the rest of the family. His initial thought to leave for Alaska to sort through the guilt of wanting to drink the little girl's blood was overwritten by the possibility of killing her if he didn't remain in Forks now. So if he'd left, Edward could have very well harmed Bella upon returning...
"Hello," A small voice pulled him out of his worries, and Edward's head snapped to his right to find chocolate brown eyes staring into his, curious and timid as she shifted her eyes to look at the piano. "This is pretty."
Edward swallowed the venom in his mouth, focusing on the sting to distract him from the need to breathe in her enticing scent as soon as her cheeks blushed a bright red.
"Hello, Bella." Edward forced the words out and smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you."
Bella shifted on her socked feet and smiled timidly at Edward, "What's your name?"
Ignoring the curious glances between his brothers behind Bella, Edward quickly became lost in her pretty, innocent eyes and gentle voice. The silence of her mind was unnerving as it was calming, in a strange way, "My name is Edward."
"Edward..." She repeated the name as her hand reached out to touch the glossy edge of the piano. If he'd been able to hear Bella's thoughts, he would have heard how she thought he was possibly the most beautiful young man she'd ever seen, prettier than Jasper or Emmet and Carlisle even. But the thought was quickly wiped away when she focused on the wonderful grand piano in front of her, "Is this your piano?"
Edward's full lips curved up into a crooked grin, and he nodded, "It is. Do you want to hear me play?"
Bella's heart skipped a beat with excitement, and she interlocked her hands together in front of her as she nodded, "Yes, please."
Then, unbeknownst to him, Edward took the first step towards protecting Bella from the monster that craved her blood—he played the piano for the newest member of his family and swore to himself that he would not harm her. Not this innocent little girl that looked at him as if he were the sun when she proved to be the epitome of it.
I won't hurt her...
Thanks for reading x
So far, I love Jasper and Bella's relationship. Emmett and Bella make me smile, and I can already see the banter between them is the highlight of every chapter, but Bella's admiration for Rosalie is definitely cute, lol.
What did you guys think about Rosalie and Edward meeting Bella?
I know I said Bella would meet everyone in the family in this chapter but guess what? I'm currently in quarantine due to being exposed to covid, and I have a killer headache, so I decided to stop here and upload the next chapter in a few days.