Bella had been quiet the rest of the ride home, however, she clung onto Jasper the entire time until her anger and sadness washed away. Jasper could barely get her to talk to him and after asking her twice how her first day of school was, to only receive a shrug as an answer, Jasper didn't know what to say to make her feel better. He didn't want to manipulate her emotions either so with a sigh of resignation he tucked her close to him and rested his chin on top of her head for the rest of the drive.

Pulling into the driveway, she wasted no time in sliding off Jasper's lap the moment Carlisle opened the backseat and got out of the car.

Carlisle kneeled in front of her and smiled tenderly, "You alright, sweetheart?"

Bella stared at Carlisle with her big expressionless eyes, her lips in a thin line as she nodded.

The moment Jasper got out of the car, she turned and reached her arms out to Jasper for him to pick her up. He did so without hesitation, scooping her up in his arms before he noticed one of her braids were undone, "What happened to your hair, darlin'?"

Bella stiffened and both men noticed, "Nothing..."

Jasper tapped her chin to get her to look at him, "You can tell us anything, Bella."

Bella's little hands tugged on Jasper's curls, her fingers twirling the strands as she said, "No one likes me..."

"That is not true, Bella," Jasper said adamantly, his tone snapping Bella out of the trance she was in. "We do-" Her sudden smile stopped him from speaking, surprising him when he could see how hard she was trying to convince not only them that she was okay but herself too.

"It's okay, Jaz," Bella said but Jasper felt it was anything but okay.

"Bella, come here," Carlisle spoke this time, holding his arms out towards the little girl until she leaned out of Jasper's arms and into his. "Let's go on a walk? Huh?"

Jasper watched with a solemn expression as Carlisle took Bella out of the garage to walk around the property. His gentle voice asked her what had happened in school and before Jasper walked into the house, he could hear Bella's soft sobs as she told Carlisle what Jessica Stanley had said and done to her.

As Jasper closed the door behind him, he shut his eyes and let out a sigh. His heart has never ached for another like this in a very long time, especially not for a human. And he quickly found that it constantly ached for the little girl who sparked this brotherly love in him.

Raising a little girl with so much sadness and grief would be harder than any of them could have ever imagined. The only thing is, Jasper had no idea just how true that statement would be a few years down the line.

Thunder startled Bella awake in the middle of the night. Her little heart pounded in her chest as she sat up from the big bed she slept in every night–alone. The need to call out for her mother was just on the tip of her tongue when she remember where she was–who she was.

You don't have a mommy or a daddy.

She didn't know why she did it, but before she knew it, Bella felt around the bed until she managed to crawl off it. Alice had bought her a nightlife and it was kept on all night for the little girl so Bella could easily make her way to the pile of teddy bears Emmett had gifted her. Glancing up at the huge stuffed bear that stared down at her with lifeless black eyes, she crawled between its legs and curled up against it. Wanting the comfort of someone or anything desperately so that she wouldn't feel so alone anymore. But the emptiness that seemed endless in her chest continued despite draping the bear's arm over her. So Bella did the only thing she knew how to do whenever she felt lonely. She began humming the song her father had taught her. "It's oh, so quiet...it's oh, so still..."

It wasn't long before she fell asleep once again beside Emmett's gift to her, the bear warming her and keeping her safe from the thunder that rumbled outside.

"Bella?" A hand gently shook her shoulder and with a start, the girl shot up, her eyes blinking fast to look around the now dimly lit bedroom as dawn began to greet the sky. Did she have to go to school again? Already? No, she didn't want to go back!

Bella shivered uncontrollably as she looked up to find Esme and Carlisle's concerned gazes. Esme pulled the girl up onto her lap as she wrapped a blanket over her shoulders, "You're shivering, honey! What are you doing sleeping on the floor?"

"I...I wanted to sleep with the teddy..."

Carlisle frowned as he heard the irregular heartbeat and placed his hand on Bella's wrist, measuring the beats. "Sweetheart, your heart is beating very fast. I need you to calm down, okay? Why are you so agitated so early in the morning?"

"I have to go to school now?" She asked as Esme picked her up and put her on the bed, pulling the covers down before tucking her in. Esme noticed the tired look in Bella's swollen eyes and caressed her cheek.

"Did you not get any sleep last night?"

"I was...scared."

"Why, Bella?"

In truth, she didn't really know why she'd been scared—why she was still scared—and it made her feel sick in her stomach. Maybe she was sick...

Carlisle glanced between the little girl and Esme before asking, "Are you scared of sleeping alone?"

Her shining eyes shifted to his and she hesitated for a long moment. Eventually nodding in agreement.

"Would you like us to sleep with you, Bella? Until you go to sleep?" Carlisle could see the exhaustion laced in her gaze and he didn't feel too eager to force her to go to school after yesterday.

"N-no, it's okay." She mumbled but Esme curled her fingers under the little girl's chin to make her lift her face.

"Sweetheart? We won't be angry with you if you say yes. It's okay."

"But I'm a big girl...Mommy said big girls don't need to sleep with their parents anymore."

The look on the two vampires as they shared a look was missed by Bella as she took to playing with one of the bears next to her. The pink bow wrapped around the ears made her smile even though she didn't like the color that much.

"Bella, let's get you to bed okay? We'll stay with you." Carlisle said as he scooped the girl up in his arms and carried her to the bed. Placing her in the middle, he smoothed out her hair before taking a seat at the edge of the bed while Esme crawled up onto the other side. Bella watched them both, the fear in her eyes could not be ignored especially not when she clutched the teddy bear closer to her side.

Esme pulled the sheets and covers over Bella before settling an arm over her chest, patting her lightly as she attempted to soothe the child, "Sleep now, Bella. We'll be here when you wake up."

"O-okay..."

Bella curled onto her side to face Esme, admiring the pretty features in the woman's face before reaching her free hand out and patting Esme's cheek. "You are sleeping too?"

"Yes, darling. I'll sleep too." The woman's voice was a gentle whisper, her beautiful cadence lulling her to sleep before she realized it.

Bella's eyes drooped as she ran her hand up and down her cold cheek as if she were trying to soothe Esme into sleeping and not the other way around.

Esme smiled at her, pulling her into a gentle embrace close to her chest, while Carlisle leaned against the headboard—his heart swelling with affection as he watched the two.

"Good night, Momma..." Bella murmured as she slipped away into a deep, much-needed, sleep. Not yet understanding just what hearing that word meant to Esme—nor what it meant to Carlisle.

Esme kissed Bella's cheek and closed her eyes, "Good night, Bella."

"She's been sleeping for a few hours now," Jasper murmured, deep in thought as he spoke to his wife who sorted through the new clothes she'd ordered online. "She must've been really tired."

"It was for the best to let her sleep," Alice responded absentmindedly, "It was the only way she would have allowed Carlisle and Esme to stay with her. It'll be good for all three of them to spend more time together. She needs the love of parental figures more than anything right now."

Jasper nodded in agreement as he listened to Carlisle sneak out of Bella's room to phone her school, telling them the girl wasn't feeling well and she'd be staying home today.

It had been difficult not running up to her room the moment Bella had woken up in the middle of the night, singing to herself as if a parent would to calm a crying child. She self-soothed herself until the fear he'd felt rippling off her was barely there—until she fell asleep again.

Who taught her to do that? He wondered to himself while also admiring how intelligent Bella was to do this at such a young age. Some adults don't even know how to regulate their fear or anger and instead lash out. Children even more so...

Not Bella.

Alice perked up, her eyes seeming vacant for a moment as a vision interrupted her task of organizing their closet for the hundredth time this year. When she turned to face Jasper she had a bright smile, "It'll all work out, Jazz. She's already doing a lot better. Tomorrow will be a good day."

"I'm sure it will be if you say so," He said as he stood from the bed before kissing his wife. Alice leaned into him, her love pouring into him as he cupped her face in his large hands and deepened the kiss. His heart, though never beating, would without a doubt be pounding in his chest every time he kissed Alice. Of that, he had no doubt. His love for the pixie that saved his life from a dark path only seemed to grow with each passing day. Alice parted her lips to relish in their kiss, letting him dip his tongue into her mouth and simultaneously releasing a muffled sigh of pleasure. When they finally broke apart, Jasper rested his forehead against hers as he whispered, "I love you so much."

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him, "I love you more."

If this is what forever meant for them–this happiness and love that poured into him in waves from his wife, his family–Jasper knew he would spend the rest of his immortal life trying to make it last. And he'd try his best to make sure Bella felt the same love and happiness that filled this house, no matter how short her human life would be.

Just like that–the thought of how within the blink of an eye, Bella would grow up and what feels like a few years for him will be an entire life come and gone for Bella–unsettled him greatly. The child had only been with them for a few weeks now, and she was already precious to him and the rest. He knew that without the use of his gift!

Why does the thought of losing this child make me so anxious? So...sad?

Alice's small hand cupped his cheek and brought him away from his worries. She smoothed out the crease between his brows with her thumbs until he relaxed, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Jasper. Don't worry about it now. Love her for now, the same as well all do."

He nodded, knowing she was right and whatever decision he might have made to ask Carlisle about Bella's fate was still uncertain.

For now, all he could do–what they could all do–was love this small, sad child and protect her until she was old enough to decide for herself.

For now, it couldn't be a worry he needed to torment himself with until Bella was ready.

Thanks for reading!

Things will start to take off in the following chapters!