Bella found some loose sweatpants and a t-shirt in the large closet of the cabin's bedroom. She figured Esme would be okay with her borrowing. After a calming shower, the last thing she wanted to do was to get back into a tight dress and heels.

When she walked out into the main room, Jasper pointed towards the kitchen. "Water. Carbs. Gatorade."

He lingered around the living room area as Bella ripped into a large pack of bottled water. She then eyed the 24-bulk-pack of Gatorade with slight amusement, and grabbed one out of the packaging. Next to them were two giant loafs of bread. Carbs. She supposed it fit the requirement.

She ripped a corner-piece off with her fingers. Sourdough. Without anything on it, it was dry, but manageable. She followed it up with sips of Gatorade. It certainly soothed her stomach.

Jasper came over, pocketing his phone. "There are chargers in the bedroom."

"Great. Thank you."

Jasper's eyes went from her face down to her exposed arms. And that was when Bella jerked back, suddenly wanting to cover up.

But he was quick to guess. "Edward?"

Sighing, she held out her left arm, showcasing the various colors that had blossomed on her skin. "Edward." And then she held out her right. "Alice."

Jasper examined them. "Do you usually bruise easily?"

"No, not really."

"Women usually do. Your blood vessels are more fragile."

"Is that what they teach you in vampire school?"

He only stared at her like she had said the most incomprehensible thing possible.

Bella grabbed her water and sat on the couch, sipping at it slowly, facing the tall windows.

Jasper was moving around in the kitchen behind her. "Why are you avoiding Edward?"

"He didn't want me to go to this party. And I didn't want to deal with him."

His tone was light. "And yet, I have to deal with you?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"Why? I think you're perfectly delectable when poisoned."

Bella's face heated just a little bit as she turned back to face him. "Delectable?"

Jasper appeared on the armchair in front of her, his ankle on his knee. "Take the compliment, Bella."

"I will. Am I only delectable when I'm poisoned?"

He pulled out his phone and stared at it. "You certainly seem to be more honest with yourself."

Was that true? She felt the cool bottle press against her left bruise, which she could feel more and more as the alcohol began to dissipate. "I think Edward sucks sometimes. And Alice's visions are creepy." Her tone softened, her voice in a daze. "I also think I might want kids. That's not something I'm ready to give up just yet."

That was when his eyes flicked to her. There was a pause before he said, "You're bleeding. I suggest you don't get it on Esme's upholstery."

His eyes darted to her heel, which was cut open with a thin layer of blood on the surface.

"Oh, shit," she whispered. Jasper was in front of her in the next instant, offering a paper towel. She grabbed it and dabbed at her skin. She must have cut herself on the broken glass. "I didn't even feel it."

Jasper was back at the armchair. "You broke the vase."

"It was more of a statement," she muttered as she put pressure on the wound.

"You should realize that a lot of your injuries involve your own decisions. You're not a careless woman, Bella. You should start acting like it."

Not all of her injuries were a result of her own decisions. "The vase was my fault, but I didn't ask to be grabbed."

He leaned forward, a challenge in his eyes. "Edward lured you into this world, and you didn't expect any consequences?"

She straightened her spine and met his gaze head on. "My bruises are from vampires who couldn't keep a good gauge on their strength. You're saying it was my fault that I was just standing there, waiting to be hurt?" Bella felt incredibly sober at that moment as she dug her heel into the paper towel. "That's very tasteless, Jasper. I'd probably slap you if I didn't know better."

"I'm happy you know better. You don't seem like a violent thing."

She frowned defiantly into the dark night through the windows, blinking several times to keep the spins at bay. She sipped at her water once more, and then let the bottle fall into her lap. She winced when the it hit her arm.

Her body tensed when Jasper appeared to her left, but she didn't look at him. "I'm not careless, and I won't let you tell me otherwise."

He didn't respond, and the silence grew to fill in the empty space as she felt his eyes on her.

When she turned her head to him, his attention went from her face down to her arm. "May I?"

"May you what?"

She felt his hand wrap around her forearm, and her body coiled in anticipation of the pain. But it never came. Instead, his fingers were curled gently around where Edward's hand had stained them.

The cold touch felt like relief. It was only a moment later that she noticed the wetness in her eyes. She hated the bruises, and she hated that when it came down to it, she had no power to stop them from reappearing.

Jasper watched her. "I've made you angry. You're also afraid."

Angry and afraid. Her two best companions. She blinked her eyes rapidly to dissipate the tears. "Maybe I'm learning that a vampire's touch is dangerous, and yours shouldn't be an exception."

He withdrew his hand. "It would take a great loss of control for me to hurt you."

Bella hoped she would never experience that. "The blood, I kind of understand. But touch—how is that easier for you?"

"Compared to Alice and Edward? I'm older. Carlisle's better than me at touch; he deals with humans almost daily."

The dark night provided a mirror-like effect on the windows—a shadow image of them on the couch. The only striking colors were Jasper's eyes, and paler complexion. The rest was bland, and predictable.

Bella hugged her arms close. "You're older. Are you saying that it gets better with time?"

"Change happens over time. For better or worse—I can't generalize that answer."

"I'm just asking that if I stick around, will I still have arms?"

Jasper opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He leaned back on the couch instead. It was mildly alarming that he just didn't say yes.

"It would be hard to not have arms," she murmured, and then peeked at him. "I wish you would just talk to me. You're a little bit better than the Cullens, but truthfully…" She sighed, considering his one-liners. "…not by much."

Jasper's shoulders tensed slightly. "I'm better enough. You're still partially bleeding, by the way. In case you weren't aware."

Bella dug her heel further into the ground, on the paper towel.

"And you can sit there without any fear that I'll kill you because of it." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and he turned his head to the side to look at her. "And talking is information. Information is currency. We have no trade between us."

His eyes darted to her bleeding heel, and then back to her face. "I'm not incentivized to give you anything."

The next morning—really, closer to the afternoon—Bella woke to Edward. He greeted her in the kitchen, stuck a steaming cup of coffee in her hands, and made her breakfast. Had they not been so on-edge recently, the morning would have felt wonderful. Her grogginess from poor, alcohol-induced sleep and the ache at the forefront of her skull didn't help.

The broken vase from last night had been cleaned up and replaced. The lilies in them were pure and white, and they loomed over her for the entirety of breakfast. Her headache seemed to get worse every time they fell into her line of sight.

Edward, surprisingly, seemed to avoid the topic of last night's party. Whether it was because he realized his overbearing ways, or he simply chose to let this one slide, Bella couldn't tell.

"I'm assuming that Jasper left already," she said, taking small bites of her scrambled eggs.

Edward sat beside her. "He left a while ago. Was he a good host?"

"He was fine."

When she looked up from her plate, Edward was staring at her arms. This time, she didn't feel any urgency to hide them. "Like a painting, huh?"

His tone was pure regret. "They're terrible, Bella."

"A careless work of art."

"Stop it."

"Do you think they're my fault, too?"

"Did Jasper tell you that?"

She took a sip of her coffee. "He seemed to say I should expect such consequences."

"No," Edward said firmly. "None of this is your fault."

"Yeah," she said, staring at the lilies. "What other consequences are there, Edward?"

His lips twitched uncertainly into a smile. His hand, hesitant at first, lifted to her face. His touch felt jarring, like a surprise splash of ice water. "None."

Placing a gentle hand on top of hers, his expression was as pure as the lilies. "I promise you, I will mitigate this. All of this."

The quarter was over, and Bella had two weeks to kill before classes resumed in January. And in those two weeks, Carlisle had gotten her the approval to begin volunteering at the hospital.

Monday, the first official day of winter break, Bella walked into the Cullen home with Edward. She had plans to carpool with Carlisle, but as she entered the living room, she felt just a bit like she was intruding. Jasper and Carlisle seemed to be in a silent debate. Only when Bella approached them did Carlisle stand up and welcome her.

Jasper had some papers scattered on the coffee table. He picked them up.

"Hi Jasper," she greeted.

His eyes slid over to her, then to Carlisle. He began organizing the papers into a neat stack. "Bella."

She tried peeking a little at the papers, but the way Jasper held them made it impossible to see.

Carlisle extended out an arm towards the door. "Shall we?"

Bella eventually walked into Forks Hospital and collected her volunteer badge. She filled out endless paperwork and got two extra vaccinations at the lab. Flu and Tuberculosis.

"It's more for the patients," the lab nurse had told her before stabbing her with two needles.

For the rest of the day, she followed around a skinny, overworked nurse as she explained tear-down procedures. Bella, it seemed, was going to take responsibility of renewing rooms in-between patients. She was also there for moral support.

"Hell, we could all use it," the nurse, Susan, had grumbled.

It was only at the end of the day that she finally saw Carlisle again. He was a doctor in-demand, and it seemed he was mainly situated in the Emergency area.

"How was your first day, Bella? I hope Susan didn't scare you off."

"Susan just needs twelve more hours of sleep."

Carlisle didn't even laugh. His smile was small. "A lot of them are overworked. We simply don't have enough staff." He paused, lowering his voice. "If I wasn't forced to take breaks or go home, I could provide more support."

If only Carlisle didn't have to pretend he needed sleep, food, or rest. "That's admirable, Carlisle. I wish you weren't put under such restrictions."

"I wish, as well. It's just not that simple."

He didn't elaborate on that, but Bella prodded. "Is it because of vampire law?"

He threw her a grin. "It is. All convoluted and messy."

"Messier than U.S. politics?"

"Ah, I don't know," he murmured, gazing out at an empty corridor. "Different."

Carlisle brought Bella back to the Cullen home. When they got out of the car, Esme greeted them outside.

"Hello, hello." She immediately clung onto Carlisle, her arm wrapped around his waist. "I'm stealing him for a hunt."

Bella smiled at them. "Aren't you going on that Alaska trip soon? That's a hunting trip, right?"

"More of a bonding trip," Esme clarified.

Carlisle pulled out his phone. "I'll let Edward know you're back."

Bella held out a hand. "If he isn't home, that's okay. I was just going to say hi to Jasper if he was here. And then I can Uber home."

"Jasper?" Carlisle questioned.

But Esme tugged on his hand. "Let her make friends, husband. Jasper's in his library, Bella."

And then, she was dragging Carlisle out towards the edge of the forest. "Will you come over tomorrow, again? Please! I have many desserts I need you to try. If not, I'm sending Edward over with trays."

Bella watched until they disappeared into the woods before she headed into the house. She deposited her backpack onto the couch and soon found herself in front of Jasper's library. She could already smell the faint scent of burning candles.

Knocking was polite, but Bella already knew that she had asserted her presence quite effectively by just being in the house. When she entered, her eyes immediately went to the long curtains that were drawn at the back, brushing the elaborate carpet beneath. She wanted to see the windows someday. She imagined that they were tall, staring out at the side of the house into a sea of green trees.

Jasper was sitting at his large desk. He didn't look up from what he was writing when he asked, "Where is Edward, Edward's Bella?"

"Why?" She asked immediately as she arrived at the center of his library. "Why 'Edward's Bella'?"

He set his pen down and looked at her, and there was remarkably both amusement and impatience in his expression. "Why are you here, Bella?"

Bella sighed, momentarily flustered. It was always Edward, Edward, Edward. "I'm not here to see Edward."

"Well, that's good. Seeing as there's nobody home."

That was something Bella, as always, could never tell. "I'm here to see you."

Jasper folded the piece of paper he was writing on and neatly placed it at the edge of his desk. "Me."

"Let me just start off with: I know you really didn't have to show up last night. I appreciate it. Thank you."

"You came all the way here to thank me?"

"It sucks dealing with stupid, drunk girls, and I understand."

Jasper intertwined his hands on the desk, waiting.

"And," she continued, "Alice said it would be helpful if I spoke to you. About vampirism. And I have way too many questions that I don't even know where I should begin."

Understanding crept up onto Jasper's face slowly. But then, it disappeared. "Edward should be helping you."

"Edward hates being a vampire. He's not helping me with anything."

Jasper regarded her coolly. "So you've decided, then. You're changing."

"No. I'm learning. I can't make a decision without all the details. As someone very wise and old said, with the lack of knowledge comes poor choices."

Jasper's eyes widened ever so slightly. "You're calling me old."

"And wise."

"And what are you attempting to learn from this arrangement?"

Bella sat at one of the wooden chairs facing his desk. "The ins and outs of your world. The changing process. Diets. Unspoken Rules. Laws… everything. I want to know as much as I can."

"Diets. Unspoken Rules. Laws," he repeated slowly, considering.

"Among other things."

Jasper glanced sideways at the piece of paper at the edge of his desk. And then he procured a new one. Blank. Smoothing out the page in front of him, he grabbed a pen, and began writing.

Bella wasn't quite able to see what he was jotting down. "What are you doing?'

Jasper remained silent as his pen danced across the page again, and again, completing and beginning sentences.

"My only question for you, Isabella Swan, is…" he said, as he seemed to be nearing the end of his thought. With one tap indicating that he had just ended a sentence with a period, he put his pen back down. "…how will you pay for this information?"

"How will I pay?" Bella didn't understand as she leaned forward.

"Nothing is free." He ran a hand down the page as his eyes lifted to hers. "How will you pay?"

"I don't understand. Do you mean money?" But the moment the question left her mouth, she knew it was a stupid one. Jasper had already told her the currencies he worked with. If not servitude, then—

He took hold of the other folded piece of paper that he had placed to the side. Its color was warm cream against his pale complexion. And then, he held it to the flame of a nearby candle. The parchment ignited at one corner, and it began to disintegrate. "Money? No, Bella." Once the folded paper was burned to a crisp, his attention was back on her. "With you, I would only deal in blood."

The smell of burnt paper waded through the air.

"Blood," Bella repeated, and suddenly felt the intensity of his gaze—on her, on her skin. At that moment, she was prey. It was disturbingly clear.

"Why should I spend my time here, teaching you, when I could be productive elsewhere?" Jasper asked, his eyes wide, and attentive, watching for her next move, her next breath.

What productive things did a vampire need to do anyway?

He cocked his head to the side. "What is my incentive?"

There was that word again. I'm not incentivized to give you anything.

"Blood. You want me to give you blood."

His eyes unmistakably flicked down to her left wrist, and then back up to her face. "Correct."

She had a billion more questions now, starting with, "Why?"

"Why? It's a transaction, much like anything."

"How does that work? I mean—are we measuring in pints per hour of conversation?"

"No," Jasper said, and there was a hint of a smile on his face. "I take what I need, when I need, but not enough to harm you substantially. And we can talk—as much as you'd like." He slid the piece of paper he had just written on closer to the edge of the desk, towards her. "We contract it, like any transaction."

Bella scooted forward in her seat, but she still couldn't read it. She stood and approached the desk.

The paper read as so, in elegant print:

This contract hereby states the arrangement between Party I and Party II.

Clause I. CURRENCY.

State the currency of payment between both parties:

Party I: Blood.

Party II: Mentorship, including time, and availability of mentor. Information trade to the best of mentor's ability.

Clause II. TERMINATION.

Termination is permitted at will by either party. Contract must be burned upon date of dissolution.

Signed, Party I _ _ _ _ _ _

Signed, Party II _ _ _ _ _ _

As her eyes read the words, she felt her nerves, which meant Jasper felt them, too. "And the Cullens?"

"What about them?"

"I mean, it's—Edward would never be okay with this."

Jasper slid the paper back towards himself. "This is a transactional agreement between us. It involves no other party."

Yes, this is an entirely professional, business transaction. She wanted to roll her eyes at the incredulousness of it all.

"Ideally," he continued. "The Cullens wouldn't know."

"How would they not know?" Bella almost wanted to laugh. "Wouldn't it be pretty obvious?"

"Why would it? There are precautions."

"Precautions? Edward can read your mind."

"He can't read yours, and I can protect mine."

The psychic. "Alice will see this."

"She's already seen it."

"What? And she's okay with it?"

The look on his face was grave. "Alice Cullen would make it known very clearly if she wasn't okay with it."

She looked at him a little defiantly. "Well, Edward can read Alice's mind."

"Alice is probably more adept at shielding her mind from the boy than I am."

Bella swallowed, eyes darting down to the paper. "This is insane."

Jasper raised his eyebrows at her. "Is it?"

"Are you kidding? It's borderline incomprehensible."

"Perhaps that's because you barely know anything about my world. That's why you're here, aren't you?"

She clarified incredulously, "I give you blood, and you give me information."

"That is the contract."

She sat down on the chair, and her knee bounced. She glanced around the room—at the candles that were lit, at the books piled high in a corner, and the shelves that housed many more. She took a deep breath, but it seemed to catch in her throat. Why was it so dusty in here?

"You're stalling," Jasper noted.

"Edward's my boyfriend, Jasper. I don't keep things from him."

"But doesn't he keep things from you?"

"What?" She leaned forward, her pulse uncomfortably fast. "What do you mean?"

"I don't meddle in romantic relationships, Bella."

"What is he keeping from me?"

He stared at her for a long moment. "This entire world that you seem to know nothing about."

Well, he was right about that. "You seem very interested in our arrangement. Why?"

"It benefits me greatly to have easy access to blood."

In other words, she would be a quick and easy meal. "I don't know if I can keep this from Edward."

"Your loyalty," he mused, "is outstanding."

"He's my boyfriend."

"Sure," Jasper said, his eyes darting around the room, as if the conversation had started to come to a slow, and he was losing interest. "It's up to you. But know that it will cause some tension between you two, and within the family, if you agree to our arrangement and not protect my suggestion of confidentiality." He tapped on the paper. "Read this again. Tell me your concerns."

Bella swallowed. "Either of us can end this arrangement?"

"Correct. The broadness in that statement implies that whenever either party feels unsatisfied, or the other party cannot provide their form of payment, they may wish to terminate the contract."

"Why do we need a contract in the first place?"

Jasper picked up his pen and flipped it around so that the tip faced Bella. "Because it gives us both a clear understanding of what the other wants, and provides us with evidence of it." He tapped on the pen once, his eyes flicking to her face. "It also emphasizes consent."

Bella stared at the document, and then, "I—"

Jasper immediately took the pen away, and the contract was now folded in half, the writing covered. "You'll think about it."

He must have felt her hesitation. No, more than that. He must have felt the fear and uncertainty bubbling beneath her skin.

Jasper stood, and handed the folded contract to her. "Take it."

The paper felt smooth in her hands. "And, Edward—he shouldn't see this?"

"I don't necessarily care if he sees it. It would just be easier if he doesn't."

Somehow, there was an automatic path forming between two crucial dots in her brain. She considered him. The ease at which he proposed this to her, the expertise he had regarding its documentation. She thought about his role within the Cullen family—not as a son, or a brother, but as a sort of trainer, protector, and bodyguard.

She unfolded the paper and read it once more. This had to be it. "Jasper, what kind of a contract are you in with the Cullens?"

When she looked up, he wasn't behind his desk. He was beside her, barely a foot away. His head tilted down, and there was a distinct sort of wicked pleasure in his eyes. Was it due to her considering the contract, or the question she had just asked?

"You have questions, and I have answers," he said enticingly. "We make the trade."

A/N: I just want to note that this story is very aptly named.

This chapter: Pure white lilies, volunteer work, and a blood contract.

A little taste for what's coming up:

Couldn't she steal a few blood bags to give him from the hospital? It was such a terrible thought. "I'm still thinking."

"The Cullens won't give you what you want. I'm offering you an alternative."

"Pressuring me to make a decision is not going to help you, Jasper."

There was an impatient edge to this tone. "I need to plan a hunt if you're not going to give me what I need. This isn't just about you."

See you next week.