Edward had driven her home and had decidedly stayed for dinner.

The contract that Jasper had written up burned a hole in Bella's back pocket as she sat beside him and Charlie at their dining table.

Her father served up some rice and grilled chicken. "How was your first day as nurse's aid?"

"Lots of hand sanitizer," Bella murmured, a little distant.

"What about you, Edward? What are you doing the next two weeks?"

Edward took a weird sip of his water. "My family is heading up to Alaska for half of it. Besides that, I don't have much planned."

"Alaska. Huh. Does your family have property up there? Pricey."

Bella tuned out the rest of the conversation.

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.

She wasn't blind to her own fear. What Jasper was proposing scared her, even if he showed unwavering control around her blood. There was always a risk that he could kill her, and she shouldn't ignore that. Doing so would be careless.

The contract wasn't easy to process. There was nothing she could compare this to, and Jasper couldn't convince her that this was just a regular business deal. No normal business deal was negotiated with blood.

After dinner, Edward pulled her outside into the dark night. Bella thought he said some intellectually romantic thing about the moonlight, but she wasn't quite there. They ended up lingering by his car.

She dug her hands into the backs of her pockets and took a step back from him when she felt parchment brush her fingers. A swallow graced her throat.

"What are you thinking?" He asked gently as they leaned against his car.

She took a rough breath and looked at him. She avoided his question. "You leave in two days, right?"

"Yes. The family's long overdue for a group hunt."

Her mouth felt dry. "Is Jasper going?"

"No. But he will be here if you need anything."

Bella averted his eyes. She felt just a little sick. She wasn't this person who was purposefully devious.

He frowned at her. "You seem uncomfortable. Have I done something to—"

"No, Edward, no," she murmured. "Maybe this time will be good for us. Some separation."

"Separation?"

"We haven't been doing too well, have we?"

Edward seemed to want to touch her, though he hesitated. His hands were always tentative around her now. He had hardly touched her in the past few days—ever since he had bruised her purple and yellow.

"You're everything to me, Bella. I won't have you say that."

And then, his aversion to touch suddenly dissipated as Bella was pulled into a strong embrace. She could barely move against him as he held her close.

He repeated, his voice intense, "You're everything to me."

Bella's schedule at the hospital was as full as it could be. Even though she only wanted to volunteer for a few hours a week, she had extended her hours during the two weeks of winter break. Once classes resumed, she would have to reduce her commitment.

During her lunch break, she stepped outside into the drizzling rain and shot Jasper a text.

Can I have Alice's number?

He responded with a plain text of her number in the next few seconds. And then, he was calling her.

She placed the phone up to her ear, still feeling like she was wading through water. Ever since their conversation yesterday, she felt just vaguely out-of-body.

Jasper went straight to the point. "Have you given the contract any thought?"

"Yes."

"I don't know what you're feeling Bella. You need to be clear."

She sighed into the phone. "Yes, I'm thinking."

"And?"

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."

Plant a hunt. Bella told herself that the shiver that ran through her was from the cold rain. "When do you need an answer by?"

"Tomorrow."

"How convenient for you," she said mockingly. "With the Cullens gone, you get to play with their human."

His tone was entirely unamused. "Wrong. I don't play with my food."

Had he seriously just said that? "You know, that doesn't make me want to talk to you."

"Was that too tasteless for you, Bella?"

Now he was teasing her. "It was. Who even knows if I'm tasty enough to be food?"

There was a short pause on the line. "I certainly hope you'll let me find out."

This was all entirely insane. "Have a good day, Jasper."

Bella sat on her porch that evening, watching the rain slam down onto the town. The cup of tea in her grip made it just a little comforting, but not by much.

She dialed Alice's number, and wasn't surprised when she answered fairly quickly, "Hi, Bella."

Of course, Alice Cullen knew that she would call. "Hey. How are you?"

She didn't respond for a few seconds. It was clear that she was running. "Oh, just preparing for our trip."

How much preparing did they really have to do? "I wanted to ask you…" How could she really word this? "Jasper proposed something to me."

"The blood contract."

She blew out a breath. "So, you do know."

"Yes, he mentioned it. It's a very Jasper thing to do."

"I don't understand."

Her voice was warm. "I wouldn't expect you to."

Bella took a sip from her tea, letting it heat her throat. "Does Edward also know? What about the rest of the family?"

"No one knows besides you, me, and Jasper. I expect it to stay that way."

"But, Alice—"

"What Edward doesn't know will not hurt him. Blood is a sensitive subject for my brother. I wouldn't push it, Bella."

"It's a sensitive subject all around. Jasper is asking for my blood."

"Which you have plenty of."

She nearly knocked her cup over on the porch railing, her hand flailing around. "I don't understand how you're so okay with this. If Edward wouldn't approve, then why—"

Alice sighed heavily on the phone. "It's transactional and official. It's in Jasper's nature to clearly define the terms and put words on paper. Edward wouldn't understand, but I do."

"You're saying that this is truly a business deal?"

"Isn't there a transactional aspect in every relationship, Bella? Jasper is transparent enough with his intentions and what he wants from you. It's a very simple arrangement."

Bella watched tendrils of steam emanate from her tea. "This is so insane."

But Alice seemed to be ready to hang up. "Sign it, Bella."

"There's a risk he could kill me, right?"

"With that regard, Jasper is the least of your concerns."

She took another sip of her tea. The rain had intensified, pattering on the roof incessantly. "It's still insane."

"Have you read the contract?"

Bella reached into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper. She unfolded it. "Yes."

"Are there terms for termination?"

"Yes. At will by either party."

Alice laughed once. "That is a very generous contract, Bella. Sign it. Get your questions answered." She paused. "Edward will be by soon. He will come with brownies and cake, courtesy of Esme."

Bella stared at her cup. "Tell him to skip the lilies this time."

Charlie was her ride to and from the hospital the next day. There was a blood drive happening just outside the front entrance, and Bella scurried inside to avoid staring too hard at the willing participants lined up to have their blood drawn.

That's what you'd be doing, Bella. Just donating blood.

When she got home, she found another vase of lilies on her doorstep. Alice hadn't delivered the no-lilies memo to her brother. The card that accompanied it simply read, I'll miss you.

Edward was probably halfway to Alaska by now. He hadn't even been on her mind the entire day. It was a guilty feeling to realize that.

"Will he also get us another cupboard to store these vases?" Charlie grumbled as he stared at the bouquet.

Maybe she should just break some more and solve their storage issue.

She ducked into her room and launched herself into her bed. She knew she could have attempted communication with Jasper the whole day, but she hadn't. She knew she was stalling.

Her phone was beside her on the bed. She had a text from Edward, giving her a play-by-play of every major city they had passed on their way to Alaska. Responding to him fell into the stalling category, so she didn't. Instead, she texted Jasper.

I have some questions.

And instantly, she got a phone call.

"Hi," she squeaked.

"I would rather answer them in person."

She looked around her room. "I'm home right now."

"Are you in a position to take a… an Uber?"

Bella couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. So absurd. "I am."

She left for the Cullen home. Once the Uber pulled up to the house, she could already feel the eerie quietness of the residence.

When she entered the house—the door always unlocked—it felt entirely desolate. She found Jasper in his library.

He stood when she stepped in. "Bella."

"That's Edward's Bella, to you," she teased, though she really hated it.

"Sit." He gestured towards the desk, at his own chair.

Once Bella was seated, she pulled out the contract, but Jasper's hand came down and prevented her from unfolding it. "Your questions."

Right. She clasped her hands together on the fine wood. "How is this going to work? Can you explain to me… how the blood part will work?"

Jasper walked around the desk and stood beside her. With his finger, he pulled at her hand to face her left wrist upward. "Right here. You let me have your wrist, and I grant you access to my experience and knowledge."

She hesitated. "How much will it hurt?"

"You've given blood before?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

There was a little smile on his lips, as if he just remembered something funny. "Is pain your concern?"

"Well, it's not my only concern."

That was when he reached over and unfolded the contract. "If you don't have any other questions, I want you to sign this. After that, I can demonstrate the pain threshold." He reached down and tapped her wrist once. "If it's not a suitable level for you, you burn the contract."

She looked up at him. "You can demonstrate now."

"Sign first."

"I don't understand how it matters if I could burn it anyway."

He shook his head. "I am not tasting a drop of your blood unless I have your written agreement."

She reached forward and picked up a heavy pen from the corner of the desk. She let it hover over the paper. "Will you need some tonight?"

"It depends."

She raised her eyebrows at him, but he was fixated on the paper. "Sign, Bella."

And so, with her best cursive, she did. Jasper quickly leaned in, grabbed the pen from her hands, and signed his own name beneath hers.

Then, he turned to her. "Do you faint easily?"

"I've never fainted in my life."

"Good. On the desk."

"What?"

He knocked on the wood. "Quickly."

Bella got to her feet, then lifted herself onto the desk. Her feet dangled, hitting the chair. Jasper stood to her left.

"Do you have a wrist preference?" He asked her.

She shook her head, no.

He reached for her right hand and brought her arm up towards him. At this angle and height, her wrist was easily accessible, though she had to twist her body for it to be comfortable.

His grip was light, pushing up her sleeve. "Look away if you have to. This is just for you to feel."

Bella's pulse was high enough that she thought Jasper wouldn't even have to make much effort. Her heart would gladly pump it all out at a dizzying speed.

"Breathe. It's just a bite," he told her. "And I'm not influencing you."

"Maybe you should," she told him, feeling a little out of breath.

"I would like for you to get an honest feel of what this is like."

She nodded quickly, pressing her chin into her right shoulder, so as to directly avert her gaze. She felt her arm lift, and then—

It stung, for perhaps a second.

"Breathe, Bella." She felt his breath on her wrist as she turned her head back.

"Is it done?"

"How did that feel?"

She swallowed thickly, the fear still lacing her voice. "Fine." Her wrist finally landed on her lap and she could see the bite very clearly—imprints of two rows of teeth in her skin, punctured by two canines. Her wrist was… "Tingling. Why is it tingling?"

"The venom has a numbing effect in lower doses. It'll help with the pain, and it'll help with the healing."

Her eyes fixated on her skin—on the dewy look of the venom coating the wound. It seemed to glisten in the candlelight. Two small dots of blood began to surface at the puncture points, but the wound seemed pretty contained. The venom kept everything in place, like a bandaid.

She kept staring at it, part of her in entire disbelief. "Maybe this is cliche, but don't vampires bite necks?"

"That's more intimate. Probably not appropriate for our situation."

She paused, then looked up at him. "Oh."

"And with your wrist, you can have all eyes on me. You know where my hands are. You know where my mouth is."

But Bella's face only continued to heat.

He handed her the contract and gestured to a large candle nearby, leaning forward on the desk beside her. "Is our arrangement still valid?"

Her skin still tingled from where he bit her. "Yes."

Jasper straightened, plucked the piece of paper from her hands, and set it in a drawer. "Second one from the top, if you ever need access to it."

Bella pulled her sleeve down, the bite mark sensitive to the fabric. She looked at him uncertainly. "You need more, right?"

"A lot more. But it depends on you. First, have you eaten dinner?"

"No, not yet."

"When was your last meal?"

She cocked her head up to think. "Lunchtime. Noon."

Jasper was by the door in an instant. "I need you to eat. I won't take more until you have."

Bella jumped down to the floor, her knees just a bit wobbly. The wave of dizziness she felt probably wasn't from the minuscule amount of blood she lost. This entire situation made her head spin.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Jasper listed off a few food groups: "Meat, poultry, fish. A healthy dose of vegetables—leafy greens, preferably. Something to regulate your sugar."

Bella dug around in the fridge. There wasn't anything fresh. No greens, but she found some chicken in the freezer. The fruits on the counter were all fake.

"If I got you ingredients, would you be able to make something?" Jasper asked.

"Sure. I'd probably make a salad if you got me the vegetables. I can boil this chicken—there's really no need to get more." While boiled chicken didn't sound that appetizing, Esme had a whole pantry rack devoted to spices. She could probably make do, since she didn't have time to defrost it.

Jasper vanished.

The mental image of him at a grocery store was a funny one. Part of her wanted to go with him just to experience it. She dug around the kitchen for a pot, brought it to boil, and slipped a chicken breast in.

Jasper was back in less than twenty minutes, in which she had already spiced the boiled chicken breast.

On the counter, he laid out little plastic bags of vegetables—spinach, kale, carrots, bell-peppers…

"You got the whole produce aisle, hm?" Bella murmured as she dug through the bags and pulled some out. After washing and drying a select few, she pulled out a knife from the knife block. Her eyes met Jasper's.

"It's a little ridiculous that I'd be scared to cut myself, isn't it?"

"You shouldn't be chopping anything in the Cullen home. Tonight's an exception. Don't make it a habit."

She chopped away, putting in the kale and spinach into a bowl, followed by the carrots. She put in a dash of olive oil and salt. No real dressing, but she wasn't going for an exceptional meal.

Jasper lingered in the kitchen, watching her occasionally.

She began eating on her feet. "I think it's admirable that you make sure that I eat."

"My intention is to not harm you. Your health, if kept stable, proves useful for the both of us."

She munched on her salad. "I don't assume a lot of vampires care about that, right?"

"No."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, you can give me more than that. No more one-liners."

"Our contract says nothing about one-liners."

"Jasper," she said, her tone nudging him along.

He seemed to relent easily. "A human's health and well-being aren't priorities to most vampires, but we have to be careful. We might not make sure that you had eaten, but we certainly would keep track of how often we feed from you."

"And why is that?"

"It used to be easier to kill. Technology has made it so that vampires are restricted in their ability to feed. We can't kill mindlessly. Not anymore. It would draw too much attention. Additionally, draining completely is one thing, but taking too much, too often, can also lead to illness. And potentially, death."

Once Bella scraped the last of her salad with her fork, and into her mouth, Jasper asked, "Can you stay the night in the guest room?"

"You're saying I'll be out of commission after this?"

"I don't anticipate so, no. Just for tonight. I'd like to keep track of your vitals."

Bella licked her lips clean, hoping she didn't have any greens stuck in her teeth. "I'll text my dad I won't be home." She watched him. "You take my health very seriously."

"I have to." He grabbed one of the two apples he had purchased. "Come."

Bella deposited her plate into the sink and followed him upstairs. Instead of his library, he led her to the guest bedroom she had previously stayed in.

Her heart rate started to accelerate the moment they both entered. Her body could already tell what was to come, and it wasn't surprising that it tried to prepare her to run.

Jasper gestured to the large bed. "Make yourself comfortable."

Bella unconsciously drew her sleeves up as she stared at the bed. She took a few calming breaths. She should trust Jasper. She had bled right in front of him twice now.

She slipped off her shoes and climbed on top of the bed. Resting her back against one of the gigantic pillows, she closed her eyes, willing her breathing to even.

Nothing could prepare her for this.

She felt the bed shift beside her and her eyes opened to red ones. Jasper was to her right. As he sat, facing her, his eyes danced around her face, down to her neck, her shirt, and all the way to her feet. There was an intense kind of scrutiny with the way he examined her eyes, and then his hands reached out. Before he touched her, he said, "I'm going to feel your throat. Permission?"

Bella nodded quickly.

Her back straightened when he put two fingers from each hand right on her lymph nodes. He exerted slight pressure. "Tell me if I'm hurting you."

But he wasn't. His fingers trailed down to her collar. And then his hands took a hold of hers, bending her arms, and examining the bruising.

"Show me your teeth. Smile."

Bella did, but it was probably very weak. "What is this for?"

"I want to be as sure as possible that you're not sick."

"Am I?"

"No."

The apple he had brought with him rested beside Bella. "Is this my donation snack?"

"Yes." Jasper took her right hand and turned it over so her veins were open to him. "You will now have two bite marks that you will need to cover until completely healed. It may take a full day." His other hand landed beside her, palm up. "I want you to squeeze if you feel faint."

"How faint? Like, just barely dizzy, or about to pass out?"

"Squeeze if your vision darkens. Keep your eyes open."

Bella placed her free hand in his. "Okay."

"Breathe. You're terrified."

"It's normal." She cleared her throat, looking up at him. "Right?"

He watched her. "You will get used to it."

"I hope so."

Before he pulled her wrist closer, she stopped him. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this. Her pulse spiked instantly. "Jasper, wait."

He paused, his eyes lifting to hers.

"This won't turn me, right?"

It was probably the most important question of them all.

Jasper stared at her wrist. "No, Bella."

"Okay," she whispered after a while, and let him pull her wrist away.

As his teeth sank into her veins, she fought to keep her eyes open. She took deep breaths as the initial shock of the sting faded, and then it was just silence. She didn't dare look over to her right.

Time wasn't coherent. Her other hand rested lightly on his palm as she felt her body relax into a rhythm. She could tell how Jasper drew from her in increments. When her head began to spin, she was prepared to squeeze his hand, but he withdrew first.

Her wrist fell beside her. The first thing she saw was the apple that Jasper was handing her.

"Eat this. Don't fall asleep."

She took the apple with her left hand, and then she was alone. Her eyes fluttered to a close as she bit down on the fruit. She chewed, swallowed, and bit again.

"Bella."

She peeked them open, and Jasper had returned. He handed her a glass of water.

"Drink."

She felt lightheaded as she tipped the glass down to her lips.

"All of it."

She drank all of it. "I feel light."

"Normal. Lean back."

She let her back rest against one of the large pillows, both of her wrists exposed to the open air—both tingled, though the one he had bitten felt more sensitive. Jasper was gone again.

She took a few deep breaths, though everything felt hazy. There was warmth in her body—in her arms, in her shoulders, her torso. She finished her apple and set the core on the bedside table.

Then, Jasper was back, and he was touching her. She felt his fingers on her arms, pushing her sleeves up higher.

Tape and bandages. He was wrapping her wrists. There were sounds of tearing and the feel of rough cloth against her skin.

Once her arms were left alone, she let them fall on her lap. "Thank you."

"Thank me?" Jasper asked. "Thank you."

"How nice of you." She smiled lazily. "Am I going to be okay?"

"Your weakness is normal. Your body will replenish."

"What time is it?"

"Just around seven."

"Can I sleep?"

"Yes."

"Okay." She didn't even make the effort to get under the covers. She scooted down until flat, and then closed her eyes.

She barely heard it when he told her, "Goodnight, Bella."

A/N: Perhaps she gave in a little too quickly. We can't deny that part of Bella is incredibly fascinated by all of this.

This chapter: Guilt, transactional relationships, and fulfilling one end of the blood contract.

A little taste for what's coming up:

Bella shifted in her seat. "So, how have you been hunting?"

There was a certain wickedness in his eyes that he didn't hide. "I'm not so sure you'll like my answer."

She leaned forward with a smile. "Not much can throw me off at this point."

"I have a girl. In the city. About your age."

The smile fell off of her face. "The city? Seattle?"

"Yes."

"So, you're already in an arrangement like this."

"No. She doesn't know I exist."

See you next week.