A/N: Happy New Years everyone!

Chapter 11

Jasper's idea of damage control apparently included being just as fun and funny as Bella had described him, which was a blessing for Edward. Alice had finally found her voice thanks to his welcoming attitude, and as Edward sat in the back of his vintage Land Cruiser he was never more thankful for his sister, her talkative personality and Jasper's willingness to humor her. Though Bella's cousin quickly waved off any need for their gratitude, she was able to say the things that Edward hadn't, such as how thankful they were that he was willing to come all this way to help Bella; and of course she also thought to ask a few questions beyond Edward's initial inquiry as to what had landed Bella in such hot water with her parents.

"It was actually Aunt Renee's decision from the little bit of information Bella gave me over the phone. Sounds like Uncle Charlie wasn't even around for the argument."

"What in the world were they arguing about?"

Edward had spoken before Alice could this time and he noticed how Jasper's eyes found his reflection in the rearview mirror almost immediately. There was sympathy there mixed with a small amount of amusement.

"That's something I think Bella ought to explain."

Edward could see the logic in that and he didn't mind that Jasper wanted to respect her in that way. If he were to be honest there was very little about Bella's cousin that he didn't like so far—the only exception was perhaps the way he kept smiling at his sister.

Jasper was about Emmett's height, which put him an inch or two taller than Edward, however he was his brother's opposite in every other way. Though they were likely the same height he was probably less than half as broad. He filled out his clothes well enough that no one would mistake him as skinny, but he was definitely lean. Edward had to guess that he was also what most women would describe as handsome—his sister certainly seemed impressed. He unfortunately knew her preference for blond hair and blue eyes and Jasper had both; so with that bright smile of his he was hardly someone that Alice could ignore.

His brotherly instinct was failing him miserably today. Ordinarily he would say something or give his sister a look that might sway her interest in someone he didn't see as worthy of her attention. Under different circumstances perhaps he'd even find himself attempting to distract a guy from noticing her in the first place. Unfortunately Edward's thoughts were focused primarily on Bella, how worried he had been, how thankful he was to learn that she wasn't lying dead in a ditch somewhere along the highway. He was also experiencing some intense anxiety right about now, which made it pretty difficult to think about anything else.

The first time he'd made this drive across town to meet Bella at her place he'd worried about what to wear, what would be expected of him and how he'd be received if he were obligated to meet her parents. This time around all of those worries still existed and were complicated by the knowledge that Bella couldn't save him from having to come inside, from having to speak with whomever he might encounter today.
It made Edward grateful that Jasper and Alice were with him just now. He didn't have to worry about the gate that Jasper was comfortably punching an access code into, allowing it to swing open with no more than a second's hesitation. He didn't have to be quite as intimidated by the winding driveway that he navigated around to the rear of the house. And as he climbed out of the SUV he didn't have to worry about his knees buckling underneath him, since he immediately felt his sister come to stand beside him and take hold of his hand.

"We're in luck. Sounds like Aunt Renee had a brunch thing to go to so coast should be clear for a little while." Jasper smiled kindly.

It's strange to want to hug another guy, isn't it?

Jasper had seen for himself just how nervous Edward looked and how supportive his sister obviously was as he tucked his cell phone into his back pocket and turned to open the door. He didn't tell Bella that her friends were with him; he'd only texted to let her know that he was here and to see if anyone was around that might be aggravated by his visit. Truth be told he wanted to surprise her.

Over the past few weeks their texts and phone calls had been more frequent than usual and Jasper loved that Bella was finally branching out and embracing the possibility of real companionship. He'd laughed when she'd first mentioned meeting someone special, but it had only taken a few minutes of really listening to her for him to understand that she was serious.
For the longest time he was her only friend—the only person who didn't treat her differently because of her family and all that went along with that. He hated how others would try and take advantage of her status and how she never felt comfortable getting too close to anyone, fearful of discovering later that their intentions might be less than genuine. But here she was, finally connecting with a family that she'd seen some potential in, finally falling in love for the first time with a guy she'd been talking his ears off about from the very moment she'd learned his name.

As he glanced around the kitchen, knowing that the staff wouldn't be in till much later to start preparations for dinner on a Sunday, Jasper motioned for the others to follow him through. The pair obediently wandered along behind him and Jasper grinned at the idea of how excited his poor cousin would be when she saw these two with him.

"You want to do the honors or you want me to go first so y'all can surprise her?" He offered once they'd reached the end of a long hallway upstairs, stopping next to the last door on the left.

Edward glanced at his sister and found that Alice was smiling happily but saying nothing now, making the decision his. Having made it this far thanks to Jasper's helpful presence he smiled as well and nodded for Jasper to go ahead. The incredible relief of finally being here, inside her house and without the burden of having to meet her mother just yet had allowed Edward's nerves to settle for the moment. He wanted to see Bella, to hold her and appreciate the fact that all of his early morning fears were no longer necessary.

He really did want to hug Jasper just then, but he was suddenly watching as Bella launched herself into her cousin's arms, nearly knocking him over, as soon as he'd stepped back from the door having tapped lightly on the polished wood only a second before.

"Did you go see Alice and Edward?" She immediately wanted to know.

Jasper kept hold of her, hugging her to him so she wouldn't see her friends waiting off to the side and chuckled.

"I always do what I'm told." He informed her and then went on to let her know that Alice was in love with him already, but that he was pretty sure Edward hated him.

"What are you even talking about? Alice loves everyone…and why would Edward hate you? "

"Because I'm hugging you and he isn't." Jasper smirked and turned his cousin towards her boyfriend.

Bella's expression was full of surprise and relief as she attempted to leave Jasper in favor of Edward's awaiting embrace.

"Hold it. Isn't this the sort of thing that got you into such a mess in the first place?" Jasper admonished keeping hold of her hand directing her back inside her room.

Once the others entered as well, Jasper closed the door and finally let her go.

"I am so sorry." She moaned against Edward's chest, having immediately fallen into his arms her face buried in his shirt.

He closed his eyes and held her for a long moment just enjoying the fact that he could. Her hair was a mess and her perfect skin looked pale and splotchy. She was wearing his t-shirt that he'd encouraged her to keep rather than return after she'd told him how much she liked it. It was too small for him anyway but it still looked huge on her petite little body. She was barefoot and wearing a pair of gray leggings otherwise, and appeared as if she'd just rolled out of bed though it was nearly noon.

His worries were reignited by her disheveled appearance, but it was when he realized that she was quietly sniffling that he knew for sure it was time to say something.

"Hey," He spoke in a soft voice. "What happened?"

He hadn't missed what Jasper said before while ushering everyone out of the hall and behind closed doors. He wondered now if some of his initial fears might have been more accurate than he'd like.

She pulled away slightly but never let go, her eyes focused on the floor so that he might not see her tears. His heart hurt hearing the strained sound of her voice.

"It had to be Jessica," she shook her head slightly. "I guess it could have been anyone but somehow my mom found out about us. She heard about the kiss we shared in the hallway the other day and whoever decided to talk made it sound like we were a few seconds away from taking each other's clothes off right there in front of everyone."

Her description made Edward want to chuckle even though this was no laughing matter. Bella was truly upset as she went on to describe how her afternoon the day prior had gone once her mother arrived home with such news. By the sound of things there was plenty of speculation and no shortage of embellishments.

Alice literally growled at one point in the story alerting Bella that Edward wasn't the only one who had come with Jasper. She'd been so overwhelmed and relieved by her cousin's arrival and the discovery of Edward's presence that she'd somehow missed her loyal little friend as she stood by quietly observing everyone else. Bella left Edward with a small smile and gave Alice a hug as well, motioning for everyone to relax finally.

Jasper comfortably flopped down in a chair across the way and Alice had no trouble hopping up onto Bella's bed. Both of them had been here before and been inside Bella's room. Edward on the other hand was struck for a second by the sheer size of the space, not to mention the fact that he could see Bella's personality in absolutely everything. He continued to stand there by himself looking around, noticing things like her bookshelves and the window seat cluttered with her latest reading and a soft blanket she'd obviously cuddled under while sitting there. He smiled a little seeing her look shyly in his direction having noticed his fascination with everything. He would find out later that she'd never really pictured Edward in her bedroom before.

"So, what do we do about Jessica?" Alice asked eventually once Bella had taken Edward's hand and encouraged him to sit next to her on the side of the bed opposite his sister.

Bella shrugged a bit and rubbed at her eyes. Her emotions were once again under control but Edward could tell that she'd been thinking of nothing else and he hated that she'd had to deal with this on her own.

He was frustrated at times by the things his family had to do without, but Edward had never despised his limited access to technology as he had this morning. Just a simple call or text could have saved Jasper from having to come all this way. He would have learned of Bella's confrontation with her mother much sooner. He could have found a way to comfort her and reassure her that they would figure something out.

"I can't even be sure it was her. It's just the only person that makes sense, but half the school was in the middle of changing classes that day."

"And you just couldn't help yourselves." Jasper teased without judgement.

Bella threw a pillow in his direction to shut him up and Edward sighed.

"I'm sorry." He apologized quietly, adjusting the way he held her hand still.

After taking a breath he raised their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. Edward had always worried about how others would view their relationship, but he'd foolishly assumed that the only people privy to it would be the other kids at school—at least for now. He'd always known that meeting her parents would happen somewhere down the line, but he'd also assumed that he would go into that meeting without any preconceived notions marring his reputation.

So much for that. I'm totally screwed already.

"I have no idea how to repair my status with your mother right now, but I'll do whatever I need to." He tried to assure her.

"I still don't see why some meddling teenager has that much sway over your mom's opinion of this anyway." Alice grumbled.

"What if it wasn't this Jessica girl? What if she talked to someone else and Aunt Renee heard about it from them? You know how bad the facts get messed up when a story is told over and over." Jasper suggested, speaking more to Alice than the others.

"That actually makes perfect sense." She agreed turning to face him, their own conversation erupting as Edward and Bella continued to look at one another silently saying more than words ever could.

Edward's thoughts went back to every encounter they'd ever shared as he realized that they'd done nothing to hide their ever growing chemistry from any passerby. Their very first kiss was far more intense than he'd counted on and it was shared in the middle of his parents' driveway, right there out in the open for the entire world to see. The following day he'd found himself passionately embracing her in a bookstore she frequented so often that most of the staff was on a first name basis with her. Even after she'd warned him that they should probably tone down their affections they'd sat together for hours holding hands and periodically stealing kisses right there in the very same place where everyone knew her.
And of course with how much he'd worried himself over how she was now viewing him and this relationship just this morning he couldn't help but recall their time together this past Friday.
How could he be so foolish, hadn't his past taught him anything about how judgmental people could be?

"Did your mom specifically say that it was the kiss at school that outed us?" He wondered.

Bella went on to recount most of the confrontation that had taken place the day prior, drawing the other's attention when she stood up and started to pace.

"I slept in on Saturday, and since we were going out to the ranch today I spent time doing homework and just relaxing after that. I hadn't really bothered to leave my room at all except to run down and get a snack earlier in the day so when I ran into Mom as she was coming in from her morning meetings I wasn't at all prepared for what she had to say."

Bella raked her hands through her hair in frustration and Edward had to fight the urge to go to her. She needed to get this out apparently but it was painful to know just how difficult the past day had been for her.

"She just jumped right in there demanding to know who this boy was that I'd been sneaking around with. She made it sound as if I was going around behind her back having some type of forbidden romance with a boy nobody knew, flaunting it in front of the whole school like some rebellious and immoral slut."

Jesus…it was just a kiss.

Edward found himself mimicking Bella's frustrated gesture from before, fisting his hands into his hair as he held his head in defeat. He really was screwed at this point.

"What an underhanded and conniving little…" Edward heard his sister gripe.
He had to agree. He'd had his fair share of dealings with unreasonable girls when shunned but this was ridiculous. He'd never given Jessica any indication that he'd prefer her company and while he and Bella had shared a kiss in her presence he never dreamed that it would provoke such a harsh response. What the hell did she really hope to accomplish by tattling to Bella's mother like a spoiled little brat?

"So here's the thing," Jasper's voice of reason interjected. "The real question needs to be, why is Aunt Renee so bent out of shape? If it was this girl from school, why is she taking her story at face value and punishing y'all as a result without getting the facts?"

"Aside from the fact that my temper was a little out of control, who knows. I mean I was so pissed at the time that she'd believe someone else and not come to me with some reasonable questions rather than all those accusations that I didn't really defend us properly, but still."

"That's it, isn't it?" Edward realized.

When Bella told him the other day at school that this was about them and no one's opinion mattered but theirs she truly believed it. So had he, but unfortunately whether it mattered or not her mother still had an opinion and if they wanted the privilege of seeing one another outside of school than they needed to respect that she cared and let her opinion have its say, sooner rather than later. Bella was just as much a public figure as her parents by association and of course it would make her mother upset to hear unflattering gossip about her daughter when she had no knowledge of the relationship in question.

"She didn't appreciate finding out about us this way, like she was the last to know. We weren't trying to hide, but it probably seems like that to her. And let's face it, if Jessica or whoever it was indicated that I'm…you know…" Edward shrugged sadly.

He didn't know whether Jessica could guess or not but if she'd mentioned anything about the condition of his car or the fact he repeatedly wore the same clothes over and over, or anything really that might make him seem so far beneath Bella's status then no wonder her mother was so fired up about this.

"Don't even." Bella demanded. She took the three strides that would put her back in front of him and held his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"You know it doesn't matter to me, and I'm not going to allow it to matter to my mother either. None of that defines who you are."

"Looks like it's time Edward was invited to dinner." Jasper remarked though he didn't really want to interrupt what was obviously an important moment for the two of them. He saw tremendous logic in what Edward had said however, and he knew that until there was a formal introduction of sorts the unknown would be a far greater enemy of theirs than the truth ever could.

"Maybe if Aunt Renee is feeling curious enough you could talk her into it before Wednesday so I can come." He grinned now glancing in Alice's direction. "Tiny here can be my date and we can provide some moral support."

Edward didn't care for the way it made him want to laugh when he saw Jasper wink in his sister's direction, but since meeting him he'd come to understand that he was indeed kind and giving and full of good ideas. He might be just the sort of guy that he'd be okay having Alice hang out with...God help him.

I really do hate him.