BPOV

I swear to Christ, I see Alice pout one more time; I will fucking set her big ass closet on fire!

After the initial introductions, Alice had tried to initiate some form of physical contact between us. A hug, a kiss on the cheek, holding hands, etc. I'm bi, and I was raised by my gay brother and his partner and all, but come on! For fuck's sakes! What are we, five? Or is it more of the forty-five-New-Jersey-housewives-acting-as-if-they're-twenty-five type of deal?

Riley dutifully stayed by my side at all times; growling at her whenever she became a tad…overzealous.

Rose (thank God!) eventually came to my rescue. She offered to show me to my new room, while Edward distracted Alice. Just as Rose pulled me out of the living room and up the stairs, Edward caught my eye, and winked at me.

I smiled to myself. I knew we'd get along.

The room Rose led me to was bigger than I was used to. Hell, I wasn't even used to a small room. Back in Nevada, it was a total desert. So, when it was a nice night, I'd stretch out on a hammock; and when the weather sucked, I'd crash on the couch.

Tray (my nickname for Travis) and Jamie thought I was being stupid. But it's not like I was alone; Riley went where I did, and still does. And besides, our price range typically consisted of single bed houses, and I always insisted on Tray and Jamie taking the bedroom. The last thing I needed (or wanted for that matter) was to walk over to the bathroom in the middle of the night, only to see them going at it on the couch.

And by "price range," I mean the on-base apartments provided to military personnel and their families.

"So what do you think?" Rose asked.

I snapped out of my reverie, and moved my focus from the room's size, to what it actually held.

A desk and chair, a door that lead to (I'm assuming) a closet, a window on the opposite wall, and a single bed with a blue and green tie-dye quilt.

"I like it," I answered automatically. And I realized it was true. "It's certainly more than I'm accustomed to, but I like it."

She tilted her head slightly and smiled at me. "Yeah…Em told me a little about that. Alice nearly had a heart attack at some of the things he shared." We both chuckled.

"And how about when I arrived with just my rucksack?" I dangled the bag in question between us.

She smiled gently. "Yeah…I was wondering about that actually."

I dumped my bag on the bed and shrugged. "We never had much money; tray's time in the military was so he could go to school, and then eventually put me through school."

"What about…you know…Travis's partner?" Rose hesitantly asked.

I grimaced. "Jamie…Jamie was in the military too. The Marines. And…about a year and a half ago, he was in an accident, and it left him deaf. He was also left bound to a wheelchair. He had only just finished up speech therapy and physical therapy when Travis died."

Rose appeared taken aback when I said Tray's name and the word "died" without stumbling.

"That's why I was put up for adoption, "I continued. "From the time I was young, I've worked any number of jobs to help buy groceries and pay the bills. I also did all the cooking and cleaning on top of that, and my schoolwork. And, because both Jamie and Tray were in the military (they were my sole caretakers), I was left alone a lot. And now, due to his accident, Jamie would have been at least somewhat dependent on me. Therefore, my home was deemed "unlivable." I wasn't bad enough that I lost Travis, no, they had to take away Jamie, my home, and my life on top of it."

I knew that, eventually, someone was going to ask me why I wasn't living with my brother-in-law. So, I figured I'd just get it over with.

"I have an aunt and uncle in Rochester, New York," Rosalie said softly. "My aunt Teresa was my dad's half-sister. Anyway, when I was sixteen, she and my uncle Gary convinced my parents to let me live with them for the summer."

She paused, and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. I immediately grasped her hand and turned her towards the bed, so she could sit down. She smiled gratefully, and turned her eyes back to the floor.

"My Southern accent had never been very strong, and that summer, it died altogether. I also got to know Uncle Gary. He and Teresa had never been very close to my parents. He was very nice and attentive…too attentive." She fell silent again, and I felt a pit open up in my stomach. I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say, but I left her to tell me at her own pace.

"He raped me," she whispered. "He took me out to a late show, and on the way back to their apartment, he dragged me to an alley, and…he raped me."

Her breathing was ragged and shallow. Her eyes were wet and slightly glazed over, and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Keeping hold of her hand, I threw my other arm around her shoulders, and hugged her close to me. She curled into me and whimpered. An occasional sob could be heard, but she had her…freak out…quietly. I rubbed her shoulders, and cooed softly to her, hoping to calm her down.

It didn't take her long. Within ten minutes, she was sitting up, drying her eyes, and continuing her story.

"That had been my last night in New York. The next morning, we flew out for Texas. Jasper and my dad were at home, working on some house project or something, so it was just my mom there to greet us. She could tell I was upset, but she didn't know why. But she invited Gary and Teresa back to the house.

"Jasper knew the second he saw me. He was livid. Normally, even when he's angry, he keeps calm. Obviously pissed off, but calm. He wasn't pissed off though, and he wasn't calm. The look on his face…it was outright rage. I had never seen him like that. He attacked Gary right then and there. Now Jazz has always been a gentleman, so when he tackled Gary to the ground and started punching him, my parents connected the dots. Jasper…I had never loved or feared my brother more than in that moment."

She shook her head, and smiled slightly. I had only seen a smirk on Jasper's face, but his eyes just…shone with intensity. And it was entirely unique to him.

"Once Gary got past his shock of Jasper's attack, he started fighting back. And he fought dirty. He had a bunch of rings on his fingers, and Jasper was only wearing old jeans, and a black wife-beater. The rings cut into his arms, his neck, his chest, his stomach, and his face. They didn't deter him, not in the least. He was running on rage and adrenaline."

"A deadly combination," I interjected.

She grinned at me. "Exactly. Anyway, at some point, Gary managed to pull his switchblade out, and he started cutting Jasper up. I was terrified for him. Not even Gary raping me had frightened me as much. The gashes focused mainly on his arms, chest, and stomach. There was a blood everywhere. But at some point, Jasper managed to rip Gary's knife from him and tossed it away.

"At that point, my dad pulled Jasper off of Gary, and my mom ordered Jasper and I into the house. It was obvious that Jazz wanted to pound Gary into a grease spot, but he let me lead him into the house, and into the bathroom, so I could see to his cuts.

"He was covered in blood; the gashes were pretty deep. And thinking back to how they had come about, I started to shake. Jasper noticed this, and pulled me into a hug. He had always taken on the role of the protective older brother, despite us being twins."

She paused again. Her face was pained, but it was with a sense of pity and sympathy.

"That was when it happened. We heard screaming, a gunshot, more screaming, and then silence. We sprinted for the front door. Outside, we found our mother, crying and screaming, kneeling by our father. He was lying, silent and still, in a pool of his own blood. It appeared that Gary had somehow gotten his hands on another knife, and had cut my dad. Gary himself also lay in a pool of his own blood. You could see the bullet wound in his forehead, right between his eyes. And Teresa…she stood, tears streaming down her cheeks, with a gun clenched in her hand, still aimed at her fallen husband.

"When she heard the door open, she turned to me with the most pained expression I had ever seen. She said something to me. It was so soft, I couldn't hear her, but I could read her lips. "I'm sorry" she said. And then, before anyone could stop her, she raised the gun to the underside of her chin, and pulled the trigger.

"Judging from…from the agony and hopelessness on her face, I'd say she had known all along, and that it had been going on for some time. I guess I was just her breaking point.

"My dad died that day. And Jasper and I lost our mother roughly a year later. Drunk driver mowed her down."

She turned away and gazed out the window. I knew how she felt. Travis hadn't just been my brother. He'd been a father, mother, and my hero.

When Rose looked back at me, her expression was clear, her smile tranquil. Her eyes sparkled with mirth.

"And that's how we ended up with the Cullens…and how I came to meet Emmett," she tacked on.

"Does he know?" she knew what I meant.

She grimaced, but nodded. "He does. Both he and Jazz are really protective of me, sometimes ridiculously so," she chuckled quietly.

"Meeting Emmett…really helped me move on with my life. And, in some ways, I don't completely hate what happened. I hate that my parents are gone, I hate that Jazz got hurt, and I hate what happened to me. But I don't hate the Cullens, and I don't regret meeting Emmett."

Then a thought hit me. "Uh…speaking of regret, will Jasper be angry that I know about this? About his scars?"

She smiled smugly at me. "Oh…you're worried about Jasper hmm?"

I shrugged. "I have my own share of scars; I know what it's like. I also know that not everybody likes people knowing about them, and/or seeing them."

She visibly blanched, and I couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped me at her expression.

"So…um, you said James is deaf?" she asked, changing the subject.

I nodded.

"Do you know sign language?"

I smirked. "I was learning at the same time Jamie was. I don't know much, but I do know a little bit. Well…that I remember." She laughed at that.

"Hey, so if you and Jazz are twins, how come you go by Hale, and he goes by Whitlock?" My turn to change the subject.

"Whitlock's our mom's maiden name. And Jasper prefers that to Hale; he's legal, so no one could really do anything about it. How did you know about that?"

And then realization dawned on her.

"Emmett," We said simultaneously.

Knock knock.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened to reveal Jasper standing there.

JPOV

I walked upstairs to see Riley lyin' down in front of Bella's slightly ajar, bedroom door. I could hear the girls laughin' inside. When it became obvious to him that I was headed for Bella's room, he snorted. I guess he was tryin' to warn me off without snarlin' at me. Whether that was because he didn't want to scare Bella, or because he doesn't hate me, I don't know.

I deliberated, until I decided to take a page out of Edward's book. I sat down cross- legged in front of him, and held my hand out for him to sniff. His expression (if dogs can even have expressions) was queer. It's almost as if he was thinkin' Are you for real? But, after a brief moment, he leaned forward and sniffed. I waited patiently, keepin' fairly still, so as not to startle him. And then, he did the damndest thing; he placed his head on me, so I could scratch him behind his ear. I did.

I sat there for I don't know how long, just petting Riley, and listenin' to Rose tell Bella about our past with our dear aunt and uncle (insert sarcasm here), and our parents' death. In all honesty, Bella amazed me. She was silent through the majority of my sister's story, and even though I couldn't see 'em, I knew Rose, Bella's response was exactly what she needed. And I'm not gonna lie, the comments that Bella made were pretty fuckin' amusin'.

I knew eavesdroppin' was wrong, but c'mon! I wasn't plannin' on listenin' in. That's just how it worked out. When the conversation turned to my scars, I stiffened. Riley noticed, but he didn't turn away, he scooted a tad closer. I just smiled briefly at him, and kept pettin'. He really was a sweet dog; he just loved Bella, and c'mon, I can't fault him for that.

But once again, the girl shocked me. She was worried about how I would react when I found out she knew about my scars. Although, what did bother me, was when she mentioned her scars. Course, they would never make a difference to me; I'd already seen the one on her face. But still, just how many did she have? Who had hurt her?

I was brought out of my li'l reverie when Riley snorted again. I had to keep these thoughts at bay; they were just pissin' me off.

I heard Bella explain her knowin' sign language, and Rose told her the reasons behind our different last names. Turned out her secret source was…

"Emmett," both girls said in unison.

Surprise, surprise.

I decided to make my presence known, and nudged Riley off my knee, before standin' and knockin' on the door.

"Come in," a sweet voice called.

Get your shit together Whitlock!

I opened the door to reveal Rose and Bella sittin' on Bella's bed. The room was nice. Not too big or too small; simple. I thought it suited her well.

"Yes?" the doe-eyed girl asked.

Doe-eyed girl? What the fuck? I mentally chastised myself.

"Jus' came up here to see if y'all needed any help. Riley did some intervenin' though."

Bella's eyes widened. "Oh! He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Come on, B. I'm sure we would have heard them, if Riley had tried to kill Jasper."

Bella wasn't pacified; she wanted the answer from me.

"No worries Darlin', I'm fine," I cooed at her. I found her concern for me very touchin'.

Rose, bless her, quickly excused herself from the room; leavin' Bella and I alone.

"So…did Alice send you up here to run interference on my wardrobe count?" she joked, her eyes sparkin' with amusement.

I grinned. "Nah. The girl's got Edward for that, the poor bastard," I sighed, and shook my head in mock-dismay.

She laughed quietly, her smile reachin' her eyes. My grin relaxed into a gentle smile as I gazed at the beautiful girl in front of me.

Now I just have to talk to her 'bout my scars, and we'll be square.

IMPORTANT A/N:

I am so fucking sorry! My summer has been very busy, and went by a helluva lot faster than I was expectin'. I also just got surgery on Monday. (Just wisdom teeth extraction, I'm fine!) And even though my days are a bit lazier, the meds my doc's got me doped up on make me very tired, and I pass out within half an hour.

Also, I want to thank all my readers for stickin' with me. I love you all! And even if I don't always respond to your reviews, I do read them all, and they mean the world to me. I think it would really help me write if you guys sent me questions about the plot, or your own ideas of what I could possibly add to make my story better.

Thanks again for putting up with my erratic updates. Leave me some love!

Until next time, my darlings.