Disclaimer: SMeyer gets to devote all of her time to writing what she wants whenever she wants to and nobody complains. I have to divide my time up between writing, school, drama, and those pesky things called sleep and food. So, no, I am not SMeyer and no, I do not own Twilight. I do own a very pretty laptop called Muse and a bright red rain jacket that I like to wear on gray days to brighten things up.

Chapter 22

It was raining torrentially—big surprise there—, something to which Edward had yet to get used to. He had nothing against the rain, not at all, but all the water was beginning to wear him down; he missed the sun. His thoughts reflected in his actions, as he doodled a sunny landscape. He was brought out of his reverie when a large object landed on his bed, making him bounce on it. He looked up. It was Alice.

What's up, Alice? He asked, happy for the distraction from his boredom. He had begun to dread Mondays; they marked the end of a weekend with his friends, since Bella could not hang out after school during the week. Chores, she had said.

Not much. I just wanted to talk. It's been a while, right? We're always hanging out with Bella and the Hales lately.

Edward acknowledged that as he leaned back against the headboard of his bed, ready for a talk with Alice. They were very close to each other and had always confided on each other about everything, but they had not had much time for heart-to-hearts since their coming to Forks. Unfortunately, so much had happened since then that one seemed absolutely necessary by this point.

OK, what shall we talk about? Edward asked, a fake thoughtful look on his face. Oh, I know. How about a certain blond senior?

Oh, Edward, Bella would be so disappointed! Alice teased melodramatically. However, she then donned an unfamiliar serious look. But I did want to talk to you about Jasper. And Bella. But let's go in order. I think I know but…why exactly are you and Jasper so tense around each other lately?

Edward and Jasper had yet to make up. It had only been four days, sure, but in such a small group of friends such a rift was quite noticeable. Both boys refused to take the first step and admit their wrong, though.

It's silly. He said some things I disagreed with, so I told him so. He did not take it well. There's nothing to it, Edward answered matter-of-factly. Alice did not believe him.

Edward, I'm not stupid. I know it has something to do with Bella and I know neither of you think it's "silly." Come on, there are never any secrets between us. Tell me? Please?

Edward thought about it. It was true, they had an absolute confidentiality pact; neither had ever given away anything they had confided on the other. Why should this be any different? It really wasn't, he finally decided. So what if there were other people involved? Alice was still his sister and confidante; his best friend.

It's about Bella. Jasper told me that I had to be careful with her because she was different. It pissed me off. You know what it's like for me, when people do that to me. I definitely do not want to do that to anybody else. So I told him that what happened between Bella and me would stay between Bella and me; that nobody had asked him to butt in. He did not take it well, I'm afraid.

Alice nodded; she had suspected it was something along those lines. She agreed with her brother to the extent that she knew how much he hated to be treated differently because he was Deaf, but she could also definitely see Jasper's point. After all, it was obvious to the most inexperienced observer that Bella was not like other girls. From what she had made out, Alice had a pretty clear picture of what Bella's home life probably was, and she understood Jasper's worries. This was something that she needed to discuss with Edward, she realized.

OK, well, that's a start. Let's discuss it all, point by point, alright?

When she talked like that, Alice reminded Edward of their mother. He fought the urge to roll his eyes and merely nodded his head.

We all agree that the center of this issue comes from Bella. At Edward's outraged look, Alice amended her statement. I do not mean that Bella is causing problems, but that these problems are all related to her. So, I suppose, we should solve them by talking about her, right?

Edward nodded reluctantly. He did not like where he thought Alice was going with those claims.

So, we both know that Bella has a difficult home life. We know nothing about her mother, other than the fact that she does not seem to be in the picture. We know her father is an asshole with whom she does not get along. And we know that she seeks refuge from him every weekend with the Hales. Those are all facts and they all prove that she is, indeed, different from other girls. We cannot argue that point, right?

Edward nodded reluctantly once more before raising his hands to speak. Before he had finished a single sign, though, Alice was already starting her next argument.

We have also seen through the past few weeks that Bella seems to be remarkably dependent on Jasper, right? Edward crossed his arms over his chest as he nodded, looking like the quintessential petulant child. So, to all effects, Jasper has been her brother and, maybe even to an extent, father figure. He has been looking out for her well-being, physical, emotional, and mental, all this time. So, really, he knows her better than us. We cannot argue against that point, so don't even try, she stated when she saw Edward's attempt to interrupt her. Edward did not let that deter, him, however, and he finally got to voice his opinion.

The fact that he knows her better than us does not mean he knows best! What right does he have to tell me how I should treat her? She is her own individual. And, besides, he does not know how annoying it is to be treated differently because of something you cannot help. I do, and I refuse to do that to Bella. She is not a child!

Alice responded nothing, watching him quietly for a few seconds. Edward shuffled awkwardly, wondering why his usually vociferous sister was not replying to his statements. Finally, she asked something that shocked him.

You really like her, don't you? As in, really, really like her. More than you ever liked Tanya.

What are you talking about? He asked, trying to seem oblivious but failing. He knew very well what she meant but he felt a certain weakness about admitting that he liked Bella as more than a friend. That created new expectations for their relationship; expectations he did now know he could fulfill. After all, Bella was Hearing. She probably wanted a Hearing partner; she experienced life so much differently from him, how could they ever fully understand each other if they were both physically unable to experience the world as the other did? She would never know him as well as one of his Deaf friends could and he could never understand her as well as her Hearing friends could. When Alice insisted, he explained his thoughts to her and, much to his surprise, she laughed at his face.

Edward, that is one of the silliest things I have ever heard. With any other person, you could use that claim successfully, but with Bella? From the very beginning she has showed that she is so incredibly aware of you and she has put herself out of her comfort zone to make you happy. And you have done the same thing right back! Sure, there are things neither of you will never understand but, really, if that were really that big an issue you would not have been able to develop your relationship this far. You have both proved that you are willing to fight and do your best to be there for each other; anything else is secondary.

Edward stared at Alice for a few seconds as he processed what she had just stated. Was that true? Had they already proved that they had the drive needed to work their relationship out? He could not believe it, and he said as much.

Has there been a time over the past few weeks that Bella did or said something that proved that she could not understand you? Has she been offensive about the Deaf Community, has she ignored or been rude about it? When Edward merely shook his head she continued. She has been nothing but supportive; she has been the most supportive in the entire school. And she didn't even need to! She is doing it because she cares and because she understands. After all that, are you really just going to turn your back on her?

Edward had no reply to that. Alice watched him for a bit before excusing herself.

Think about that, OK? You know I'm right. Trust me, the two of you are meant for each other, she said finally, before jumping off the bed and heading out, probably back to her own room. Edward leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a while. Everything Alice had said was true. His only argument—that he was Deaf and she Hearing—lost any argumentative weight once he thought about it. Yes, it was true, there were certain things she would never understand, just as there were certain things he would never understand about her. But, was it not the same for inter-racial marriages? And were there not also certain aspects of life that a man could never experience that a woman could, and vice versa? If one followed that logic, practically no two people in the world made an appropriate match. Edward smiled. He liked that logic.

From there, he moved on to think about her home life. He still did not quite understand the concept of "not getting along" with one's father; his family had always been loving and doting. What could drive a child to reject her own father and turn to a different family? Could it be—the thought chilled the blood in his veins—could it be that Mr. Carper abused Bella? The mere thought made Edward tense in anger and, at the same time, helplessness. If that was true, could he do anything to help? But he was getting away from himself; he had no proof and no real claim, merely conjectures. Maybe he was simply cold. Her mother seemed to be out of the picture; it was possible that she had died when Bella was young and that she reminded Mr. Carper too much of her mother, so he turned her away. He had read something about a situation like that somewhere. That would not necessarily be anybody's fault, and it would explain Mr. Carper's bitterness and coldness. Yes, Edward decided, that was probably it.

With all those issues solved so clearly in his head, Edward returned his thoughts to Bella as a whole. He thought back to that Friday, only four days ago, and how she had kissed his cheek, and how they had sat so close, leaning on each other while they watched the movie. He smiled. He could not lie to himself; he liked Bella. And, in all sincerity, he could only hope that she liked him back as well.

Bella had had a hard time deciding whether to squeal in joy or bawl her eyes out over the past four days. On the one hand, she was beyond happy about how things were going with Edward. She had kissed his cheek and had snuggled up to him to watch a movie! And they had eaten a dinner she had made for him together (granted, his family and their friends were also there, but it was the thought that counted!). And, over the weekend, they had just hung out happily, by themselves, having tickle fights and sharing secrets (his celebrity crush was Sandra Bullock, he had had a crush on Alice's middle school English teacher once, and he was unable to go anywhere without a book somewhere in his person).

It had all been so wonderful and she could not lie to herself anymore; she liked him. As in, really, really liked him. He was all that she could think about. Or, at least, all she wanted to think about, for there was something that kept interrupting her joy. This something, the reason for her wanting to bawl her eyes out, was Jasper who, ever since his argument with Edward on Friday, had been giving her the evil eye. She finally decided to confront him on Monday after school, as he drove her home for the week.

"Jasper? Are you angry at me?"

Jasper kept his eyes on the road but his hands tensed around the steering wheel. Silently, he shrugged.

"Come on, Jazzy, tell me what's wrong? Have I done anything?"

Jasper remained as silent as before. Bella groaned and let out an exasperated sigh. She took out the big guns.

"Does this have something to do with Edward?"

Jasper's jaw tensed, his knuckles turned white around the steering wheel, and his eyes turned into little angry slits.

"Is everything about darling Edward to you?" he asked coldly. Bella was surprised; she had assumed it was about Edward but she had not thought there would be that much anger.

"No, it's not. You know that. But I don't understand why you're so angry at each other. Care to share?"

Jasper remained silent for a minute. Bella had given up on ever getting an answer when he finally spoke up.

"Why are you siding with him?"

"What? I'm not siding with anyone, I'm just curious!" Bella answered, outraged. She was trying her best to not take any sides and to let the boys just work their frustrations out on their own, but they were starting to make things awkward and uncomfortable for her.

"Really? Then why did you spend so much free time with him this weekend? Why are you two so close? And why do you keep bugging me about being angry at him?" Jasper asked one question after another in quick succession, sending each out like a jab.

"You're being so childish!" Bella answered, obviously annoyed, "I spent time with him because I like to. I spend a lot of time with you, too, in case you hadn't noticed! And I want to know why the hell my two best friends are fighting and making my life so difficult!"

"So he's your best friend now, huh?" Jasper asked coldly. Bella rolled her eyes.

"You both are. I know you didn't miss that, so stop being silly and jealous. Jasper, I don't know why, but Edward gets me. And I get him. Being with him…it's so easy. I feel like, as long as he's happy, everything's well in the world. And I know I sound like a sappy teen girl, but everything seems to be falling into place. James hasn't been too bad lately, school is going fine, and I finally have some true friends besides you, Rosalie, and Emmett. Is it too much to ask for my best friend forever to be happy for me?"

Bella sounded truly sad when she said that, and Jasper felt guilt begin to creep up in him. He was jealous, he admitted this to himself. He had been the most important part of Bella's life for so long, it hurt to share that spot, let alone lose it to a newcomer. And what bugged him even more than that was that Edward seemed to understand Bella so well already; he had known exactly how she would feel about his and Emmett's intimidation stunt and, instead of going along with it for the sake of the cliché, he had stopped it because he did not think it was fair to Bella. Jasper felt like he thought fathers felt when giving their daughters away at the altar; replaced. And he hated that feeling.

He stopped the car; they had gotten to Bella's. She sighed and started gathering her things, readying to go back into the house. Jasper stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's not too much to ask. I'm sorry, Bella."

Bella smiled and turned to him. She put her hand over his.

"It's alright. But what exactly is going on? What has the two of you so on edge with each other?"

"It's just…" Jasper sighed. How could he explain it without sounding like a possessive asshole? "I've been the only guy you needed for so long. And suddenly along comes this guy and, within a matter of weeks, he seems to get you better than I do. And you want to spend all your free time with him and it is obvious that you like him and he likes you. And don't deny it, Bella, because we both know it's true. I guess I just feel…replaced. And I hate that he sees things about you that I don't, because that makes me feel like such a bad brother. And I'm sorry I'm such an asshole sometimes and that I say stupid things and treat you like a little kid. I just love you so freaking much and I want to protect you. But Edward's right; you're not a little girl. I have to stop acting as if you were. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk."

Bella stared at Jasper in surprise. She had most definitely not been expecting that sort of a speech from him, but, to be sincere, it had brought tears to her eyes. She had always known Jasper loved her, of course, but this reassurance meant so much to her. And, above all, the fact that he acknowledged that she was not a little girl made her feel like she was soaring. With him, she always felt as if she were a little girl, being told to stay on the sidewalk, to look both ways before crossing, to not run with her shoelaces untied. And, while she loved the feeling of being cared of, she also loved feeling independent. It seemed as if Jasper had finally grown to accept that.

"I love you, Jasper. And thank you for finally acknowledging that I'm not a little girl." Jasper laughed nervously and Bella continued. "I promise I'm still your Bella; I will still come to you when I need help, but…I'd really appreciate it if, from now on, you could wait until I asked to come to my rescue. I need to learn to fight my own battles and all that jazz."

Jasper smiled and nodded.

"You got it. From now on, I'm cool. No more over-protective older brother."

Bella arched an eyebrow and watched him quietly for a few seconds. Finally, he cracked.

"Fine, we both know that's not really true. But I'll do my best to keep it down, OK?" Bella smiled and nodded. "You better still come to me if anything happens with James, though. Oh, and if Edward does anything to hurt you, I'm going to kick his ass, Deaf or not. Got it?"

Bella rolled her eyes dramatically before smiling at Jasper and nodding. She then lunged herself over the car's console and hugged Jasper tightly, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you. I love you, big brother."

"Love you, too, Bells," he said, returning the hug before finally releasing her so she could get out of the car. Just as she was at the front door, Jasper called out from the car.

"Oh, and…Bella?"

"Yes?" she asked, turning around, trying to figure out if she had forgotten something in the car or if he had simply forgotten to tell her something.

"I'm telling Alice and Edward about it being your birthday on Friday. You're not getting out of celebrating your 17th birthday that easily."

With that he drove away just as Bella groaned. She almost wished Edward and Jasper stayed angry at each other until after the weekend now. "Almost" being the operative word; everything seemed to finally be working out and she could not be happier.

Author's Note: Ha! Two chapters within 6 hours of each other. I'm on a roll! Yay! Anyway, I wanted to write happy fluff and resolve some of the tension, so here you go. How was it? Did you like it? Again, with these chapters I'm trying out new things at the same time as I try to get the plot to move forwards a bit. How am I doing? Please, be sincere! Anyway, it is pretty late over here, and I have yet to do my homework, so I shall now retire to the warmth and comfort of a mug of tea while I do that before going off to sleep. I promise another update tomorrow!

Thanks to:

Bellaleigh2009

Gothgirl1245

FRK921

A. Fire. In. The. Attic.—well, I hope you don't mind the incredible amount of dialogue here…I needed them to work things out and I needed a lot of dialogue to achieve it. I think we'll be back to normal in the next chapter, though, so don't worry! And I'm glad you like it.

Kristin04—I really liked your review, actually. The fact that you paid enough attention and cared enough about the story to review on stylistic differences means a lot to me and I am very glad that you like what I am writing. I hope to see more reviews in the future!

Questions/Comments:

GabrielsDoubt—To "shout" in ASL you would exaggerate your signs and make them very large at the same time as you put on an angry facial expression, from what I have researched. As always, though, you might want to ask somebody who is part of the Deaf Community, because anything I tell you has come from my personal research, not personal experience. As for Victoria…she will come into play soon. You're a few steps ahead of me. Just wait.

Incredibelle—well, Victoria is James' mother, who has been mentioned a couple times before. As for Laurent…I have to figure out where I can put him, but he will definitely come into play at one point or another. Not to worry!