How the hell did he say it? It was the worst thing about him and to humans it was scary. She already had enough to deal with, she didn't need his secrets on top of it. James had to be dealt with– maybe he didn't have to tell her anything.

Maybe he could just deal with James himself and she wouldn't have to know.

But how was he supposed to convince her of anything if she didn't know that he was a vampire? James was more than just an ordinary human threat. Her father wouldn't be able to just put an APB out on the guy. It required a vampire to deal with a vampire.

"Is it that you're immune to the cold?" She gestured to his rolled-up sleeves and loose collar.

"Huh?" He was too distracted to register what she meant. "No– I mean yes that's part of it."

"Part of what?"

"The thing I need to tell you." His phone rang but Jasper knew it was Alice and she was probably going to tell him not to do the thing that he was definitely going to do anyway, so he ignored it.

Plus they hadn't done too good of a job hiding the fact that they were vampires. What with Emmett with his human comments. On top of Jasper not exactly holding his shit together around the human– he didn't know how many times she'd seen him when he was trying to be stealthy. He was always flustered around her and her emotions always threw him off.

"I'm–" He stopped pacing and sat on the couch opposite her. But that seemed too far away so he stood up again and paced the small living room. "I don't know how to say it, honestly."

"Jasper," She sat forward. "Are you telling me your secrets?"

"Yes." Which didn't seem like a big enough word for what he was about to do.

Never mind that it was illegal for his kind to let on that they were vampires. He was about to tell this human– this perfect, wonderful, hilarious human, that he was not any of those things and, in fact, was the opposite. He was a monster even among his own kind.

She would be terrified if she knew the truth.

"I have so many questions." She grinned and Jasper lost his nerve to tell her. She was too pretty. Too good.

"You do?" Dumbfounded Jasper sat on the couch and stared at the woman. Nothing but curiosity and excitement was coming off of her.

"Yes," She smiled this time and Jasper melted into the couch. "Do you have a special person?"

"A special person?"

"Yeah, like someone you love– like… do you have an Edward like Emmett does?"

Oh shit– what a loaded question. Yes, he was staring at her. Did he want to tell her that? No. Not when he was going to lay bare his soul and she would run away screaming.

"I uh…" He didn't know how to answer that so he decided to be a coward. "Next question."

"Okay. This might sound silly– and it might be the painkillers talking so don't judge me too hard, okay?" Her smile didn't falter but she suddenly looked so serious with her hands clasped together in front of her. "You are super strong and fast."

Oh god, she already knew. This was it. She would call him out and there was no hiding it. How shitty had he been at hiding it that she already knew? Goddamn, he needed to work on his human skills.

"Jasper, are you… are you a…" She leaned forward and her voice lowered a tad like she was imparting some secret.

"Yes–"

"Mermaid–"

"What no." Jasper spluttered completely flummoxed by her thought process. "A mermaid?"

"Merman– whatever."

"No. I'm not a mermaid. Why would you think that?"

"Well, you're gorgeous. You're super fast, you're strong, you eat so much, and you've got like… scales or something." She held out a finger with each statement and then waggled the hand at him. "Oh, and you can breathe underwater. Hence mermaid."

"What?"

"I saw you– thought I was just seeing things before this– I saw you twice. Once when Charlie and I were fishing– you were just under the water hangin' out. And then when I was having a panic attack. You were right behind Charlie, I blinked and you were gone."

"No, I mean… why do you think I have scales? What scales?" The other things he could guess at but the scales thing was completely out of left field.

"Oh," She sat on the edge of her seat and traced a soft warm finger over one of the many scars marring his forearms. Chills raced up his spine at the contact. "Are they not? I just thought because they were rounded and silvery."

"Those are scars." Christ, he was going to have to go into every horrid detail. "You can see them?"

"Only in certain lights." She traced the same scar again and smiled up at him. Big brown eyes so utterly guileless. "They're pretty."

A phrase that no one had ever said to him before. Again, Jasper was struck dumb. It took him too long to think too long to respond and even then his response was just to ignore her comment– because how could they be pretty to her when every one of his kind had some kind of adverse reaction to just looking at him?

"Bella," Jasper didn't know how to address this allegation. "I'm not a mermaid."

"Superman?" Her hand was still on his arm. The contact was all-consuming. Every cell in his body was aware and trained on her touch. Soft curious emotion seeped into his skin.

"No– nothing like that." There was nothing else but Bella and her hand on his arm.

"But you are something." And that something was bad. He didn't deserve her soft touches– god he was fucking this up.

"Yes," Jasper stood and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nothing like that– nothing good." The spot she'd touched burned hot on his arm.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a vampire."

Well, shit.

He just said it.

No dressing it up. No making it softer. Just outright saying it.

Goddamnit.

"Oh." She shifted on the couch but otherwise looked fine. "Like a vampire vampire? Like 'I'm going to suck your blood' Dracula?"

"Yes."

"Huh."

No hysterics. No screaming or running away.

"Bella, you're taking this very well. It's kind of concerning actually."

"Well, I kinda don't believe you." She made a face and Jasper had to focus on the task at hand. She was too pretty to concentrate.

"But you believed that I was a mermaid?" Which was just flabbergasting.

"Yeah– I saw you doing mermaid things." She paused and squinted her eyes at him. "Do something vampire-y."

"Like what?"

"I don't know… turn into a bat?"

"I can't." So it was less like Dracula and more like Superman but if explained it like that she would misunderstand and think he was some kind of good guy. "What about this?" He moved to the recliner and picked it up with her still perched on top of it. "Does this convince you?" He asked when she was at eye level with him.

"What about your vampire fangs?" She looked at his lips. "Do you have those?"

"Kinda." Jasper displayed his teeth and watched her examine them carefully. Her lips pursed.

"They just look like normal canines but maybe a wee bit longer." She arched a thick eyebrow at him. "I've seen you eat people food– not blood. You eat a lot."

"It would be impolite to let you eat by yourself."

"So you're a polite vampire?" She giggled and Jasper had to put the recliner back in its spot on the carpet. Not because it was heavy, but because his brain was going to leak out of his ears if she kept on exuding such sunny warmth and he would end up dropping it and hurting her.

"Yes ma'am." He let his southern twang flavor the words because it would make her laugh. And she did. And it was warm.

"Wait– I've seen you go outside in the sun. Vampires are supposed to melt in the sun."

"That one doesn't apply either. I just turn glittery in the sun." Which was also not vampire-y or at least not what pop culture depicted. "I also don't need an invitation to enter somewhere. And we don't fly."

"Will you show me the glittery thing?" She was eyeing him like she was trying to find the glitter on him.

"Sure." Jasper shot up the stairs got her boots, socks, and coat from her closet before he went into Charlie's closet to steal one of his flannels. Because she needed layers and she didn't have any flannels herself. And since the cat was out of the bag he didn't need to go human slow.

"Wow." She breathed when he presented her with his findings. "You are fast. Are we going somewhere?"

"Probably up the mountain so we can find sunshine– a break in the clouds."

"I can't hike up a whole mountain." She said even as she put on her boots and pulled on the layers. "Doesn't the backyard have sunshine?"

"Nah, it's gotta be unfiltered sunshine. That's why we pick Forks and other northern places– the constant cloud cover."

"Wait—" She held out her hands. "Pick Forks? As in you've moved around a lot. How often have you moved?"

"A lot."

"How old are you? Are you like… immortal?"

"Yes, that one is true." She plopped back down on the chair and held her head. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I just– how old are you?"

"I was turned when I was nineteen. I was born in eighteen forty-four."

"Holy shit– you're like… one hundred and sixty-one?"

"Yep."

"Wow, so you're forever nineteen?" She sat up in the seat and sharp focus rolled off of her. "Tell me all the things."

"Like what?"

"How was eighteen forty-four? Where did you live? How did you turn into a vampire?"

"Well… I—it was… it was life I guess." He couldn't remember much of his human life but he remembered the heat and his mom. "I was in what became Texas."

"Oh my god, the accent is authentic." She was grinning again and Jasper couldn't help but grin back.

"Yeah–" Reality crashed and he suddenly remembered why the hell he was telling Bella everything in the first place. "Wait, wait. There's something I need to tell you."

"There's more?"

"Yes, unfortunately." Jasper sat down and rubbed the back of his neck once again. "So… so there's this vampire. A different vampire. I don't know why he's doing this but Alice saw him taking you somewhere."

"I didn't go anywhere with anyone." Bella put her hands up and shook her head.

"No– I know. Okay, so there's more stuff to tell you." He was fucking this up. "Alice can see the future. I can manipulate emotions, Emmett's really strong, and Esme is the world's best mother. Oh, and Ed can read minds."

"Whaa… how?"

"It's something that happens when someone gets turned sometimes. They get these extra abilities. But that's not the part I need to tell you. Here it is: some asshat named James is going to try to get to you to fuck with me."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's bored. Maybe he's just interested because there are so many vampires around you."

"Okay. Got it. James bad. Ed can read minds. Alice sees the future. Vampires are real. Mermaids, not a thing– or at least you're not one." She sank back into the chair. "I'm going to need a minute."