DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Jasper and Bella spend some time together.

Brother & Sister

I knocked lightly on his study door, knowing he was in there from his scent.

"Come in," his voice called softly.

I opened the door and walked in, smiling when I saw him sitting behind his desk with his nose in a book. "Hello, Jasper."

"Bella. What brings you by?"

"I was hoping you'd like to take a walk with me. It's been awhile since just the two of us hung out together."

"Edward is actually allowing you out of his sight?" Jasper teased, grinning.

"I had to make a few promises, but yes," I chuckled.

He closed his book and stood up. "A walk would be nice. Let me just –"

"Seen it! The walking part, not anything else. Have fun! I won't peak," Alice shouted from the bedroom.

Jasper and I laughed as we headed out of his study and toward the front door. We walked quietly for awhile, and ended up at our lake. Jasper and I headed down to the water and started skipping rocks across the water, one of our favorite competitions. It was too calm of a competition for Emmett, and Edward was always trying to explain the proper skipping technique to me. But with Jasper, we just skipped rocks.

"So did you have anything in particular you wanted to talk about?" Jasper asked.

"Not really. I honestly just wanted to spend some time with you outside of school and the training sessions. And getting to hang out with everyone last weekend made me realize how much I miss my individual times with each of you."

He nodded his head, acknowledging my words. "I'm glad you waited until you were more in control of your emotions," Jasper joked, smiling at me.

"Well, I didn't think Alice would appreciate it if you pulled out chunks of your hair because of me," I quipped.

"I don't know. I've always wondered how I would look with a Mohawk."

"Absolutely terrible," I chuckled

"Yeah, I think so, too," he laughed. He skipped another rock and glanced at me for a second. "How are you feeling, Bella?"

"Better. Still conflicted at times, but it's much more manageable. I wish I could put names to all of these feelings, though."

"Let's try something then. Try not suppressing yourself. Just let go and think of your parents and I will help you name the feelings."

"Jasper, I don't want to wear you out or anything."

"You won't, Bella. I would really like to get to help you after what you did for me."

I smiled at him and hugged him tightly. "You're my big brother. I will always help you, and you don't owe me anything."

"True. But I would still like the opportunity to help you."

I pulled away and looked at his face. "Are you sure?"

"Completely."

"Okay," I sighed. I closed my eyes and thought of Charlie and Renee, and even Phil.

"You are happy."

"I do have a few nice memories of them, but very little. My human memories have faded an awful lot."

"There's longing and frustration."

"I wish I could see them and I'm frustrated with myself for not being happy with what I do have."

"I sense guilt."

"For leaving them and causing them pain, just so I could have the life I wanted."

"Wow. A fierce protectiveness."

"For Edward and all of you. You are my family and I will not give any of you up for any reason. I thought that was selfishness, though."

"Those emotions can resemble each other closely. But you don't desire to keep any one of us just for yourself. You want us together for all of our sakes."

I opened my eyes and looked at Jasper. "You are all my family, for the rest of eternity. I love you all very much."

He nodded his head and smiled, but then it changed into a frown. "You know, we've never gotten the chance to talk about what happened at school."

"I didn't think you would want to."

"Alice doesn't like to let me think about the 'what if' scenarios, and I love her far too much to allow her to be sad over me. But you are as well versed in the 'what if's' as I am and I've enjoyed getting to express those thoughts with you since your change."

"Then express away, big brother. I am listening attentively."

"I have a question first." He looked at me with an intense gaze. "What was it like?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you grabbed me, what was that like? What were my thoughts like?"

"Well, it was pretty powerful. Did you know that you have an amazingly strong conscience?"

"I do?"

I nodded my head. "Let's sit on the dock because I think this is going to take awhile."

We walked across the shore and climbed up onto the deck. I took my socks and shoes off and dipped my feet into the water, while Jasper sat down next to me. I knew no human would find us and I really loved the way the water lapped at my feet.

"So I have a conscience?"

"Didn't you know that?"

"I have a sense of right and wrong, but a conscience to me is a voice that trumps right and wrong. It is the voice of ultimate determination. You can think it's right to do away with a threat, but if you have a conscience that is strong, it will stop you and force you to come up with another solution."

"Like I did?"

"Exactly."

"But you do have one, Jasper. Maybe a better term would be internal voice. When I grabbed you, there were your normal thoughts of bloodlust, of how satisfying her blood would be as it coated your throat and soothed the fire inside of you. But there was a voice just as strong as your thoughts. It was screaming at you, asking what you thought you were doing and begging you to think of Alice. You were so conflicted in those seconds before I filled your head with my thoughts." I could feel the gratitude rolling of my brother and I grabbed his hand with mine.

"Bella, those were beautiful thoughts that you sent to me."

"What better way to bring you back to yourself than by showing you the love I see between your wife and you. The first time I realized that you are to Alice what Edward is to me, was when we came home from Italy. The way that you looked at Alice, right in her eyes, never afraid for a second of what you might see there. It spoke volumes about your love, commitment, and understanding of each other. I love Edward with everything in me, but I would be lying if I said I had never been afraid to face him. Actually, I'm often afraid to look in his eyes. He's so intense with everything and I can't stand the idea that I cause the negative emotions that sometimes flicker across his eyes."

"But whether you fear it or not, you still stand there and do it. Your love for Edward, even when you were human, was enough to rival the oldest vampire couple."

"I wish I could always feel my love for him and nothing else. But that's not the way real life works."

"No matter what else you're feeling, you can always picture him and bring your love for him to the front so that it dampens the other emotions you have."

"I will try to remember that. But for now, let's get back to you and what happened."

"Alice always tells me I would never have harmed a person, whether she really saw that or not. But I know she saw it happening this time. The panic that rolled off of her…I'm surprised you all weren't drenched in my guilt."

"I think we were in shock. So much happened in those few days right before that incident, and then for your control to be at risk so suddenly and forcefully…"

"I would have ruined everything, after all you did to keep us from hurting the psycho human," he lamented, shaking his head.

"Jasper Whitlock Cullen! Don't you dare!" I fussed him, pointing a finger at him. "After all I've done to this family, after all of the problems I have caused, after all of the times you have all told me it wasn't my fault, and especially you! You don't get to do that! You don't get to take that blame onto your shoulders. If you…If you get to take that blame, then I get to blame myself for this summer. I get to blame myself for us having to go and every little bad thing that happens while we are there."

Jasper laughed and pushed on my shoulder.

"I'm serious," I fussed.

"I know," he laughed. "But think about what you just said and how you said it!"

"I still don't get why you're laughing."

"Because Bella, you showed me how silly I was being by acting twice as absurd as me."

"Oh."

"Bella," he chuckled, shaking his head.

I smiled at him. "Jasper, you have to know that even if you had broken away from Edward, no one would have blamed you. Which is not exactly true, because much like me, you would have blamed you. But I wouldn't have let you run off like you did after my birthday. I'm fast enough to chase you down and strong enough to sit on you until Emmett and Edward could show up to drag you back home."

Jasper looked up at me and I could see the question burning in his eyes.

"You want to know why I never blamed you for my birthday?"

He nodded his head.

"It was out of your control. Your entire body is drawn to blood, blanketing out the rational section of your mind. It was my fault for not being more careful. I have control over my actions much more than you do when the bloodlust hits. You know, Edward has always underestimated me because of my ability to take everything so coolly, but I have never underestimated him. I knew that at any moment, any of you could have lost control and come after me, but I also knew that Edward would stop all six of you at once if he had to. So even if you were confident in your heart and mind that you were going to kill me, it wouldn't matter; Edward would always stop you."

"You're getting anxious."

"Yeah, but it's nothing to worry about. Let's keep talking."

"Bella…"

"No, Jasper. That's the normal way I feel when I'm not touching Edward in some way."

"Marcus is going to be completely blown away by the connection you two have. Of course I miss Alice when she's not near, but never to the degree that Edward and you feel."

"We never have been a normal couple," I chuckled.

Jasper smiled and nodded in agreement. "What is Edward doing right now?"

"Having a talk with Esme," I smiled proudly.

"She will be absolutely ecstatic for days now," Jasper laughed.

I nodded my head, pleased at the thought of a joyous Esme. "Jasper, do you believe good things come to good people?"

"Like karma?"

"Sort of, I guess. I don't really know what I mean. I guess I'm asking if you believe that people who only wish to leave in peace will get to do that."

"I think that the world is never black and white, just constantly shifting shades of gray. Your life is whatever you make of it and sometimes that involves fighting for what you believe in. But if what you are really asking for is my thoughts on this summer…Well, let's just say that one way or another, the Volturi will be leaving us alone after this visit."

"Damn right!"

Jasper chuckled and shook his head. "It's nice to see you having so much confidence, Bella. You've always struggled with seeing yourself as the strong woman that you really are."

"I don't know about that. I wasn't very strong as a human."

"What you lacked in physical strength, you made up for with determination, stubbornness, and an unwavering belief in those around you. Besides, do you really think a wimp could have tamed the lion that is Edward Cullen?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "He is quite the handful."

"Bella, there are some things a guy should never know about his brother."

I stared at him for a minute, feeling confused. When I realized what he was implying, I slapped his shoulder and tried to scold him through my laughter. "Jasper, that was a perfectly Emmett thing to say."

"You have to admit that the man does know how to make people laugh."

"Yeah, Emmett is really good at that," I agreed.

"So, Emmett and I have been dying to know this and we know Edward won't tell us."

"What do you two perverts want to know?"

"Do you prefer sex with Edward now, or the one time when you were human?"

"That night was very special for a lot of reasons, but no, it can't compare to now. There are too many differences."

"I can't believe you actually answered my question."

I shrugged. "Alice and Rose know. Besides, I'm well aware of what a novelty item Edward and I were as a vampire-human couple. And this way, you two won't ask Edward and end up with some body part ripped off."

"At the rate you're progressing with your training, I'm more scared of you. And let me just congratulate you, because that punch you laid on Emmett during the camping trip…That was pure beauty, Bella. You had perfect form and you never faltered for a second."

"Don't compliment me for that. I shouldn't have hit him."

"He shouldn't have thrown you. And I will compliment it because you did what all of us have done at one time or another. You drew your line in the sand with Emmett. He knows now that you have boundaries that he has to respect and you aren't going to forgive every silly thing he does just because he's Emmett."

"Yeah, but I hate fighting with you guys."

"Bella, we are siblings with eternal lives. Get used to it."

"Yes, sir," I laughed, giving him a mock salute.

"Little sis, as fun as this has been, we need to head home."

"Why?"

"Because your anxiety level is starting to really affect me."

"Sorry, Jasper. I didn't realize."

"It's okay, Bella. I know you can't help it."

I pulled my feet out of the water and slipped my socks and shoes back on. Jasper pulled me to my feet and we started walking toward the house.

"Thanks for hanging out with me today, Jasper."

"Thanks for wanting me to, Bella. I enjoy our time together very much."

"Me, too, big brother."

Jasper laughed loudly.

"What's so funny?"

"I thought…I thought you were…Edward!"

I smirked, figuring out what my laughing brother was trying to say. "Edward's anxiety is worse than mine?"

He nodded his head, confirming my suspicions.

"Shall we run the rest of the way and relieve my poor husband, thereby relieving you?"

"Absolutely," Jasper said with a grin.

We took off at vampire speed and entered the house seconds later. I gave Jasper a quick hug and then went to my room. I knew from his scent that Edward was already there. I closed and locked the door before pouncing on my gorgeous husband.

"Miss me?" I chuckled, as his nose skimmed back and forth across my neck.

He breathed in heavily, pulling my scent into him. "It is utterly ridiculous that I miss you so much after only a couple of hours," he mumbled against my skin.

"I think it's sort of cute," I said, tilting my head to let him have better access to my neck. "Did you have a nice talk with Esme?"

"Very nice. Thank you for suggesting it." He nipped my neck very gently.

I lowered my head, locking eyes with him. "I love you."

"I love you more."

"Impossible," I chuckled. I took his face into my hands and he closed his eyes, relishing my touch. I kissed each of his closed lids. "I love you so much, Edward. Every part of me needs you to be with me for me to feel alive and whole. Heck, my powers don't even work without you."

"Would you prefer that to be different?" he asked, opening his eyes to see my face.

"I would never have it any other way, silly vampire." I kissed him sweetly and smiled against his lips when he tried to deepen the kiss.

"Bella." My name on his lips sounded somewhere between a sigh and a pleading.

"Do you really want me to fulfill my promise now, or would you prefer us to finish our assignments first? This is the last week of classes before finals."

He shook his head the slightest bit, his topaz eyes darkening and flickering with desire. "I need you…Right now."

I smiled and kissed his cheek. "Then by all means, have me."

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You all know you were overdue for a cliffie!!! LOL!!!!