"I love you too." Bella stuttered.

"Thank you…" He murmured, pulling himself out carefully, before rolling off of her and wrapping her arms around her body.

"Hold me. Please." She said, snuggling back against him.

"I'm not letting you go." He smiled, rubbing his hands tenderly over her arms and then tightly cuddling her to him.

--

"I need to get up." Jasper said placing a chaste kips on her lips.

"Why?" Bella asked curiously "It's not as if we don't have all the time in the world."

"I just need to get up." He said quietly, clambering out of the bed and carefully pulling his tight jeans up over his bare legs. His skin sparkled in the morning light shining through the glass wall, his chest perfectly pale and seemingly scarless under the beams of light reflecting from him.

"Oh… okay…" Bella murmured, obviously feeling slightly rejected at his wanting to escape from the bedroom after only a short while of affection.

"It's not you." Jasper whispered wanting to say something to reassure her.

"Then why can't you just stay in bed?" She asked refusing to look at him, tucking her head under the white duvet. She didn't want him to feel guilty, but all she wanted was for him just to climb back into bed with her.

"Bella…" He near enough choked. He was stood frozen at the end of the bed. "Don't do this to me…"

"Do what?" Bella asked, still hiding under the duvet.

Jasper moved around the bed and perched himself on the edge of the mattress, at her feet. He placed his hand on her exposed leg and began stroking it gently and soothingly – more to calm himself than her.

"This…" He murmured simply.

"What do you mean?" She said.

"It was a good night." He said almost sobbing. "But I can't do the morning part… It's hard for me…"

Bella pulled the cover back from over her head, and sat up against the headboard. She could see the sadness in his eyes, even if they weren't teary, she could see his emotions shining in them.

"I'm sorry babe." Bella whispered, reaching out and touching his cheek.

"It's not your fault." He sobbed suddenly.

"We don't have to do it again. If that's what you want." Bella said while moving close enough to him to wrap her arm around him.

He turned his head away from her and began to shake in silent tears. His whole body convulsed in quick bursts and his hands wrung together tightly.

"No… no…no…" Jasper stuttered.

"It's okay, calm." Bella said, tightening her hold round him.

"I want you… I need you!" He stuttered. "Don't leave me…"

"I am not leaving you." She said slowly in his ear.

"I can't live… without you…" He sobbed again.

"Jasper Hale." Bella said in her most firm tone, pulling his head towards hers carefully. "I am not leaving you. I am not going to die on you. I am not going to cheat on you."

"Thank you… thank you…" He said weakly, tucking his head into her arm. "I could not ever… ever live without you."

--

The icy water washed over his skin as he stood under the shower head. The scents of orange blossom shampoo clouding his natural scent from reaching his own nose, the lather in his hair sticking his blonde curls to his head. He imagined the droplets running down his face were tears.

The entire negative in his head was slowly bleeding out of him, draining away as he tried to make himself happy. He knew he loved her. She was his and he was hers. If only he had realised that when he had first met her, he could have fought Edward off – but no, then he would be the "cheat".

"I am such an idiot. Don't ruin it, Jasper. Do not ruin this." He whimpered to himself, knowing that Bella was listening to his favourite CD upstairs. "This is the best thing that has happened to you. Do not dare ruin this."

--

She knew the phone was going to ring before it did. The tiny silver device sat in her palm waiting for the vibrations to wake her from her fake slumber. It was easy to "sleep" in the vampire world – all it took was some calm and tranquillity, which few vampires ever truly felt. Yes she was worried about Jasper being upset, yes she was worried about the impending phone call but she was happy that finally she belonged to Jasper.

"Alice." Bella said curtly, picking up on the first ring.

"Bella." Alice answered. "How are you?"

"Okay thanks." Bella said, not bothering to ask how Alice was.

"And Jasper?" Alice huffed.

"He's okay too." Bella answered simply.

"You do realise I know what happened last night…" Alice said slowly, really wondering whether Bella could be so naïve.

"Yes, but Alice, why would I care if you knew?" Bella laughed.

"He's my husband." Alice spat spitefully.

"No. He isn't." Bella said.

"Legally, he is." Alice said sourly.

"He's happy with me, Alice." Bella said.

"I know." She simply admitted.

"Why did you phone?" Bella asked.

"I'm coming home…" Alice whispered.

"Don't ruin this, Alice. Do not ruin this." Bella said in distress, knowing that this could destroy Jasper and her. "Please, I beg you, do not ruin this."

"I'm sorry Bella…" Alice whispered again.

"Jasper… we only just got him home…" Bella begged.

"It's okay; he'll stay, if you tell him to." Alice said. "You tell him to do anything and he'll do it…"

"Do not ruin this." Bella said again.

"And there is someone I'd like you to meet too." Alice added, rather than responding to Bella's slight threat.

"What?" Bella gasped.

"You'll get to meet them soon enough…" Alice said quietly, before ending the call and leaving Bella breathing raggedly at the end of the line.