Chapter Three:

Things really couldn't get worse, could they? I thought worriedly, panic rising in my throat. Of course it could, a little voice said sarcastically in the back of my head. Why don't you just go ahead and slice a big gash open on your wrist. My nostrils flared slightly, angry at the little voice.

Suddenly a quick rapping at the door startled me, and my heart just about jumped out of my chest. "Bella?" His voice was low and smooth; it was beautiful, even in its worried undercurrent, and I unconsciously backed up closer to the tub. "Are you all right?"

I tried to find the words, but they were caught in my throat, a mixture of embarrassment and fear. With Edward this had never been a problem; he'd controlled himself so well around me all the time, but Jasper was another story. I knew that even the slightest bit of my blood bothered him, so what was I going to tell him now? Yeah, Jasper, everything's just great. If you don't mind, I'm going to bleed for about a week, so maybe you could just hold your breath?

I guess I didn't answer fast enough, because the knob suddenly turned, and I hastily wrapped my towel around my waist, mortification and panic wrapped up into one continuous emotion. I tried to reach the door in time, hold it closed, not that it would have helped, but Jasper was too quick. "Wait!" I cried, too late.

It took all of about three seconds for Jasper to understand. His eyes swept the bathroom first, perhaps looking for something broken or sharp nearby, then landed on my discarded jeans and underwear, and finally swept across my lower body where the source of blood was coming from, before snapping up to my face. "Oh!" I never thought I'd see Jasper flustered, and I was sure that if he still had blood running through his veins, it'd pool up in his cheeks as mine was currently. "Sorry!" And he slammed the door shut while I stared on in horror.

Ugh! I wrapped the towel more securely around me and silently cursed the female monthly cycle as I quietly tiptoed back to my room. Jasper was staring out the window, which was open, undoubtedly to cleanse himself of the scent of my blood. He acknowledged me by half turning in my direction.

"Jasper? Are you okay? I mean, I could-" I could what exactly? Stop bleeding? Hah! That was likely. Then a thought occurred to me; if Jasper had been following me for three months then surely he must have been through this before. "What did you do the past three months then?" I asked, at a loss for how to broach the subject pleasantly.

Jasper shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't really near you, so it wasn't so bad," he told me. I shivered to think of how terrible it must have been for him whenever he went to school, with all those teenage girls bleeding all the time, every month, for years and years.

"Will you be okay? Do you need to leave for a while?" I asked, hoping fervently that he would say no.

Jasper turned to me, respectfully keeping his eyes on my face. "I think I'll be okay," he said. "It just took me by surprise. Just don't get offended if I keep my distance a bit?" he asked, worried.

"Of course not! Anything," I replied. He shot me a painful smile and I hastily added, "Right, well. I guess I better stop torturing you with both Jacob's scent and my own then," and I ran out of the room before I could humiliate myself any more.

The hot water was wonderful against my skin. I took the offending piece of clothing in with me and scoured it clean of blood, then proceeded to shampoo my hair. Strawberry shampoo was my staple; I'd been using it for longer than I could remember. Jasper and I could still go shopping, that is unless he couldn't stand being around me. I shivered despite the steam. It had less to do with the thought that Jasper wanted to drink my blood and more the fact that he might leave again. I hated to be so dependent upon Jasper, I'm sure it wasn't fair. But he was my only link to the Cullens right now, and I clung to him like a life vest.

My thoughts strayed to Jacob and I smiled. He'd always been friendly, but now more than ever I appreciated just how happy he made me feel. He was so warm, a breath of fresh air. The innate reward, like the first gulp of air after being under water for too long. I was beginning to get a bit worried though. Was it wrong of me to also depend so selfishly on Jacob? But I loved his bear hugs, the way he would so casually hold my hand, the way he ruffled my hair. It was so natural, and it felt nice. I toweled off and quickly dressed, grabbing another couple of tampons to bring with me. I walked back into my room and felt my heart loosen a little when I saw Jasper still staring out the window, now humming a melody to himself. Funny, I hadn't known I'd been so worried.

"Are you ready to face the great challenge of clothes shopping?" I asked him, trying to keep the mood light.

He turned to me with a playfully dour look. "I guess I have no choice," he said resignedly. I marveled at him for a moment. He was tall, perhaps two inches taller than Edward, but still perfectly sculpted, another Greek God in the flesh, or stone or, well whatever it is vampires are made of. He noticed my stare and raised his eyebrows questioningly. His hair looked very soft and I had the strange urge to just run my hand through it.

"That shirt looks nice on you," I said instead, trying my best to fight the heat creeping up my neck.

Jasper scoffed a little. "Well, shall we move along then?" he asked.

"Yeah, let me just tell Charlie."

"He's already at work," Jasper replied.

"Oh." I felt slightly guilty. Ever since Jasper's arrival I had done nearly nothing except spend time in my room with him. I shrugged it off and made my way downstairs.

"You should eat first," Jasper requested. I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. "I need to go pick up something. I'll be back by the time you finish your meal."

No one could refuse that persuasive voice, so I sat down to a bowl of Cheerios, drizzling some extra honey on top. I scribbled out a note while I ate, in case Charlie came home.

Gone shopping. Will be back by dinner.

Love, Bella

There. That would be good enough. I was rinsing out my bowl when Jasper suddenly appeared behind me. "What did you get?" I asked him.

He held up a roll of cash, easily five thousand dollars, and I gaped at him. Sometimes I forgot just how much money the Cullens had. That means he had to have gone back to their old house. I swallowed against the lump in my throat and tried not to think about the hole threatening to rip open in my heart once again. Instead I turned to Jasper and asked weakly, "Who's driving?"

"You say that as if it matters, with how fast your truck can go," Jasper responded, a teasing smile adorning his features.

"Oh, ha ha. Lets all make fun of Bella because her truck can't go 200 mph," I replied grumpily, stalking past him and into the passenger side of my beloved truck. I shivered slightly against the cold, but rolled down my window anyway as Jasper came to sit beside me, and the engine roared to life. I was going to do my best to be mindful of Jasper's discomfort around blood. This was going to be a long week.

**

We decided on Port Angeles. It was the closest city with enough clothing stores, and we were both eager to get this over with. Jasper directed us to the local mall, and we headed to the department store closest to us. I couldn't help but notice the stares Jasper was getting, the sudden burst of giggles, and the not so quite whispers as we passed by, and I fought against my low self-esteem for the umpteenth time. Judging by the amused smirk on Jasper's face, he noticed too. I hunched my shoulders slightly, suddenly wishing that I had at least worn something more attractive. Even in dirty jeans and a too small flannel shirt Jasper looked every bit the stunning movie star.

I sneaked another glance at him as we walked towards the store's entrance, and noticed his frown. He cast a look at a group of pretty girls across the hall, and they smiled back at him widely. Jasper quickened his step, and I hastened to keep up, tripping over my feet in the process.

We wasted no time in finding him some jeans. They were dark blue, and I was sure Alice would feel proud, even if they weren't designer. Alice. I felt another stab of loneliness, and stole a furtive glance at Jasper. He must miss her terribly, and Alice him, and yet here I was capitalizing him. Jasper paused as he reached out for another pair of jeans, tilting his head to the side. "Bella?"

I tried to erase my guilt, or at least hide it from Jasper, by turning it into enthusiasm. "Nothing. Why don't you try those on? I'll go look for some shirts." I shooed him to the changing room and made my way to the shirts. There were some nice polo's, and I picked out a dark blue one. The next thing I grabbed was a white button up, then a couple of plain t-shirts in different colors. On my way back to the dressing room, I grabbed a sweater just for the heck of it, and a jacket. The least Jasper could do was keep up appearances in the off chance that he ventured into the open.

"That many?" Jasper asked behind me, amused. In my bewilderment I dropped my pile, and Jasper's hands darted out to catch them.

I shoved them at him then stalked away to sit down on a little bench outside the fitting room. "Oh just try them on already," I muttered, and Jasper obliged me.

Jasper took his time torturing me, trying on each shirt and showing me, asking what I thought. Great. Perfect. Great. Really, as if he needed the reassurance. Jasper smirked at my annoyance, and stopped before me, buttoning up the flannel shirt once again. I couldn't help myself from following his hands as they slowly covered up the hard planes of his chest. I mentally slapped myself. This really was not appropriate! Edward was right; vampires really were the perfect predator. "If you're so bored, you could go look for some clothes for yourself," Jasper suggested in a serious tone.

I glared up at him. "That's all right, I think my wardrobe is full enough." It was a lie, and we both knew it. I hadn't bought anything new since I'd been to Forks, other than a coat and some socks, but I really didn't want to go bra shopping with Jasper.

Our banter must have attracted a saleslady, or maybe it was just Jasper's ridiculously good looks, and she hastened over to us with a smile that was a bit too friendly in my opinion. "Anything I can help you with?" she asked, glancing in my direction, but stopping to openly stare at Jasper.

I was about to refuse when Jasper spoke for me. "Yes, I'm hoping you could help us find some new clothes for this young lady here."

I spluttered. "W-what? No!"

The saleslady, Amanda according to her nametag, was too entranced by Jasper to refuse. I was struck by a sense of déjà vu, and I gripped at my heart. Did all vampires have to be so…dazzling? I couldn't resist Jasper's firm hand on the small of my back, and so I let myself be led to the women's section of the store. Jasper was unrelenting, picking out twice as much for me than I had for him, aided by the saleslady. Three pairs of jeans, a dozen blouses and, to my horror, a dress.

Here I vehemently drew the line. "Absolutely not. A dress? I can barely get around in jeans, and you expect me to maneuver around with that flowing deathtrap?" My pleas were ignored, however, and the saleslady showed me into the dressing room. I grumpily tried on the different pairs of jeans; one of them was too long, and the other too tight. I tried on the first top and stared at the mirror for a moment. "Pink!" I called through the door, mortified. Hot pink nonetheless.

"What are you talking about?" Jasper asked. I stepped out of the cubicle to show him the ridiculous top. Jasper's eyes danced with amusement, and I felt myself grow hot, feeling indignant. "That looks good on you," he told me innocently and I wanted to throw the offending blouse at him.

"No thanks!" I cried, twirling around and stomping back into the stall. The other shirts were hardly any better, although I did find a nice warm purple long-sleeve, and a green thermal that suited me well.

I was about to step out of the fitting room when Jasper called, "You haven't tried on the dress."

I scowled but put it on anyway. It was satin, a sapphire blue. It tapered at the waist then blew out into waves, falling just above my knee. The straps crisscrossed in front in front to be tied behind my neck, and I felt a little bit exposed.

"Let me see," Jasper called.

"No."

"I'll just come in if you don't." I bit my lip, weighing the possibilities and decided to step out before he broke down the door. I couldn't look him in the eye, my face a nice shade of pink. "It's beautiful," Jasper told me, and I looked up at him at last. "Blue really suits you." Of course it did, I thought a bit sadly. I turned around and walked back into the little room and redressed in my original clothes. Jasper thanked the saleslady and added my pile of clothes to his own, heading towards the checkout counter.

"Jasper," I half-whined, mortified once again.

Jasper gave me a stern look. "Really Bella, what else am I going to do with this?" he asked, waving a few bills in front of my face. I clenched my mouth shut, knowing he was right but upset about it all the same. The checkout lady was no better than any of the other females in the mall, trying to coax information out of Jasper via signing up for a membership card which he declined. I was glad to finally get out of there.

I hadn't realized how time had flown; it was already noon by the time we stepped out of the store. "Are you hungry?" Jasper asked me.

"No," I replied, stopping to sit down at a table near the food court. My traitorous stomach growled just then, and I didn't look up to see Jasper's smug look.

"What would you like?" he asked.

I glanced around, but nothing really seemed that appetizing. "Just some pizza I guess," I said. "Hawaiian, if they have it." I liked the pineapples for some reason.

Jasper placed the bags on the seat next to me and went off to order my food. I took a moment to scan around the room and noticed the same group of girls that Jasper had frowned at earlier. Just my luck, they were headed this way. I looked around for Jasper, finding him the last in line, although it wasn't very long. To my surprise, the group of girls got in line behind him. It wasn't until they started talking to Jasper, or rather trying to, did I get upset. Alice would definitely not be happy if she saw a bunch of girls trying to hit on her husband, and I frowned in their direction.

Jasper turned in my direction, probably feeling my anger, and gave me a tight smile. The girls followed his gaze and their eyes met mine. Immediately I knew they had changed their whispered conversation from Jasper to me, and I frowned. Just being here with someone so handsome must be a crime in their book. The blond one, probably the leader, had the nerve to tap Jasper on the shoulder and gain his attention, just as he finished ordering. He must have said something to her, for she frowned, glancing in my direction again. My frown only deepened as she continued to talk to him.

Of course she didn't know that Jasper was already taken, but I was never one to listen to reason, as everyone around me had continually pointed out. After ordering her own slice, the girl persisted in bothering Jasper, and I half wanted to go over there and take him away. Finally, Jasper grabbed my slice of pizza and said something else to the girl before stalking over to me. Very deliberately he set down the soda and pizza he had bought me, and then leaned over and gave me a peck on the lips, then grabbed my hand, moving it to rest in his atop the table. I stared up at him, thoroughly shocked, and barely noticing the ugly faces the group of girls behind him were making.

"Eat," Jasper insisted. I just gaped at him. "Bella," he said again, his voice satin as he determinedly stared into my eyes. "Please eat."

When I still showed no signs of life, he lifted up the pizza and shoved the tip into my mouth, until I was forced to bite down lest I start gagging. Jasper waited for a few minutes until he sighed and sat back in his chair, releasing my hand. He threw me an apologetic look before he explained. "I'm very sorry about that," he told me. "That group of girls over there was very determined, even though I told them I was here with you. One of them kept insisting on taking my interest, and I told her that you were my girlfriend. She didn't believe me, and so I had to prove it to her."

"Oh," was all I could manage, my face flushing a nice pink. "Okay," I said lamely, sipping my soda and not looking him in the eye.

Of course he noticed my discomfort and ducked his head to look me in the eye again. "Are you mad at me?"

"No," I told him quietly. "I'm just a bit embarrassed, and well, shocked." I gave a feeble laugh.

"Thank you, all the same. And I promise I won't kiss you again without your permission," Jasper told me, chuckling to himself.

I only nodded my head, not trusting myself to speak. I tried to focus on my slice of pizza, the hot dough and cheese, but my mind couldn't get over the little incident. The sudden feel of cold lips on mine. It sparked something in my heart, and unlocked a little piece of me. I tried not to think of it, so my heart wouldn't rip in two right here in the mall, but I couldn't help but think of Edward again, and the way his lips used to possess mine, passionate but gentle all the same. Jasper's kiss was only a quick touch, his cool lips pressed to mine for only a half-second. It was so very much like Edwards, and yet something entirely new…and exciting.

**

We had decided to leave the mall after a quick look in the local Border's, at my request. My copy of Wuthering Heights was in a sad state, its pages falling out, and I loved it so much that I had to buy myself a new copy. Jasper bought the book for me, against my desire, along with another book that he had picked out. I tried to read the cover, but whether intentionally or not, Jasper kept the book covered from my sight. The ride home was uncomfortable at first, probably due to my own rampant thoughts and raging feelings, and Jasper tried to lighten the mood and keep me distracted.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because when I finally awoke, the sun was low in the sky and we were just entering the town of Forks once again. I yawned and stretched, reenergized now, and looked at Jasper thoughtfully. "I can't imagine not sleeping," I mused, more to myself.

Jasper laughed anyway. "After not sleeping for more than a century, I can't imagine what it's like to actually sleep anymore," he told me, his eyes still watching the road.

"A century?" I repeated, amazed. "You're old." His lips turned up at the corner, but I could tell he wasn't going to say any more on the subject, so I let it drop. After all this time I still knew very little about Jasper, both his past or presently. Charlie's cruiser was already in the driveway, when we pulled up. I grabbed one of the bags to make a show for Charlie when I walked in, then remembered I had shut my window before we left. "I'll go open it up," I told Jasper before forcing open the door.

I hadn't noticed the downpour while I was in the truck for some reason. Maybe the roar of my engine blocked it out, or maybe I was distracted, but I was soaked within the time it took me to make my way to the door, find the key and let myself in. "Hi Dad!" I called as I ran inside, grabbing the wall for support as I pulled my shoes off my feet.

He was busy yelling at a game on the TV, so I wasn't sure if he heard me. I walked upstairs quickly anyway, in a hurry to let Jasper in. My door was open, which was curious, I usually left it closed; I guess Charlie had looked inside. Walking into my room was such an automatic thing for me that I didn't give it a second thought as I threw open my door. What did make my head reel, however, was suddenly slamming into something, or someone. Someone very warm and tall. Large hands shot out, grabbing my waist to steady me. I looked up into the eyes of Jacob Black.

"Jake!" I yelped. He grinned down at me; he seemed to be going through a continual growth spurt.

"Hey Bella. Didn't Charlie tell you we were here?" At my confused look he continued, "Billy and Charlie are watching the game together. So how was shopping?"

I grimaced a little as my mind raced, trying to come up with a way to tell Jasper not to come up yet. Maybe if I whispered. I wriggled out of Jacob's grasp, and walked to my closet to hang my clothes. Jacob was behind me. I hung up my new shirts and folded my jeans over another hanger, then froze as I pulled out one of Jasper's shirts. I tried to stuff it back in the bag, but Jake was quicker, easily grabbing it out of my hands. "Who is this for?" he asked.

My mind raced, and I said the first thing that popped into my mind, "A gift!" Jake looked at me, unconvinced. He held it closer and then sniffed it, making a slight face. "What?" I was beginning to get irritated with all the face making today.

"It smells bad," Jake told me. I sniffed it myself and was surrounded in Jasper's sweet scent. I couldn't quite place the scent, but it still smelled wonderful to me. I raised an eyebrow at Jake then stuffed it back in the bag.

I stared pointedly at Jake, but he just grinned back at me. "Can I have a minute to myself?" I asked finally.

Jake seemed to snap out of some sort of trance and smiled sheepishly at me. "Sure, sure," he intoned, striding out of my room and walking down the stairs.

I shut the door behind him, and immediately walked to the window, throwing it open against the steady downpour. "Jasper?" I called out, knowing he would hear me anyway despite the increasing roar of the rain and wind.

He was at my window in an instant, the other bags clutched in his hand. His nose wrinkled and again I was a bit bemused. Honestly, I personally think Jacob smells just as good as Jasper, so why all this nonsense about not liking the other's scent. "Jacob." It wasn't a question, and I nodded. Jasper handed me the bags and I placed them under my bed for now; no need to explain to anyone why I had several pairs of guy outfits in my room. Jasper muttered something, and it sounded suspiciously like, "At least I won't be tempted by your blood for a while."

Jasper made to leave again, and I had another panic attack. "It's raining," I stated, as though he didn't know already.

Jasper merely snickered at me. "And?" I opened my mouth to retort, but I couldn't find anything to say. "I'll be back, just let the room air out for a while, all right?"

Jasper moved back towards the window, and before he had even gone more than a step, my door swung open and I heard Jacob's deep voice from behind me. "Bella?" he called, and I spun towards him, fear spiking through me. How on earth would I explain having Edward's brother in my room? I opened my eyes, ready to face the worst.

A/N: Well, the chapters will probably be a little shorter from now on, but I hope they still please all you wonderful readers! First off, I want to thank all my reviewers for being so wonderful! And I'm so pleased that this story has so many Alerts!! Secondly, I just wanted to warm all of you that I absolutely adore Jacob, so he will not be ignored. I think it impossible to ignore Jake's part in this story, after all he played such a huge role in Bella's life. Indeed, Jake will be merely adding to the complexity of Bella's life, as I'd assume would happen either way.

I hope that you guys have enjoyed this so far, and if you have any questions, please just ask! I love your reviews and will always respond to them! 3