Chapter Ten

Sometime throughout the night my nightmare started up again. Recently it had changed, though, it's main focus shifting from Edward to Jacob to Jasper, but now it had decided to settle on Jacob. But it wasn't my Jake that stared at me so coldly, taunting me with his inviting smile and open arms. It was Sam's Jacob; his face held the bitter mask firmly in place, anger marring his features.

I hadn't realized I was crying until I woke up, Jasper's cool hands cupping my face and wiping away the tears.

"Hey there," he greeted me. "Don't cry, darlin'. I'm right here."

In that moment I felt so overwhelmingly sad and lonely. I tugged Jasper down with me onto the bed, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. Jasper moved his hands to my back, alternating between rubbing soothing circles and running his hands through my hair. It was relaxing to the point of making me sleepy again.

I pressed a kiss against Jasper's shoulder then twisted around to face my window, my back toward him. Just before the confines of sleep reclaimed me once again, Jasper's arm curled over me protectively, his other arm draped lazily over my pillow, his fingers twining with mine. I didn't have any more nightmares.

**

In the early morning I woke up feeling slightly chilled. At first I was disoriented; my blanket was wrapped tightly around me and my window was closed, so there shouldn't be any reason I was cold. I moved to stretch my arms, but found myself quite incapable of moving my left one because my fingers were still entangled with someone else's.

"Morning," a voice purred in my ear, and I nearly shrieked.

The pieces fell into place then. My fight with Jake. Jasper comforting me. My nightmare. Jasper comforting me again. Me pulling him down on the bed with me. And now this.

As my head slowly fit the pieces together, a slow smile spread across my face. He'd stayed with me the entire night, not having even moved on inch. Jasper allowed me to bring his hand down close to my face, where I held it against me cheek tenderly for a moment, before placing a kiss across several of his fingers. I used this position to curl myself closer to Jasper, and he helped me by using the arm still draped over my waist to pull me back a few inches.

Nothing had ever felt more perfect in my life…

Until a loud rapping at my door gave me the second start this morning. "Bells, you awake?"

"Yeah, Dad!" I cried, my voice an octave higher than normal as I struggled out of Jasper's embrace in my anxiety. It would definitely not do for Charlie to open that door and see me wrapped up in a man's embrace.

"All right. I'll be downstairs. I made eggs and toast."

I paused mid-step and stared at the door. Charlie had cooked me breakfast. I felt all choked up. "Thanks, Dad. I'll be right down." I turned back around to face the bed, my features undoubtedly softening further when they alighted on Jasper. "Morning," I said softly.

Jasper was grinning up at me, draped lazily across my bed. "Don't be late," he said simply.

I kicked it into high gear after that, grabbing a change of clothes and heading to the bathroom to wash my face and throw on the t-shirt and jeans. I dashed downstairs to join Charlie for breakfast before he left for work. The scrambled eggs were good, and the toast was only slightly burnt. I smiled at Charlie appreciatively before digging in. I knew he was making an effort to help me feel better about the whole Jake situation, and I wanted to let him know just how much that meant to me.

"Well, Bella, I'll see you later," Charlie said, draining the last of his coffee and folding the paper.

I swallowed my bit of egg before answering; it wouldn't do for me to go choking to death. "Bye dad. And…thanks again."

I was embarrassed and so was Charlie. He nodded his head at me before putting on his coat and leaving. I hastened to finish the rest of my breakfast and scrub the dishes before heading back upstairs to brush my teeth and comb my hair once more. Jasper was still spread out across my bed when I returned, his eyes closed and breathing deep and even as if he were really asleep.

I smiled as I dropped down next to my bed, resting my chin on my arms as I stared at him. I knew he was aware of my being there, but he didn't say anything. That was one of the good things about Jasper; he always knew when words would be too much, and he didn't have to know every single detail of my life.

After a couple of minutes I sighed, and Jasper turned to look at me. "I have to go to school."

Jasper gave me a small smile before sliding off my bed and scooping me up in his arms. "As you wish."

"W-what are you doing?" I shrieked in surprise.

"Taking you to your car," he told me, picking up my bag as he proceeded to carry me out of my room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I meant," I said, calming myself a bit. "Why are you carrying me? I can walk."

"I'm cold. You're warm," Jasper told me, smiling at his own little joke.

Geez. I didn't argue with him anymore as he opened the driver's door and set me gently inside before heading around to the passenger seat and climbing in. I smiled at him for letting me drive, even though I'm sure he would have much preferred to do it himself. The ride to school was quiet, with just a few passing comments here and there. We were enjoying each other's company too much to ruin it with nonsensical talking.

We pulled into the parking lot with only minutes to spare. Luckily most students were already walking inside, so no one noticed Jasper sitting next to me. I turned to face him to say goodbye, and he brushed back some strands of my hair.

"Don't be home late," he asked me, a slight smile on his face.

I nodded my head, unable to properly think of a coherent sentence. I slid out of my car, glancing back over my shoulder. Jasper was outside, leaning against the passenger door, his eyes full of an intensity I hadn't noticed before. My heart skipped a beat, and I nearly stumbled as I made my way up the stairs.

Something had definitely changed between us.

I sat down next to Angela in my first period class that morning, glancing out the window. Jasper was gone.

"Bella?"

"Hey Angela," I said quickly, whipping around to face her.

Her brows were slightly scrunched, a look of confusion on her face. "Bella, was that Jasper Hale?"

My mouth dropped open in surprise. "W-what?" I asked, my face quickly heating up.

"I was looking out the window and I swear I saw him leaning against your truck." She looked outside again. "But now he's gone…Huh."

"Huh," I repeated, mimicking her motions. I just hoped she wouldn't ask Mike the same question. Luckily the teacher came in then to save me from an interrogation; Angela would have read right through any of my lies.

Today was autopilot day. My body went through the motions while my mind was elsewhere. Mostly I thought about Jasper. I didn't have any right to have these feelings about him. In fact, I should definitely not be feeling giddy and excited every time we touched. I simply shouldn't care just as much as I did that he spent nearly all of his hours in my company. And there was no way I should enjoy sleeping in his arms that much.

But I did. Undoubtedly and undeniably so. Wasn't there some sort of decorum, some sort of etiquette about this sort of thing? Then again, I highly doubted anyone had written a "You're Vampire Boyfriend Broke Up With You and Now You're Falling For His Brother" guide.

It just all happened so sudden. But there are more ways than one to love someone…and who's to say you couldn't love more than one person? This newfound revelation stunned me. Was I in love with Jasper?

"Bella?"

I jumped, startled by the voice. "Sorry, Ang. What?"

"Well, the bell rang a few minutes ago, but you've just been sitting there," she told me, her voice laced with concern.

"Oh! Yeah, I was just thinking…" I trailed off. Grinning up at her sheepishly I hastened to put my notebook away. At last school was over! That meant I would see Jasper in just a few moments. We walked out of the building together before we spilt to go in different directions. It was Ben's birthday, and Angela had prepared a special date for the two of them. "Good luck!" I called to her.

Angela grinned at me, her excitement clearly shining through. "Thanks!"

As I came within view of my truck, I noticed it was empty. That was definitely odd. "Jasper?" I called out softly, looking around. Nothing. Huh. I roared the engine to life and drove home alone. Charlie still wasn't home, not that he usually was at this time, but it was odd that Jasper was nowhere to be found.

My fears were eased, though, when Jasper opened the door for me.

"Welcome home, Bella." He took my bag for me and I started to follow him up the stairs. "No, wait here."

"Why?"

Jasper just smiled at me mysteriously, and was up the stairs and back down before I had time to protest any more. It took me a moment to realize that he was holding a wrapped package out to me. "For you," he told me, his voice like satin.

I flushed. "Jasper, you know I don't really like gifts."

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's more of a gift for me," he told me.

I eyed him skeptically for a moment, but then went about opening the package-this time without the slightest cut. Inside was a kite. I lifted it out and held it up, giving Jasper an inquisitive look.

"You'll find out soon. Come on, we need to get there before it starts to rain."

"Jasper, what are you talking about?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

But Jasper just gave me that sly smile again then lifted me up bridal style and carried me outside. He didn't start running until after he locked the door behind us, but by then my face was already buried in the crook of his neck in an effort to focus on something besides the incredibly swift speed at which we were traveling.

When I felt the absence of the wind whipping across my face I chanced a glance around. Jasper was strolling casually through a field of sorts, yet another hidden sanctuary I would have never found on my own. "Are you all right Darlin'?"

"Yeah. But can I walk now?"

Jasper set me down gently, but left his hand on the small of my back. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

What a silly question. "Of course I trust you," I replied.

"Then close your eyes. We're almost there."

I obliged Jasper's request, and held onto him tightly as he maneuvered us through the field. "What are we doing?" I asked, curious once again.

"You'll see. Are you ready?" I nodded my head. "Okay, you can open your eyes."

We were in the middle of the field, the tall grass blowing in the breeze. Laid out on the ground was a checkered cloth, a picnic basket, a metal tin and another wrapped gift. "I still don't understand," I told him.

Jasper just smiled at me and tugged me down to sit with him on the cloth. "You know how you're always trying to learn more about me?" he asked. I nodded once again. "Well, I thought today I could tell you a little bit more about myself." Here he reached for the metal tin. The round box wasn't very large, probably the circumference of a plate. Jasper removed the lid and began shuffling through the contents, pulling them out and laying them down for me to see.

"As you know I was a Confederate soldier for some time when I was human," he told me as I examined some of his medals. It was surreal, to actually be able to hold this piece of history. I picked up an old, faded photograph of a man and woman who appeared to be in their forties. "Those are my parents. People always said I looked more like my mom, but I personally think I looked more like my father," Jasper mused.

The next object surprised me. "Apple butter?" I asked, holding up the little jar to inspect closer.

Jasper sighed, smiling a little. "I used to love apple butter, from what I can remember. Just bits and pieces; toast with apple butter, muffins. One time I ate a whole jar by itself; my mom wasn't very happy."

I chuckled slightly at Jasper's anecdote. The next was a picture of Jasper in his Confederate uniform and medals. "Wow," I murmured. Jasper looked much like he did now, except for the ethereal qualities endowed on him by becoming a vampire. His hair was nicely groomed, but slightly shorter than it was now. His face was serious, but he was breathtakingly handsome nevertheless.

"That was when I was made a major."

When Jasper didn't seem inclined to say anything else so I moved on to the item. It was a letter from his mother. I decided against reading it, knowing it was probably personal. I picked up one of the last items Jasper had laid out and gasped. It was a photograph of a young boy. He was partially facing the camera, but his face was focused upward, staring at a kite he was flying. I stared at the picture, trying to commit it to memory. It was bewildering, seeing a picture of Jasper at a young age. He looked so very different, yet entirely the same.

"How old were you?"

"I was nine. And I loved to fly kites." I looked up to see Jasper remembering some old memory, his eyes gazing into the distance. "I had this light blue kite, and I would spend all the time I could outside trying to get it up in the air and flying. My parents used to complain that I spent more time with my kite than with them."

I stared back down at the picture. Finally it clicked into place. "Jasper, do you want to fly the kite with me?" I asked him.

He turned a shy smile at me. "I would love to."

"I have to warn you though, my total lack of grace means you'll be the one running around to get it flying."

Jasper just smiled wider, helping me to stand. "It would be a pleasure to do the running, ma'am," he told me, regressing to his southern drawl. The accent sent a shiver down my spine, and I turned away before I would get too lost in my fantasies.

Jasper kept true to his word and dashed around at what I was sure was a leisurely pace for him, but would put any sprinter to shame. It took all of thirty seconds for him to get the kite flying in the air, then he handed it to me.

"I don't know how to do this!" I exclaimed as he pressed the spool into my hand. Truth be told I was much more enjoying watching him run around with it.

Jasper came to stand behind me, placing his hands over my own, and pressing me close to him in the process. "I'll help you," he told me. He gently guided my hands, at times releasing more string, sometimes reeling it back in. I realized then how Jasper could spend so much time with this activity. Watching the kite hover there in the air, doing twists and turns like a graceful blue bird was entrancing. It was so wild and free, probably what Jasper had been thinking about each time he gazed at its spontaneous flight.

The kite fell twice, but Jasper got it back up again in no time, and resumed his former position behind me, even though we both knew that I now knew how to fly a kite. I leaned back against Jasper slightly as we watched the kite do fancy tricks in the air. I'd never felt so content in my life.

After a while, though, my stomach decided to growl. I couldn't really recall what I ate for lunch, but Jasper had prepared some food for me. I ate the sandwich slowly, watching Jasper fly the kite by himself for a while. It started to drizzle then, and Jasper jogged back over to me, where I was hastily putting away the remnant of my meal.

Jasper quickly placed his tin inside the picnic basket then wrapped the cloth around me. "You won't get too wet when I run," he told me. "May I?"

I stepped forward to Jasper and he leaned down to lift me, angling me so that I was straddling his hips, my face buried in his chest. He leaned down again to lift the rest of the items, then instructed, "Close you eyes." And we were off, the wind whipping past us as Jasper raced back towards home. I focused on inhaling his scent, drowning in the oddly familiar scent, far better than any cologne worn by any of the boys at school.

Charlie wasn't home yet, and for that I was thankful. Jasper didn't let me down until we got to my room, where he proceeded to unwrap me from the cloth. I sat at the edge of my bed while Jasper reached to the back of my closet to pull out a fresh set of clothes for himself; while I was dry thanks to the cloth, Jasper was soaked.

"Be right back." And he was, not thirty seconds later, dressed in a new pair of jeans and a dark blue polo. Jasper sat across from me on the bed, reaching behind him to grab the unopened present that I had forgotten about. He twirled it nervously in his hand for a moment, before looking up at me. "I got this for you too," he told me, his voice uncertain.

I bit my lip. My need to reassure Jasper was outweighing my aversion for gifts. "Thanks," I said, reaching over to grab the present.

Jasper started speaking even before it was unwrapped. "Well, I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it, but I thought this was kind of a nice thing to do. I mean, I like to do this, you know, memories…"

Inside the box was my own little tin, a blue color with "Bella Swan" painted in gold on the lid. "Jasper, it's beautiful!" I told him, grinning. Jasper seemed so relieved that I smiled wider, reaching forward to grab his hand. "Really, thank you." A thought occurred to me then, and I jumped off the bed to dig though my closet. I came back up with my camera from Renee, and placed a new roll of film in the canister before turning around.

"Smile," I told Jasper before clicking a picture of him. "Hmm…" I couldn't very well ask Charlie to take a picture of Jasper and I when he came home, so I'd have to do it myself. Since my camera didn't have a self-timer, I walked back over to the bed and scooted close to Jasper, raising my right arm to click the picture. "Smile," I said.

Jasper gave me an inquiring look. "Well, I want to fill up this tin with wonderful memories," I told him. "And you're definitely something I want to remember…" I stopped my sentence there, reminding myself of our agreed-upon theme: living in the present, in the here and now. I smiled at Jasper again. "I really do like this, Jasper. Thank you."

"I'm glad," he told me. He paused momentarily. "Charlie will be home in a few minutes, maybe you should start making him dinner?"

I groaned. It's not that I didn't love making dinner for Charlie; it's just that I didn't want to end my perfect day with Jasper. "You're right," I resigned. I stood up and stretched, placing the box and camera inside the drawer of my bedside table.

Jasper stood too. "I'm going to go for a run," he told me.

I nodded my head, but hesitated to go. I bit my lip in contemplation; better to do it now before I lost my nerve and regretted it later. I stepped across to Jasper and wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him with all my might. "I really loved today," I told him softly.

Jasper returned my embrace, leaning down so he could inhale my scent as I'd done to him earlier. "Me too."

Then Charlie called from downstairs. "Bella?"

"Hey Dad. I'll be right down," I called back. With one last squeeze I let Jasper go. "See you later?" I asked.

"Always," he told me, brushing the hair out of my eyes. Then he turned and leapt down through the window. I turned to face the door. Spaghetti definitely sounded good right now.

**

School on Friday seemed to drag on forever. Every time I looked at the clock it seemed to have gone backwards a few minutes instead of forward. But at last it ended. I was definitely excited for today because Jasper and I were going to go hiking to Edward's meadow. I knew that is still hurt him that I wanted to visit that place, but if I were to rationalize it in my own mind, I knew that I wouldn't really be okay with Edward until I got to visit his personal sanctuary once again.

I waited under the doorway for ten minutes before Jasper pulled up in my truck. He got out to let me drive and finally spoke once we had both settled. "Sorry I was late," he told me quietly.

I shook my head. "No, thank you for filling up my tank." I'd been running low on gas for a week now but wouldn't receive my paycheck from Newton's for at least another week. Much of the rest of the ride was spent in silence, at times comfortable, but I knew Jasper was brooding.

By the time we pulled off the road and got out of the truck I couldn't take it anymore. "Jasper?" I asked timidly. He turned to look at me. "I'm sorry. I really just want to see it once more, then we don't have to come back here ever again."

Jasper shook his head. "No, it's not that." His eyes canvassed the forest. "I just feel like something is wrong."

I furrowed my brows and went to stand next to him, staring into the impenetrable green forest before us. "What do you mean?" I could feel the hairs on the back of my arm standing straight up.

Jasper shook his head then twined his fingers with mine. It was more a cautionary gesture than one of affection. "I'm not sure."

I toyed with the idea of telling him we should just turn back, but decided against it. The sooner we found the meadow, the sooner I could put it behind me. To pass the time and ease the tensions I asked, "Jasper, will you tell me about your childhood?"

Jasper smiled down at me, his eyebrows raised as if questioning if I really wanted to know this. I nodded my head encouragingly. "I don't remember all that much of it," he told me. "I believe I was born in 1843, but I can't remember the exact date. I do remember my mom baking pies, though. Cherry, apple, peach; her pies were amazing, from what I can recall. I liked school a lot, as far as I can tell. And when I was seven I had my first crush on a girl. I just remember her having long red hair, always kept in two braids, and other children teasing her about her hair color, because no one else in the school had such a vivid shade to their hair."

Jasper paused in his story, trying to recall more. We were deep in the forest now, the thick canopy of trees blocking out most of the light. "I used to have a horse that I rode. My father taught me everything there was to know about horses and taking care of them, and that served me well when I joined the army. I think I attended my first dance when I was fifteen. The way my mother talked about it later, you'd think I'd seduced all the girls into dancing with me." Jasper laughed, the tone nostalgic and a bit sad.

"Do you ever miss them?" I asked. "Your parents."

Jasper was quiet for a long while, and I was beginning to think he hadn't heard me. "Not really," he answered at last. "I was already separated from them by joining the army, and while I did get homesick, I truly enjoyed my job. And then when I was turned, well, I was too busy to really think about them much." Jasper paused in his step and turned to face me. "Do you mind if I carry you? I think I might know where to go."

I nodded and let Jasper lift me onto his back. I secured my arms around his neck, knowing it wouldn't bother him in the slightest, and he started off on a mild jog, just bearable for my motion sickness. Jasper startled me again by continuing on. "Alice never asked me about my childhood. There was really no need," he said thoughtfully. "But when I talk about it, and think back, I do start to miss them a little bit."

I rested my head in the crook of his neck. "I miss Renee a lot," I told him. "I miss seeing her smile and hearing her voice, and getting her hugs."

Jasper didn't say anything, but he tightened his grip on me in what I took to be a comforting gesture and continued jogging.

I suppose I must have fallen asleep, because my eyes were still heavy when I heard Jasper calling my name. "Bella?"

He had slowed down to a walk, but I was still surprised I was still on his back; almost as surprised that I could have fallen asleep. "I think this is it."

My heart skipped a beat and I untangled my arms from across Jasper's neck. He set me down gently, and hung back a bit as I walked forward toward the thinning trees, stumbling just slightly thanks to my immobility for who knows how long.

I broke through the trees into the little sunlit meadow, and a wave of nostalgia hit me hard. It was still full of flowers, the long grass green and merry, shining in the sunlight that sifted through a break in the trees. I moved to go forward into the middle, my heart going a million miles an hour. My breath was short and I wasn't sure if the tears welling in my eyes were from happiness or pain.

But Jasper growled and I turned around to face him, surprised. His eyes were scanning the area again, and Jasper was shifted into a defensive position. "Jasper?" I asked softly.

His eyes snapped on mine, and I could tell he was worried about something. "Remember how I said I felt like something was wrong earlier?" he asked and I nodded. "Well I think I might know what. Bella, please stay here and don't move, don't make a sound. I'll be right back, I promise." Then he was gone. I stood rooted to the spot, staring at the space he had previously occupied. He mustn't have been gone more than a minute when a sound from the other side of the meadow alerted me to another presence.

I whirled around and my stomach did a flip-flop as I stared at the two figures before me. One of them I recognized, the other I had never seen before, but I would have been able to tell what they were, even if their skin wasn't sparkling in the shafts of sunlight the meadow offered. What really ignited my fear was the color of their eyes: a blood red, and standing out stark against their skin. My mouth opened in a silent scream as the vampires focused in on me, until I felt myself being pushed behind someone very familiar. It took me a moment to realize that Jasper had returned and that possibly I wouldn't die here.

Laurent stepped forward and greeted Jasper as if he were an old friend, and I could practically feel the growl building in Jasper's chest and I pressed myself close to him. My mind was stuck, frozen with fear, and I knew I should be trying to calm myself down because Jasper would have to fight off the emotional attack from my own side and a possible physical attack from the other two vampires.

I forced myself to focus; I had to be ready to do something, no matter how futile it might be. I heard Laurent introduce the other vampire as Dustin, and when Dustin joked about me I whimpered against Jasper, and pressed even closer to him.

Laurent was talking about some sort of mission, and despite the sluggishness of my brain's processing I knew he was talking about me. Oh god, he'd come back to kill me. But Jasper wouldn't back down, yet there were two of them and I was quite unable to fight against a vampire.

There was a moment of silence and my mind snapped into focus.

Laurent shot forward at Jasper while the other vampire, Dustin, moved from the side to try and get at me. But to my surprise, and the vampires' as well, huge, dark shapes came hurtling out of the forest and leapt straight at them. Laurent was hit from the side by a large, black shape, and Dustin was pinned to the ground by two others. But I was focused on Jasper, who stood still, quite shocked, and surprisingly blind to the fourth shape that was lunging straight at him, claws extended and teeth bared.

For a moment everything was in slow motion, and my options spread out before me in a vast array, but I did the only thing I could think of. I jumped in front of Jasper, straight in the line of attack of this beast headed straight toward us, and closed my eyes.

But instead of feeling the sharp claws ripping me open, something soft and very warm knocked into me, sending me flying back into Jasper's hard body. I registered dimly that I had hit my head and was quite possibly bleeding, and that maybe I was laying on the ground, but I couldn't be sure. Without even attempting to open my eyes I let the blackness consume me.

A/N: First and foremost a huge thanks to JaspersBella for all her wonderful feedback and encouragement for this story.

Second, I'm so sorry that this took forever! I'm not quite where I want to be with this story, but I had to update because I'm afraid you will probably only get one or two more because I'll be out of the country starting June 25-July 11 :[ I'm sorry!

Third, I know this chapter doesn't really tell you much about what happens next, but I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless! Thanks!