A/N: I know lately that I have been updating every other day, but I was inspired and went ahead and wrote/finished the next chapter. So here you go, I hope you like it. Please review if you have a chance. Thanks everyone!

Chapter 15 – Separated

Bella seemed to be more relaxed and at ease since Victoria had been killed, but removing a major enemy that was threatening to kill you at every turn tended to help one feel a lot better. She knew there could still be a threat out there, but she just felt better knowing that the queen of crazy was dealt with. She noticed even Jasper seemed to be calmer, but still extremely watchful. She found herself wondering if he would ever let down his guard and realized that was part of who he was. She didn't mind him watching out for her. It made her feel special and almost cherished.

Two weeks after Victoria made her appearance and unfortunate ending, Jasper was leaving Bella in the capable hands of Carlisle and Esme at the Cullen house. He needed to take care of a couple of things and he needed a bit of alone time to sort out some things that had been going through his head. He would be gone for a day or so and he found himself feeling anxious about leaving. This would be the longest he and Bella had been apart since Alice left and he was finding it hard to leave her for that long. He knew she was feeling the same and reminded himself that this was the reason he needed to go. He needed to figure things out. He trusted his family to keep her safe.

Jasper left on Friday morning. The good bye between Jasper and Bella was hard for both of them. Bella knew that she had to get out of the car when they got to the school, but she couldn't bring herself to open the door. Jasper was having second thoughts about going for any extended period of time. He was the one that was supposed to make sure that she was safe.

Jasper brought his hand up and lightly brushed his fingers along Bella's cheek, "Don't worry Darlin' I will be back before you know it." He sent out happy and calming waves.

Bella rolled her eyes at him and chuckled a little, "I know what you are doing and you are not playing fair. I know you will, just stay safe."

Jasper pulled his hand back and nodded. It was so hard to see her open the door and walk towards the school. It was even harder to see Edward watching her and following her. He knew his brother watched her during the day while he was at school, but today it was difficult to handle. Before Bella got out of his truck, she looked like she wanted to say something more to him, but changed her mind before she said anything else. Right now he wanted to run after her and ask what she was going to say. "The time apart will be good for both of us," Jasper murmured out loud as he watched Bella's figure completely disappear.

Jasper started the engine and pulled out of the school parking lot. He needed to make a trip to Seattle to take care of a couple of things and then he would go hunting. He told himself that he would be back tomorrow and he would see her then. He put his foot on the accelerator and tried to not thinking about how much he was missing the little human or how lonely it felt without her there.

Bella made her way to her first class. She knew Edward was following her. He had been waiting for her to get out of Jasper's truck like he did every morning. She understood that he was there to protect her, but no one seemed to make her feel as safe as Jasper did. When she got out of the car she wanted to tell him to stay with her and to beg him not to go. She knew it was wrong and kept her mouth shut in the end. She believed that this time apart may be beneficial for both of them. So many feelings were flying between them and it could be nothing more than the fact that they have been thrown together for the past few months. A break would allow her to think about what she really felt for Jasper; maybe she would realize that it was nothing more than a strong friendship. Right now she really felt it was a lot more than that though.

Edward had watched on as Bella sat in Jasper's vehicle longer than usual. He knew that Jasper was leaving today and knew that both Bella and Jasper were having a hard time saying good bye. He had heard Jasper's thoughts when he was around. He knew his brother had strong feelings for Bella and he could not stop thinking about her. Jasper still had thoughts of Alice here and there, but Bella had slowly replaced Alice in Jasper's mind. Edward wondered what Bella's thoughts were for Jasper. He still couldn't read her mind and yet knew that he didn't have to. He knew she had feelings for Jasper and it was acutely painful to watch. He knew that they were over, but it still hurt to see his first love with someone else.

Edward watched Bella walk towards the school and immediately started to follow her to first period. He could see the stress and sadness on her face and knew that she was already missing Jasper. When he heard Jasper drive off, he caught up to Bella, "You know he is coming back right?"

Bella jumped at the sound of Edward's voice next to her, "Um yah I know he is." She tried to sound confident. The truth was she remembered that he had wanted to leave after Alice left and sent him the divorce papers but he stayed for her and that was still in the back of her mind. That is what made her worry and that is why she was a little bit fearful that he would not return tomorrow like he said he would.

"If you want to skip today, I am sure that I could help you get out of here," Edward said trying to help her.

"No, school will keep my thoughts off of things. Besides Charlie would kill me if he found out that I skipped school. Thanks though," Bella responded with a small smile.

"Ok, but if you decide that you need a break, just let me know. Don't forget you are riding back to my house with me today."

"I remember," she said as she walked into their classroom first.

They made their way to their desks and sat down to get ready for the class to begin. She looked at Edward and studied him for a small period of time. He was a good man; he just wasn't the one for her. She off handedly wondered if Jasper could be. She shook herself out of those thoughts and started to pull out her notebook and text for class.

The rest of the day seemed to pass slowly for Bella and more than once she was tempted to take Edward up on his offer, but she didn't. She needed the distraction that school provided, although she wondered how much of a distraction it actually gave if she caught herself thinking about the southern vampire on more than one occasion. If she was completely honest with herself, she found herself thinking about him most of the day. In English she compared him to the heroes of the stories they were reading. In history she thought about Jasper and wondered what his knowledge was concerning a certain battle they were discussing in their review. Finals were coming quickly and when she should be concentrating on school, she was thinking about a slow southern drawl and a sideways smile.

Finally it was the end of the day and she walked out of her last class and came face to face with her ex. She was ready to get out of there, but knew that she could not escape from thoughts of Jasper. She was only happy that Edward could not read her mind. She declined his offer to carry her bag for her and they made their way to the parking lot. Bella could feel the eyes from the other students following her as she walked with Edward and got into his car. She knew they were wondering if she and Edward were back together, but she couldn't tell them that he was protecting her from any crazy vamps that may still be out there looking for her.

They arrived at the Cullen house and both of them got out of the car. Edward was the first to the door and stood there holding it open for Bella to enter. As Bella walked into the house and entered the living room, she noticed that everyone seemed to be missing and turned around to ask Edward where everyone was when Esme came down the stairs. She felt the mother pull her into an embrace and then pull back. She knew Esme was scrutinizing her, but wasn't sure why. She wondered if she was a bad time and if she shouldn't go home and stay there for the night, "Hi Esme. Is it still alright that I stay here tonight?"

Esme smiled at the young girl in front of her, "Yes of course it is. You are staying here tonight and I won't hear anything differently from you." She noticed that Bella's eyes had seemed a little sadder than usual. She knew it was because Jasper was gone. She knew that those two had gotten very close and it was hard for both of them to separate. The separation would be useful for them, she hoped.

Esme showed Bella to the room that she would be staying in. She put her in Jasper's room. After the divorce, he had moved out of the room that he shared with Alice. She figured that Bella would feel the most comfortable there. Sometimes when a loved one was gone, being surrounded by their things made the absence seem a little less harsh. She opened the door to the bed room and ushered Bella in, "I hope you don't mind, but I put you in Jasper's room."

"Jasper's room? I thought his room was…" Bella asked confused.

Esme gave her a small sad smile, "He changed rooms after he signed the divorce papers. So this is his room. I can put you in a different room if you don't feel comfortable here."

"No, this is fine," Bella hurriedly said. If Jasper could not be with her at night, then sleeping in his bed would be the next best thing.

"What do you want for dinner? Carlisle isn't home yet and said if you want, he can pick you up a pizza or something from town. If not, then I can cook."

"No offense Esme, but pizza sounds really good right now," she wanted comfort food right now and pizza was perfect.

Esme gave her a knowing smile, "Ok, I will call and tell him to get you a pizza. You know where the kitchen is if you want a soda or something else to drink."

Bella nodded and sat down on the bed. She watched Esme walked out after she got her pizza order and knew she was about call Carlisle to place the order. She got up after Esme shut the door and looked around the room. It was a very Jasper room, full of things that just screamed him. She saw a lasso hanging up on the wall and wondered if he knew how to use it and figured he probably did. She looked at everything. She knew that this was not the best room to be in if she wanted to think about something other than Jasper, but she felt closer to him there and could not imagine staying in another room.

She made her way back to the living room when she was done spying on her friend. Emmett and Rosalie were playing a game when she finally made her way back in there and they both offered her a smile. She plopped down on the couch next to Emmett and gave him a shoulder shove which he protested saying that she was going to mess up his game. Everyone laughed.

Everyone noticed that Bella was a little agitated that night, but figured that it was because Jasper was not there. She would be better when he got back. They did what they could to keep her mind off of the absence of one Cullen. Carlisle brought her a pizza and it brought a smile to her face. Comfort food always made a person feel better.

When she felt tired enough, Bella made her way back to Jasper's bedroom. She put her pajamas on and grabbed the book that she brought with her. She lay back on the bed and breathed deeply. She could smell him and it made her smile. She thought about all of the time they had spent together, her feelings, her wants, and her desires. She fell asleep thinking about Jasper and dreamed about him. She dreamed of riding a horse with him sitting behind her, holding her and giving her a special smile. He kissed her cheek and pulled her tighter against her. When she woke up the next morning, she knew what her feelings for Jasper were.

Jasper felt empty without Bella beside him. He was able to do a lot of thinking on his way to Seattle. He thought about Alice a lot and their marriage. He thought about when Alice left him and how Bella was there for him. She didn't try to force her help on him, she was just there for him offering him a shoulder to cry on; but somewhere along the way it stopped being about comforting him and more about friendship. In all of that, he found himself developing feelings for her. She made him smile and laugh more than anyone has done for a long while, even before Alice left. There was a sliver of guilt there, but it was so small that he could almost forget that it was there at all. The feelings he felt for Bella were gaining strength and it didn't seem like he could stop them. He remembered well what he told Victoria before he ripped her head off and knew how right it felt when he said it. He had meant it when he said it.

After he finished his business in Seattle, Jasper got a hotel room just outside of the city and went hunting. Bella was never far from his mind and when he returned to the room right before dawn the next morning, he realized that Bella had become very important to him. He knew what his feelings were and he could not let her go.