AN: Bella in the New Year

Chapter thirteen: New Dreams, Old Nightmares

Bella, January, 2011...

"Bella! You up?" Maria shouted up to me.

"Yeah!" I shouted back as I packed up the last of my things.

I had been up since the crack of dawn, packing my things for my move over to Jasper's house.

When Maria told me yesterday that I'd be moving out, I wasn't sure what she meant. At first, I thought she was kicking me out because as Sue had explained that Tanya's husband was snooping around about me.

But that wasn't it. I shouldn't have doubted Jasper or Maria. Paul's little questions couldn't best them so I had no reason to fret. I was moving because of Jasper's insistence.

Since I worked mostly with him, why not live over at his place? I should reservations about it. I should have questions, but between the yearning to be close to him and the way I missed him each night I had to stay in my room, I jumped at the chance without a second thought.

Maria was still my boss, but I answered to Jasper also. I would take care of things as I generally did before, the only change was, he was just across the hall from me this time around.

"Whew! Is that everything?" Maria asked as I descended the stairs.

"Yep," I smiled, and she took one of my bags, lugging it out to the golf cart. Sam and some other guys had already brought most of my stuff over to Jasper's.

"Good," Maria laughed. "Let's go."

I got in the golf cart she used to get over to Jasper, and we were off. Sue was already over there and I was expecting a surprise.

Jasper had kept quiet about the room I would be staying in. I tried to question him about it, but he was good at keeping it a secret. Nothing worked. All I could see, were guys coming and going and I took care of things in the main house while Sue took care of things over there so I wouldn't find out.

The suspense was killing me.

The plans had started after New Year's. Jasper and mine's friendship was growing to a height of utter comfort, making me feel like he'd been in my life forever.

Jasper made me laugh in ways no one has been able to since Garrett. Jasper brought light to my world with his wits and beauty. I admired him over him every day, and most of the time, he just smiled and tipped his hat to me, making me blush red.

"I cannot wait to see what he did," Maria expressed.

"You don't know?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "He kept your room under tight wraps. And Sue, she helped!"

I laughed as Maria pulled up and stopped the cart. We got out and took our bags to the door. Sue opened it and smiled.

"Are you two ready?" she asked, bouncing on the spot.

Maria and I nodded. "Come on," Sue instructed and we followed her upstairs.

When we got up there, Sue handed me a key and Maria jumped back in excitement. Actually, they were both bouncing in excitement as I turned the key in the lock to the room that was right across from Jasper's; the same room he had left me in when I slept over after we'd gone shopping that first time.

With one last look at their amused faces, I opened the door, and what I saw made me gasp in shock at the beautifully decked out room before me. I didn't remember the room like this. He had changed everything!

Glancing around the room, I said, "It's so beautiful. How did he even find the time?"

"Anything is possible for my son," Maria commented proudly.

Was he real or just a perfect dream?

The room held a white and dusty rose theme. The bed had white drapes around it, tied off, to show you the chocolate and white bedding. The nightstands and chest of drawers matched the dusty rose and white theme, and on the nightstand, the one closer to the window, there was a small vase filled with pink roses, because I told Jasper that I loved them.

It was like a mini apartment just for me. The room was well lit and I could see myself waking up in here every morning being welcomed by the sunlight streaming in. I also had a love seat in the corner with a small bookshelf beside it with a computer desk by my closet.

"So I take it, you like it then?" Maria smiled while I looked at her through teary eyes.

"So much," I whispered, turning back to eye the exquisite space.

"Well, you can use either one of the two bathrooms he said to tell you," Sue said. "It doesn't matter which one you choose."

"Okay," I whispered.

Sue came up behind me and hugged me. I turned in her arms, crying. "What is it?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"She's just overwhelmed." I heard Maria say through my sobs.

I don't know how long we all stood there while I wept on Sue's shoulder before we parted and then unpacked my things.

"So, he'll be back around…I don't know when," Maria said as we all made our way downstairs. "You can do what you want until then. Get to know the space, Bella."

Maria and Sue left after that. They were heading in town to shop. I did as they said, and walked around the house, exploring every room I hadn't explored before.

I acquainted myself with everything. I went to his office, which was in disarray and cleaned up then I went to the kitchen, where I was reminded of the other day when Jasper wanted to make the perfect omelet while we were over at the main house.

We kept arguing, and he kept a smile on his face the enitre time.

"No, like this, and turn the heat on low, you don't want it to burn," I instructed him.

He turned down the heat beneath the frying pan and then asked, "Now what?"

"Okay, now take your time from here," I said.

"No," he pouted. It was the most adorable thing.

"I want to do the flippy thing with the frying pan, I've seen you do it."

As he aimed the pan, I tried to warn him. "Jasper, no." My own tone surprised me at how strong it was, but it only seemed to fuel him to try and flip the omelet, which ended up on our clothes and the floor, with Jasper laughing.

I felt like I was on the outside of my body watching myself as I stood there with my brows knitted and a hand on my hip. "You're cleaning that up," I scolded him before walking away.

"Oh come on Bella, I'm sorry." He called after me, laughing, but I didn't turn around.

Jasper was amazing. Because of him, my health was returning. And I was feeling more and more energized each day. Maybe not having to be worried about what would happen when James came home was also working out well for my nights since the nightmares were at a minimum.

I couldn't remember the last time I had one.

I felt so much gratitude; I decided to make his favorite dessert for later. Strawberry Cheesecake.

I worked diligently on my creation and when I was finished, I marinated the meat I would be using later on.

After a small lunch, I wandered into the living room. It was great to have the place to myself, but I missed Jasper. I turned on his stereo system, letting the music fill the room while I picked up an album off the coffee table.

When I did, loose pictures of him and Alice fell out. They looked like they had been taken out of the book. I guess this is where he was before work, leaving his past behind.

I placed the pictures on the coffee table and sat down on the couch with the album. The first few images I saw where of his family and himself as a kid. I saw a wedding photo with a man standing beside what looked like a younger Maria. The man was the spitting image of Jasper.

He looked so much like his father.

There were lots more pictures in there with his dad, uncles, aunts and cousins. There were vacation pictures, some of the family out on the ranch.

Every page I turned made me feel more familiar with this family. They were all so happy in these, and still are.

Turning some more pages, I came upon photos of Jasper, Peter, Emmett and some guy with striking unkempt hair. It was this strange reddish color and he looked so familiar, but I couldn't place the face. This must be Edward, Carlisle's little brother.

Jasper said that Edward would be coming down to Texas soon so I would get to meet him.

There were lots of crazy pictures with the guys. Most of the pictures looked like they were from when the guys were in high school or college.

Skipping more pages brought me to pictures with the guys and Jasper's dad on hunting trips.

There were also vacation pictures of them on an island and at this house. Alice was in a few of those pictures so I quickly skipped over those. She still gave me the creeps and I couldn't even look at her photo without a shiver running down my spine. There was something about her that reminded me of Vicky and I hated that. I hated how weak I felt when I looked at Alice.

The next picture nearly made me laugh my ass off. Jasper was telling the truth. He really was a geek!

There were pictures of a younger Jasper dressed as Han Solo, Edward dressed as Luke Skywalker and I'm not sure who was in the Chewbacca costume.

"That's Emmett under there." I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Jasper's voice behind me.

"Fuck! Don't do that!" I shouted before slapping my hand over my mouth.

Holding his hands up in surrender, he said, "Sorry, but you're the one laughing at me. Please don't tell me you're a trekkie." His tone was almost pleading and made me let a guffaw before biting my lip to keep from laughing at him.

He walked over to the couch and plopped down on it beside me, taking the album from me.

I couldn't help but admire how good he looked in his scrubs and lab coat or how his hair seemed to glow from the sunlight coming through the windows, but I quickly distracted myself by looking at the book in his hand.

He put his feet up on the coffee table and patted the spot right next to him. "I won't bite."

"Whatever," I mumbled, rolling my eyes, and sitting down next to him.

He opened the album back on the page that made me laugh and I let out another guffaw. He cocked his eyebrow, staring at me with a seemingly serious expression and it only made me laugh harder until I snorted and fought myself to stop.

"Sorry." I managed to get out amidst my mirth.

"Very funny," he pouted before muttering, "Trekkie."

"Is this reverse psychology or something?"

He closed the book, marking the page with his finger before meeting my eyes. He looked at me for while before he finally said, "It is, a bit, but mostly it's me wanting you to feel like you have nothing to be worried about when you're around me."

"Why?" I asked. "Why are you doing all of this, Jasper?"

He thought about his answer. "I really like you."

"You shouldn't."

"I know," Jasper whispered, and then kissed my cheek, "But I do."

It was the first time he admitted it.

He didn't wait for me to answer. He just sat back and opened the album; poised and ready to share his life with me.

"Let's start at the beginning, Darlin'," Jasper said. "You point them out, and I'll let you know what's happening in the photos. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

We went through the album and when we got to Alice's pictures, Jasper's face fell and he took the rest of them out. "They're not needed anymore. It's over."

"How long were you together, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind," Jasper said solemnly. "We were together for about…" he laughed before going on, "Six years. I'd known her for a while though."

"Your families were old friends?"

"Something like that," he said. "Our moms knew each other and our dads, though they were good buddies, were more business rivals than anything else. Alice just seemed different at the time and I was drawn to her."

"You must have really loved her."

"I did, but sometimes it isn't enough." His answer sounded so broken, and I decided not to ask anything else.

"Well, I probably should have asked this before, but you scared the hell out of me," I said, reminding him of the heart attack he nearly gave me. "What are you doing here? Are you done working?"

"Nope." He smiled. "It's lunch time and I'm hiding out from a couple of patients so I decided to come up here and check on you."

"Thanks," I said. "I was okay though. I was going through a fellow Stars Wars buff's album." His face lit up in the most adorable way when I said that and I had to laugh.

"So not a trekkie?"

"Nope, not a trekkie," I said, laughing as he sighed in relief. "What's with not liking Star Trek?"

"It's not that I don't. It's just that Dad and I had a love for Star Wars and I ran with that for years," he explained.

"So it started off as a bonding experience?"

"Pretty much." His phone went off before he could say anything else. "I gotta go."

"Wait! What about lunch?" I asked, jumping from the couch ready to head to the kitchen to make him something.

"That's alright, darlin', I told you I was just checking up on you. Walk me out?"

"Okay." We walked to the door together, but before he left, he asked, "How do you like your room?"

"I love it." I sighed. "It's…there are no words. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, darlin'." The smile on his face when he called me that, said so much.

As he got on the porch, I tried to ask why. "Umm, why do you…?"

His eyes met mine in question and words suddenly evaded me when the crystal blue of them penetrated my brown ones.

"What were you gonna say?" he asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

"Umm…I…why do you call me darlin'?"

He smiled at the question. "Well, it's just a sentiment that I like to use sometimes. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," I tried to say, but his probing eyes were on mine, digging for more until I caved. "It's the way you say it. It feels like it means more." God, I wanted him to say what I thought it meant.

"I told you, Bella, I want to be your friend," he said, remaining evasive in his answer. "I'll see you later. Have a good day."

"You too." He smiled and I stood by the door, watching until he got in his truck and drove off.

~~abt~~

His answer sat with me for most of the day as I went about finding odd things to do. I stumbled on his Stars Wars collectibles and had another good laugh when I found action figures, light sabers and more. His office was a mess, but I did my best to organize it.

While making dinner, I thought about how I was going to ask Jasper about getting around town on my own. Sue had her own car, and I was wondering if maybe I could ask if I could borrow it. I didn't want to inconvenience her by asking her to take me to town every time I had somewhere to go.

I didn't have a car anymore and I was not about to touch any of the Whitlocks' cars. I wonder what type of cars Jasper had? I have yet to go to the garage. I know he has more cars other than the Ford F150 truck he liked to drive. Maybe I'd ask him when he got home.

When I turned the stove, Jasper walked into the kitchen. "Hey," he said, heading over to the fridge to get some beers.

"Hey," I replied, watching him put the beers down and taking off his lab coat.

"So how was the rest of the day?"

"It was good." I said, grabbing the plates for dinner. "I took the liberty of organizing some stuff in your office. I hoped you're cool with that."

"I'm happy for that," he smiled. "I've been meaning to do that forever. You managed to sort out all of that?"

"Yeah," I said happily. "It wasn't easy, but I'm happy with how it turned out."

"I'll take a look later on," he said. "What have you got there, darlin', it smells real nice."

I ducked my head while fixing his plate, smiling at the sentiment he said he loved to use. The problem for me was, I loved hearing it a little too much.

"I made Chicken Cacciatore with steamed rice," I told him, bringing his plate over to him at the island.

"This looks so damn good," he exclaimed. "Where's yours?"

I sighed and went and got it. Jasper then said we should eat at the dining table. Sitting down to dinner with him was an experience. He seemed to unwind and really wanted to discuss his day. I sat there, not quietly as I would've with James, while he enjoyed his meal and we chatted about our day.

Dinner passed, and soon we were nursing our second beer respectively after I gave Jasper a slice of his cheesecake, thanking him for the room. He was so happy for the cheesecake. After he polished it off, he invited me down to the garage.

Jasper opened the door for me and I stood there in shock at the beauties before me.

Now, I didn't know a lot about what was under the hood of a car or a truck, but I had come to learn to appreciate their beauty. "This is..." I try to get out as Jasper chuckles.

"This is..." he repeated.

"Just...wow!" I laughed.

He laughed along with me. "So, you know a little about cars, huh?"

"You'd be surprised what you learn when you're stuck home all day."

"So you came down here today then?" he asked mistakenly.

He thought I meant here. "No. I mean in…"

I looked at him willing him to understand before he said, "Sacramento."

"Yeah...there," I replied.

"Bella, you don't have to…"

"Talk about it unless I want to," I finished for him.

"Exactly," he said quietly, his face in a gloom. However, he quickly lightened up and asked, "So cars, what do you know?"

He came to stand in front of me and looking behind him, I noticed a bike, a breathtaking car and a SUV. "Well, that's a Honda CBR600RR. They are really fast," I said pointing at the bike, and then turning to the car that took my breath away. "And this is a breathtaking Bugatti Veyron 164 Grand Sport, how did you get it in blue?" I don't think I breathed right until I got that sentence out. The car was a dream.

"Asked," he said with a bright smile. "You're not finished yet, Bella."

"Okay, you normally drive a Ford F150."

"And you're missing another." Jasper looked so happy. He tilted his head to the side, watching me trying to avoiding the beautiful cherry car in the corner.

"I'm trying to avoid that one," I admitted.

"Why?" He laughed, his accent pronounced with that question.

"Because I am so in love with it," I admitted, making him laugh a hearty laugh.

"Come on, what is it?"

"Okay, it's a cherry colored Dodge Charger," I said quickly.

"Feel better?" he asked as I let out the breath I was holding.

"So much."

He laughed and then asked, pointing at the silver SUV. "And this one?"

I knew these cars. "Oh, that's a Honda CRV. These are all so beautiful!"

"Thank you," Jasper said as he leaned on the SUV. "I like yours too. It looks comfy."

"Mine?" I chuckled. "Jasper, my car was stolen. What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your new car," he said, nodding toward the Honda CRV with a smirk on his face.

"You want me to drive it?" I asked, incredulously.

"Of course! I wouldn't have bought it for you today if I hadn't."

"But you went back to work." I tried to reason, dumbfounded by his surprise.

"Not really," he said. "I went back to my car dealer."

"You didn't go to work at all today?" I couldn't seem to get off the fact that he didn't go back to work. It's like my brain was stuck on stupid.

"Nope, I just called Emmett and let him know where I was," he replied.

"How did you get it in the garage without me hearing?"

"I guess you must've been upstairs,' he said.

I couldn't contain my excitement and I squeaked, "Thank you!" and jumped on him.

Jasper held me close while I squealed until I cried. "Thank you so, so much!" I kissed both his cheeks and fought to breathe as his intoxicating scent filled my lungs. But I didn't care I wanted to hold him forever.

I was so happy.

"I'm sorry," I whispered when I was calm enough to come to my senses and pull away. Jasper looked sad, but he covered it. "I loved this, but I shouldn't have jumped you like that."

"No, I'm sorry," he said, backing off. "I should have control myself too."

"What do you mean, 'control yourself', I was the one freaking out and jumping on you."

Jasper looked at me. His eyes held such determination. He drew close and brought his hands up, caressing my cheeks. He looked deep into my eyes, his gaze rendering me motionless as he bent down and kissed both of my cheeks, and then whispered in my ear, "What I did, I didn't just do it because I want you here to work, I want you close to me, Bella." He looked up into my eyes then. "I want you more than I should."

"I'm not ready."

"I know, I'll wait," he replied, making my heart swell with happiness.

We left the garage behind, and Jasper invited me to watch a movie with him before bed.

I jumped through most of "Nightmare on Elm Street" but Jasper was there to hold my hand through it. He was a horror flick fan and hardly anything scared him.

I was out of my seat and running for the stairs, yelling good night over my shoulder before the credits started to roll up the screen. And he laughed the whole way.

After I grabbed a shower and threw on my pajamas while trying to not think about Freddy Kruger, my mind went to Jasper and what he admitted.

Jasper liked me the way I liked him. I wasn't alone in this. There was something there and soon, we wouldn't be able to fight it anymore.

In a way, I was comforted by that. I was finally doing something for me. I had feelings for Jasper. They weren't forced on me and I wasn't being told what to do. I was experiencing this for myself.

I crawled into bed, forgot all about the movie, and kept my mind on Jasper's smiling face as my head hit the pillow.

Someone was in my bed. Their hands kept going up and down my sides. And every time I tried to move away, they got closer.

Every time I tried to break free or shake their hands away, they held on tighter.

"Stop it," I pleaded, but to no avail. Whoever it was, just kept touching me.

My breath hitched when they started to move lower and lower until I was fighting to keep them out of my underwear.

"Stop it!" I shouted, but still, no answer. Instead, the hands grew more aggressive as my breath grew more ragged.

The person dragged me onto my back and my scream was swallowed by my shock when James jumped on top of me.

"Hello, Marie." He sneered. "I've missed you so much, but don't worry, we'll be together again, and then we'll never be apart. It's you and me forever, Marie. Now, let's make love."

"Noooooo!"

"Bella, Bella, Bella, Stop! Stop fighting me and open your eyes, Bella!"

Jasper.

My eyes popped open and I burst into tears as he gathered me up into his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I cried as I hugged him to me. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. You're alright now," he whispered, kissing my forehead and I relaxed into his touch.

We never moved from our position until I calmed down. He waited until I caught my breath, and even checking my pulse before going to get me a glass of water.

When he got back, I tried to apologize again for waking him up but he dismissed it, saying that it was me who mattered at the moment.

"Do you have any appointments with Esme coming up soon?" he asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow," I said.

"Well, that's good. Now, try and get some sleep for me, okay?"

"Okay."

I thought Jasper would leave after I eased back against the pillows, but he didn't. Instead, he walked over to the love seat in the corner, much to my astonishment, and took a seat.

"Go to sleep, Bella," he said as I looked at him in awe. "I'll be right here when you wake up."