A/N: AS AlWAYS I HAVE TO SAY DON'T OWN TWILIGHT BUT I DO HAVE AN AWESOME DONNA COSTUME FOR HALLOWEEN. ANYWAYS ON WITH THE SHOW.

"Jas stop!" She screamed as I made the swing spin. She was laughing and screaming while I kept the switching directions the swing would spin. I finally stopped and she motion to swing next to her.

"Where is Ems and Rose?" She asked pushing the swing with her converse shoe. I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. They had been fighting lately, Rose had been fighting with everyone lately, and I have the bruises to prove it.

"Its' four years since I came to live with Charlie and Sue." I got up and started pushing her swing. I put my hands are hers while I pushed it. "Four years since I met you…and Rose."

"I know darling." I whispered in her ear, my accent would fade a little during the school year but after spending the summer with grandfather it would come back. Mike and Tyler loved making fun of it. Then my voice changed so I had really quit talking to people. Unless they were Bella I could always talk to her.

"Every year on this day we have our toast, where are they?" She was getting impatient, she had been feeling left behind lately.

"Bells, they'll be here, they know how important this is." She smiled her big smile at me, the one that always made me smile.

"Oh look its' hick boy and the ugly duckling" a loud voice call from the street. Mike and Tyler were bouncing a basketball as they crossed the sidewalk in front of my house. My fist clenched the rope on the swing. Bella face dropped and her long hair covered her face. I hate it when they insult my Bells.

"So hick boy still hanging out with babies is it because they are as dumb as you." Tyler taunted, Mike high fived them. I didn't understand why they picked on her so much. She was in the same grade as us and she was smartest person I knew. I heard a small whimper sound come from her and she dropped her hands into her lap.

"Hey pizza face why don't you and your boyfriend go make out somewhere else." Rose yelled storming out of Emmett's house. She stomped right up to them and poked Mike hard in the chest."If I ever see you come near my brother or Bella again I will kick you in the balls so hard your grandchildren will feel it."

"Whatever Rose, we all you all talk." Mike said he turned to high five Tyler when Rose hand slap the back of his head. I dropped his ball and looked back at her in shock."What the hell."

"I said get you get" Her Texan drawl coming out and chased them away from our houses. She stormed up to the swing set and plopped down in the swing next to us. "God I hate those pricks." She started pumping her legs and turned and gave us her prettiest smile.

"Sorry Bells, I was arguing with Em. He was on the phone with Jessica." I loved my twin but lately her mood swings have been driving us nuts." So school starts next week, finally going to be in middle school. Want to go shopping tomorrow?"

"Not really but I think Sue is going to make me anyways." I laughed and they both looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders Bells hated shopping with a passion we all knew this.

"Alright Kiddos let get into the Hobbit hole and get this done, Jessica's mom is dropping her off in ten minutes." Emmett said as he stormed towards the play house. We took the tiny chairs out last year when he broke one. We replace them with bean bags, it was a just a big room now that we went to escape our parents or when we needed a minute to ourselves.

"Thanks Ems, love you too." Bella said as she climbed into our little house.

"Belly I meant it with love, it's just aren't we old to have tea parties?" he said as he fall unto one of the bean bags.

"I brought cokes this year, what kind do you want Bells." My sister asked as she went though the small cooler in the middle of the room.

"Dr. Pepper" She replied, Rose tossed her the can and me the same.

"I want A too." Emmett whine, Rose glared at him.

"To bad you're getting diet Pepsi, all out of the good stuff." She hurled the can toward his head. He barely caught it and it slid out of his hands into his lap.

"You're losing your touch Rosie." He said smiling as he opened the can and it exploded all over him. He wiped his face and we all started laughing except him. "Whatever let's do this."

"To being friends forever" Rose said sticking her tongue out at Emmett holding her can in the middle.

"To always being there for each other" Bella said holding my hand and smiling.

"To always making time for each other" I whispered putting my can in the middle.

"To getting the hell out of here." Emmett said slamming his can into ours causing a huge mess.

"Emmett what the hell!" Rose screamed as she chased him out yelling at him until he was in the house. We heard her storm off into our house and slamming the door. Bella had started cleaning up the mess her brother had made.

"I'm sorry about what Mike said; I'm supposed to protect you." I said as I helped her finish cleaning. She looked up and smiled.

"Jas you can't help what other people say, beside we knew It's true I'm not as pretty as Rose or any of the other girls in our grade." She took the trash out to the dumpster and I followed her. She pulled her jacket over the scar on her arm and tried to give me the "don't worry Jas" smile. That smile always made me feel sad. She was almost near tears so I wrapped my arms around her.

"Bells you are prettier than all girls in the school, please don't cry." I held her close and she started crying. I led her into my house and took her to the couch. I sat her down and got her some water and some tissues. I sat down next to her and grabbed a pillow and put it my lap. She gave me a sad smile and laid down facing the T.V. I turned on some random episode of Doctor Who and started stroking her hair.

"Thank you" She finally whispered after she stopped crying. She looked up at me with her warm brown eyes. I tilted my head and smiled.

"You're my best friend; I don't know what I would do without you." She said as she began tracing patterns on my knee. We stayed like that until she fell asleep in my lap, I kept petting her hair. It was so soft and shiny I loved doing this. It always calmed her down and it seemed to calm me down to. I heard Rose feet stomp down the stairs muttering something about Emmett and Jessica. She looked at me and sighed and sat down near Bella feet she picked than up and put them in her lap. She grabbed my hand and smiled.

"Everything okay?" She asked staring at Bella sleeping form. I shrugged and looked at the T.V.

"Jasper what happened?" She asked again with a serious look on her face. There was my Rosie, my sweet sister.

"She thinks she's ugly. I don't know she just started crying, I think she's self conscious about her scars." I said in a whisper stroking the tiny scar on her arm.

"You can't even see them unless you look for them." Rose said.

A few months ago Bella started having nightmares. She would wake up screaming which would cause me and Rose to race to their house in the middle of the night. This in turn would scare mom half to death. So Charlie sat us down and told us why Bella lived with them.

"Have the nightmares started again?" Rose asked I nodded.

"Charlie told me they started back up when we left." I said quietly so we didn't wake her.

FLASH BACK TO THEM TALKING TO CHARLIE

"Kid I'm not going to tell you everything because, well you really don't need to know what horrors Bella and Emmett went though." He looked really sad for a moment and looked a picture on the wall. It was a lady with dark hair holding a newborn baby and a two year old.

"What is scaring her Charlie?" I asked quietly.

"Their step- daddy is what is scaring her, we won't go into the details but he hurt them. A lot. He hurt their mommy really bad and tried to hurt Bella too. Emmett protected Bella but she still got hurt. You remember her cast?" We both nodded.

"Why" Rose asked, we never knew our dad he died in combat before we we're born, she wanted to know why a daddy would hurt someone.

"He was just really angry. So I need you to help okay. I need you to protect her."

"I already promised you that sir but I still mean it." I said, he held both our hands and walked us back to our moms' house.

END FLASH BACK

She smiled at me and gave me a half hug. I nodded at her and focusing on the episode. When it was over she yawns and grabbed the remote from me.

"So can I turn off this boring sci fi crap?" She asked turning off the D.V.D.

"It's a good show" Bella mumble as she sat up picking her feet off Roses lap.

I laughed silently as rose gave her a big hug; she tried to straighten Bella hair down. Bella gave her a smile and leaned against her shoulder.

"Hey Bells, why don't we have a sleepover tonight, we'll watch girly movies and complain about annoying brothers." She said as she hit me with the pillow I had in my lap. She got up and went upstairs, Bella followed.

I got up off the couch and went to the back yard with my mom and sat down on the step of the porch. I crossed my arms and glared at the yard. Bella was my friend; I wish Rosie would quit stealing her from me. The four of us always played together but it was Emmett and Rosie, me and Bella.

"Jasper baby what wrong honey." My mom asked as she sat down next to me. I shrugged my shoulders and looked at the ground.

"Rose steal Bella away again?" she asked as she put her arm around my shoulder. I nodded and leaned against her shoulder. She smiled like lavender and paint.

"Well my favorite son would you like to help finish Bella birthday present?" She asked standing up offering me her hand. We walked back to her small studio in the garage. The large bench was on a table and mom handed me a giant shirt to put over my clothes.

"Okay you take that brush there and finish painting that arm over there white." She instructed as she handed me a brush. I walked over and started painting the arm of the bench swing. I saw it at the store and wanted to get it for Bella she loves swinging. Mom decided to paint it and make it just for her.

"So we'll put pink hearts on it. How does that sound?" My mom asked picking up a brush and dipping it in pink. She was smiling and went to paint when I shook my head. "Oh that's right, how about a lime green dinosaur?" I shook my head and laughed a little. "Hmm, a blue alien?" We were both laughing now and mom gave me a big hug. "What do you think Bella would want?"

"Some purple flowers, but they have to look real." I whispered as I finished painting the arm.

"I think you're right" She sighed and started painting the bench. We spent the rest of the afternoon painting and listening to the radio. Mom loved music and always had something playing. She kept making me dance with her and it always ended with us laughing.

"Mom we're hungry!" I heard Rose bellow from the back porch. Mom smiled and put the brushes in some water.

"Shall we go get some dinner young sir?" I held my arm out for her and we walked back to the house.

"How about I order some pizza and then we'll get some movies?" My mom said as she went to sink to wash her hands.

"Bella staying the night with me so she can go shopping with us tomorrow." Rose said as she pulled out a drink from the fridge.

"Okay, I'll call Charlie and see if that's okay." Mom said as she went to the phone and started calling Charlie.

I walked over to the sink and Bella joined my side.

"What were you doing all afternoon?" she asked gently as I washed the paint off my hands.

"It's a surprise for your birthday." I said smiling; she took my hand as we went into the living room.

"Okay well the pizza is ordered, I'm going to go pick it up and pick up some movies. Any requests?" Mom said as she picked up her purse and keys. Rose rattled off some movies and we just nodded in agreement. "Sue is coming over to bring Bella some clothes be good."

"Sure mom, see you soon." As she was leaving the house Sue came in. They said a couple words to each other and then she left.

"Hi Sue" Rose said as she went back to her room. Sue waved and came over to me and Bella. She handed Bella a back pack and gave her a hug.

"Hi mom" she whispered giving her a big hug.

"Hey baby girl, you sure you want to stay the night?" she asked with a serious tone in her voice.

"Yeah mom it'll be fun" Bella whispered gripping my hand tightly. I wasn't convinced but Bella wants everyone to be happy.

"Okay well I put some money in your back pack for shopping, just call when you're ready to come home." Bella nodded and we went to kitchen to make cookies for after dinner. We had just pulled them out of the oven when mom came back home.

After we ate pizza, mom popped some popcorn and put the cookies on a plate. I took the plate into the living room and rose turned on some movie. Bella sat next to me and put her head on my shoulder. This is how we watch movies or T.V. Rose was taking pictures of all of us and mom. We were all laughing and having fun until mom said it was bed time. The girls marched upstairs and I went to my room. I get into bed and started reading a book I must have fallen asleep because I felt my book being taken out of my hands.

"Jas, I'm scared." I heard her tiny bell like whisper as she put the book on the end table. I heard the thunder outside the room. She hated thunderstorms, always had. I got up and grabbed the extra quilt from the trunk in my room. I made her lie down on the bed and put my covers around her. I lied down next to her over the covers and put the quilt over both of us. She curled into my side and I stroked her head. She started shaking when the thunder got louder so I squeezed her tighter.

"Its' okay Bells I got you, I promise nothing is going to hurt you." I said in a whispered into her hair.

"Promise" she whispered holding me tightly.

"Yeah. Now go to sleep." I waited until the storm had passed and she was asleep. I got up and woke up my mom.

"What is it Jasper" my mom said in a deep sleepy voice.

"Bella got scared and is my room asleep." I said with a yawn I was tired.

"I'll come get her and put her back Roses room. Is she okay?" She asked pulling a robe on as she left her room.

"Yeah the storm scared her, she was a little upset but I calmed her down." I said following my mom as she scooped Bella off my bed and took her back to Roses room.

"You're a good friend Jasper Whitlock, I'm proud of you." I shrugged as I got back into bed.

THREE WEEKS LATER

"Well, I think that's all the presents Bella." Charlie said as he winked at me.

"But Dad, Jas…okay" She said looking like she was about to cry. I wanted to surprise her not make her cry. She looked at me and gave me the sad smile. Now I wanted to cry. Sue cleared up the paper and started taking the other presents to her room.

"Jasper, can you take Bella outside while we set the cake up?" Charlie asked as he headed to the kitchen with my mom and Sue. I grabbed her hand and race out to the porch.

"Jas slow down I can't run as fast as you." She yelled almost tripping over her feet, when I stopped she stumbled but I caught her.

"Happy Birthday darlin" I said as I turned her towards the swing Charlie and my mom hung from the porch last night. She walked over to it slowly and put her hands on it tracing the flowers.

"Thank you Jasper it's wonderful." She said as she sat down in it. The hung it so that it faced the back yard when we sat in it. On the bench next to her was a small present wrapped in brown paper with a dark purple ribbon. She picked it up and unwrapped as I sat down and started swing back and forth. It was Tuck Everlasting; I thought she'd like a book to read.

"Thank you, it is perfect" She leaned over and kissed my cheek. Her face turned bright red and she ran off back into the house. I put my hand on my cheek it felt like it was on fire. I got off the bench and went back.

"What are you grinning about" Rose asked as she punched my shoulder. I shrugged and felt my cheeks turn red. We sang her the birthday song and Charlie passed out cake. I leaned against a door frame and stare at Bella smiling and laughing with her brother. After a couple of hours we went home and Rose cornered me in the kitchen.

"Seriously bro, what are you grinning about? You've had a big smile on your face all afternoon." She knew something was up and wasn't going to let it go.

"Nothing, just had the best day of my life is all." I shrugged my shoulder and went to my room.

"You're so weird" she yelled up at me.