Jasper Pov

Bella started to speak, but her eyes were focused on her page, and Jasper felt her embarrassment, so she was hiding behind reading. "That Bella decided to move in with Charlie, her father," Bella's eyes moved to the phone and it was clear she'd be giving enough detail for the others to understand, "in the middle of her Junior year. That would be this upcoming January. After Renee, her mother, got married to Phil, well she wanted to travel with him in his job and Bella knew her mother wasn't happy sticking around for her." Bella muttered, almost under her breath, but they all could hear it. "Most likely Renee made Bella think that move was her idea. Bella hated Forks, hated the rain, and barely knew her father, so she wasn't happy with the move at all."

"At least you like it here." Emmett spoke softly, and it earned him a small smile from Bella.

"Charlie bought Bella an old truck, Billy Black's old truck, as a welcome home gift." Jasper felt the disgust coming from Rosalie. "And Bella started up school, getting involved with those kids I sat with the first day. They apparently didn't annoy her as badly as they did me, because she actually stuck with them." Bella started to blush. "She saw your parade to lunch and was intrigued. Her big thing was she noticed every little detail, I tried to pretend to be the opposite and notice nothing at all, but she could just look at your table and list off a half a dozen things other people didn't really notice."

"You seem a bit irritated." Jasper spoke up in the moment of silence.

"For all her 'super powers of observation' she had trouble deciding who was prettier, Rose or Edward. It was kind of stupid, I mean you all look good, but," Bella's blush increased and her eyes widened as she realized what she'd said. Jasper could only grin at her embarrassment. "Well, it's no contest." Bella muttered and Jasper could hear Tanya chuckling softly, even though Bella wouldn't have. "Edward was giving her odd looks because he couldn't read her mind."

"There is someone that could have blocked his powers?" Tanya asked and Jasper could feel a bit of amusement all around the table, except for Edward who was a little annoyed.

"I'm a shield, I block mental powers. That power came from her." Bella admitted.

"Impressive." Tanya muttered and there was another dose of jealousy coming from Rosalie.

"Yeah, well, not my power, just inherited it." Bella took a deep breath and a moment, before starting up again. "That Bella had biology with Edward after lunch. That was where he found out she was his singer. He had to sit through an entire class, right next to her and surrounded by all those kids. She thought he was being mean, and was claiming she smelled bad, it upset her to be picked on like that for no apparent reason."

"Oh god." Edward's eyes were wide and a sense of shock and foreboding came from everyone around the table. They had all been very careful about preparing Edward and keeping them separated, and to think of what could have happened, even if it hadn't, it was a bit horrifying. Jasper may have had a slip or two while part of this family, but the sheer scale of the slip Edward could have made was beyond anything they'd have ever dealt with before.

"It's why I took Biology early." Bella admitted quietly. "But Edward managed it, he left as soon as the bell went off, but he managed. He then took off for Denali for a few days and Bella started to feel like she'd run him off. She checked every day to see if he was back." Bella shook her head and Jasper could sense the disgust coming from her and the interest growing in Edward.

"So he glared at her, acted like she smelled, and she was 'waiting for him'?" Rosalie muttered, her voice conveying her disbelief.

"I know," Bella gave a weak grin and looked up from her papers finally. "What idiot does that? From her point of view he would seem like the school bully the way he acted. She had no idea how well he'd actually done leaving her alive." Bella's eyes moved to Edward and Jasper felt her reluctance. "And you did do well, from what I understand. I didn't want to spring my scent on you like that though, which is why I sent you a 'warning'."

"I appreciate that. I can't imagine sitting in a class like that." Edward spoke softly, and Jasper could feel his concern. The story was getting a little more real to him and Jasper was hoping that by the end of it Edward would understand this wasn't that Bella, because if he didn't get it, that would cause trouble.

"So it was January," Bella started up again. "It snowed for at least part of the morning, and on that day Bella noticed there were five people at the lunch table again." There was a bit of irritation coming from her. "Telling a story with my name sucks." She muttered under her breath and the phone gave off the sounds of a few of the Denali chuckling. Bella had a little bit of embarrassment, but her determination grew again. "So she was nervous about going to biology, but since he wasn't actively glaring at her she went."

"I don't believe I would have returned if I thought there was a risk." Edward spoke up.

"No, only an idiot would do that." Bella muttered, not paying as much attention to the reassurance Edward seemed to want to give her. There was some satisfaction from Rosalie at Edward not even registering on Bella's radar, and Jasper hide a small smile at that. "So during class Edward tried to start conversation, and was asking questions I think any human other than Jessica would know it was too soon to ask. He was a stranger after all, but he hated not knowing what she was thinking and was prying into why she moved, how she liked the place, what her relationship was like with her mother and step father."

"That's taking an interest in someone, that isn't prying." Edward spoke up and there were some chuckles around the table.

"No, that's prying Edward." Tanya's voice held some amusement. "You had just met this girl and you were asking private questions about her home life."

"Well, in spite of that little mistake, she told him." Bella continued, rather than let everyone tease Edward. "She didn't hate her step father, and I can't imagine she would, he's a hell a lot better than Renee deserves. I felt guilty leaving him to her without a warning." Bella muttered quietly. "I'm going to their wedding right after school gets out and I can't wait to hear how she covered up the fact that she kicked me out of the house."

"Your mother kicked you out?" Kate asked over the phone.

"Oh, yeah, well," Bella grimaced, and glanced over at Alice.

"I didn't get into how you ended up here Bella. There was so much to explain about what you really were, that I just didn't cover that." Alice explained and Bella nodded and turned to stare at the phone again.

"Renee had me going to doctor after doctor, and she was starting to try and push experimental procedures at me to try and get her doormat of a daughter back. There was an argument, and I was sent to Charlie's early. I'd been working on trying to prepare for a move, but I wasn't going to actually ask until I knew it was safe to be in the same town as Edward. I didn't get to plan it out like I wanted." Bella explained and Jasper gave her a searching look. It was just a little amazing that she'd done as much as she had to prepare. He knew she'd planned a bit, but to know what all she'd done while never letting on that she knew was impressive.

"If you weren't acting like yourself anymore, it would be understandable that a mother would try everything possible." Edward spoke up and Bella's irritation grew quickly.

"Edward, in the beginning I believed that too, but eventually I started to suspect it was something else. You can't read my mind, and Renee isn't here for you to steal the story from, so please refrain from thinking you know at all what happened." Bella stared him down and her eyes didn't waiver. Edward flared with his own irritation, but Bella's eyes moved back to the page, dismissing him before he could start to talk.

"Here is a good example of what I'm talking about with Renee." Bella tapped the page in front of her. "It was cold and icy one morning and Bella left her house, slipping on the ice on her way to the truck. She managed to get it going and made her way to school, and when she got there she finally noticed that her father had put chains on her tires for her. That Bella stood in the parking lot with tears in her eyes staring at the proof her father loved her in shock. She hadn't expected that he would get up early and do that for her, it was a foreign concept that a parent would take care of their kid. She normally took care of Renee, if it had been her and Renee in Forks she would have been asked to wake up early and do up Renee's car, after she helped Renee find some warm clothes and made Renee breakfast."

Esme's jaw was clenching and it was actually hate that emanated from her for Renee. Jasper sent Esme a bit of calm.

"While Bella was standing there, she noticed the Cullen's across the parking lot, and the horrified look crossing Alice and then Edward's face." Bella swallowed hard.

"Oh, that doesn't sound good." Emmett muttered.

"No, it doesn't. Tyler lost control of his van on the ice and it was heading right for her. It was going to crush her between two vehicles." Bella's words had the majority of the family upset, and Jasper leaked more calm out. "She'd seen Edward across the parking lot, but suddenly he was beside her, keeping the van from crushing her with a superman move that just stopped the damned thing. She saw that."

Shock raced through the room and Jasper could hear the Denali's talking quickly among themselves, stunned at the breaking of that law.

"She barely bumped her head, but since they had to pry the van away to get to them, and Edward probably wanted to discredit her eye witness account, she was taken by ambulance to the hospital." Bella looked up at Rosalie. "She did notice that Edward's family wasn't reacting right to the whole thing. Instead of being scared for him, you were mad."

"Edward tried to lie and say he'd been next to her the entire time, he tried to claim in the shock of it all she imagined him stopping a van. He finally got irritated as she pushed harder as to why she was lying for him, telling people he'd always been next to her when he hadn't been, and told her he hoped she liked living with disappointment because she would never be told." Bella felt some apprehension, as she looked up. "He avoided her, and then would tell her they couldn't be friends. He told her he'd never tell her and then wanted to hear her guesses as to what he was. He was a yo-yo, and she was growing irritated at it."

"They should have moved already." Tanya spoke up. "A mistake like that, even with one witness, they should have left or,"

Rosalie's growl filled the room and Bella gave Rosalie a weak smile. Jasper noted that Rosalie's growling didn't scare Bella at all.

"I believe there were some suggestions that Bella should have an accident, but they didn't do that. As for moving, I don't understand it either, but by then Edward was a bit obsessed as well. He was sneaking into her bedroom at night to stare at her, and she had no idea. He wasn't going to let go, and I'm sure he convinced everyone to stay." Jasper could feel Bella's irritation at Edward and it made no sense, because it started when she talked about Edward convincing everyone to stay, but before he could ask, Alice shook her head no at him.

"Later, she'll explain later" Alice subwhispered to him and he nodded just once as he returned his focus to Bella's current story.

"So he was having some lunches with her and she was sharing theories of him being a superhero. He continued to say he was a bad friend and if she had a brain she'd avoid him, all while continuing to interact with her, and he told her that he was dangerous, and not the hero. She wouldn't believe that he was bad though, dangerous maybe, bad no. He was seeking time with her and telling her she's an idiot to hang around him. I don't think he ever expected her to figure it all out, but he didn't even take into account that her father's best friend was a Quileute elder."

"They broke the treaty?" Rosalie whispered loud enough for Bella to hear, her eyes widened. "I knew we couldn't trust them."

"It wouldn't hurt to talk to the elders about how they tell their stories to the young, who won't believe them. Billy Black's son thought it was just ghost stories, that the Cold Ones weren't real and that his father's weird behavior about the Cullens moving here was actually a bit crazy. Bella got the story from him, and followed it up with research online. Jacob didn't even realize he was breaking a treaty, he was just trying to impress a girl."

"What did she do?" Carlisle asked.

"Nothing." Bella sighed heavily. "She found this huge secret and she did nothing. I believe you all were out hunting, the weather was a bit sunny, and she sat on it quietly waiting for Edward so she could tell him she knew." Bella shook her head from side to side gently as if to her own thoughts. "She was already in too deep, she wasn't about to walk away."

"She should have." Edward muttered and Bella looked up and gave him a dark look that startled Edward.

"Yes, she should have, but you're wrong as to why." Bella's voice was a bit of a growl herself and Jasper felt, perhaps for the first time, how openly their Bella didn't like Edward. He'd somehow really gotten on her bad side.

Bella took a deep breath. Edward was edgy and clearly trying to read someone's mind, but Jasper could feel how distracted Alice was. She was clearly putting up other thoughts to keep Edward out.

"There were dances at school and Jessica and Angela were going to Port Angeles to get dresses. Bella opted to ride along because there was a bookstore she wanted to check out. She hoped they'd have more on the Quileute legends I think. I'm not positive on the book she needed really." Bella's eyes glanced around the table and they landed on Rosalie for a moment, and then on Alice. Jasper felt Bella's apprehension growing. "Bella split up from the girls, she hated clothes shopping, and she was going to run to the bookstore. She got all turned around and," Her words trailed off with a sense of pain and fear filling her. Alice rubbed Bella's hand reassuringly. "Four men herded her to an abandoned area."

"Oh god." Rosalie's voice came out a sick whisper.

"Edward came before anything happened, and the got out of there without a fight." Bella grimaced. "Later Carlisle and Edward made sure they got arrested. Turns out they were filth." Her voice growled again. "They should have just called Peter if they didn't want to dirty their own hands." Alice was gently rubbing Bella's back and looked up at Jasper with a plea in her eyes, so Jasper upped the level of calm he sent to Bella. It was clear to everyone that now knew how Bella's mother died why she reacted like this.

"So you know about Peter and his diet." Jasper spoke softly, as he watched Bella calm finally.

"Yes, good man." Bella's eyes were still hard. Jasper could feel some disapproval around the table from Carlisle and Esme, and even Edward who'd lived on the scum of the world once before, but he also felt concern from everyone as they waited for Bella to rein in her emotions. The strongest emotion around the table though, was Rosalie's horror. Her eyes had even gone instantly black.

"Okay, so," Bella took a deep breath and pushed on in spite of some inner turmoil Jasper could still sense. "They caught up with Jessica and Angela, but those girls had already eaten, so Edward took Bella out for dinner. They talked about 'hypothetical mind reading' and finding people in the city with it. Edward admitted he couldn't read her, so he'd been following her friends, but didn't notice when Bella wandered off, I think it was because Jessica didn't notice."

"It's like he was trying to let her know what he was." Carlisle spoke softly.

"And we know that's against the law." Bella muttered a response. Edward was sitting up straighter, and was just starting to feel uncomfortable with this story. "It was when he was driving her home that Bella admitted to her latest 'theory' and Edward admitted he was a vampire and she was right. He also called her some form of idiot for being in the car with him, for not caring he drank blood. He was always more upscale with his insults, but basically he called Bella stupid or an idiot quite often, usually it was about her willingness to be with such an evil creature as him, or what he perceived as her lack of survival instinct, he insulted her with either his words or how he treated her as if she couldn't make the smallest of decisions when she'd been taking care of a household ever since she was a child. Having lived her life, I would be willing to bet Bella was responsible for more than Edward had ever been, and she'd had to take care of that disgrace of a mother through it all. He acted like she couldn't handle making decisions. It made me sick, and I started to actually hate him for it and her for putting up with it when I heard this story. If a human boy treated her that way I would hope she would have known to walk away, she might have had a better chance of at least thinking about it. My only thought was that Renee raised her Bella to be a doormat and it worked wonders for her, but it doomed Bella to not know when to walk away."

Disappointment and anger, shame, disgust, emotions were flowing all over the room. One good thing, in Jasper's opinion, was that shame was coming from Edward, and it was because of how he'd acted rather than what he was for a change. This Bella and perhaps that Bella as well, didn't look at what they were, but who they were and Edward wasn't measuring up as a person based on this story. He sounded like a pretty bad boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, it's a bit of a trigger for me." Bella stared down at her page again, caressing it with her fingers, trying to find something else to say. "I don't really like men that think they can take away a woman's power in any way." Her voice cracked and Rosalie moved to pull Bella into a hug, petting her hair gently.

"Don't even think about leaving this table." Emmett's voice was cold and hard as he stared at Edward. "You were warned it wasn't going to be a fun story." Jasper had felt Edward's discomfort growing, but he didn't think Edward was ready just yet to back out of his promise. He did decide to make sure to monitor Edward more carefully though, so that if he decided to leave they could stop him.

"I'm not like those monsters." Edward muttered too quiet for Bella to hear, knowing who he was being compared to.

"It's a matter of degree, Edward." Esme spoke flatly as she stared with painful longing at Bella in Rose's arms. "I was called an idiot quite often by my first husband. Usually his fist followed his words, but they all hurt." Her eyes moved to Edward and Jasper watched the odd swirl of love and shame in her, even as he noticed Edward flinch at something she was thinking. She didn't scold him openly, but something had happened to make Edward slump down in his chair feeling ashamed and pained. Bella wasn't aware of any of this happening, as she pulled away from Rosalie's hug and used a force of will to take a sip of water and look over her notes again, to start again.

"So they talked, got to know each other, and Edward had to learn to ask questions and wait for answers. He took her out to a meadow he likes and showed her how he sparkled in the sun, and ran around showing how strong and how fast he was. It would have been a good afternoon if he wasn't trying to make her scared of him at the time. He talked about how she'd have no chance against a vampire, she'd never be able to run away or fight him off. He tried to warn her off, and she didn't back off. I think they had their first kiss in that meadow, but honestly I was too disgusted by the entire scene to remember if anything good came of it."

"Man, I've known Bella for months and I've never given her the 'you are just prey' speech." Emmett growled.

"I haven't even seen you sparkle yet." Bella teased weakly, and Jasper felt her attempt at a joke eased some of the tension in the room.

"You haven't seen a vampire sparkle yet?" Tanya spoke over the phone.

"Well, they just recently realized I knew what they are." Bella gave Emmett a small smile. "So I expect I'll get to see the manly sparkling this summer."

Normally Emmett worked to relieve the tension, but Bella was taking up his normal task for him, and she had a few people amused on their end, and there was some chuckling on the other end of the phone.

"Okay then." Bella called an end to their tiny break. "After they went through the meadow debacle, Edward started to share more about his past, how he became a vampire, and a bit about those with powers in his family. He decided it was time to introduce her to the family. He'd been hogging her the entire time even though Alice knew they'd be best friends. He probably wouldn't have tried to introduce her just yet, but I'm just sure Alice was bringing it up all the time." Jasper enjoyed the affection Bella felt for Alice when Bella gave Alice a small smile. Their relationship would make it easier for Alice to hear about another girl that could have been her best friend.