So I know I said I was going to hold this chapter out until I had more reviews on the last, but I finished it and just couldn't wait to share. You guys are lucky I love you so much! :) Without further avail, here is the highly requested and much anticipated chapter from Jasper's point of view. Enjoy.

CHAPTER EIGHT

JASPER'S POINT OF VIEW

I froze. Upon hearing his name called, I could feel my inner demon threatening to break free from his prison cell in my mind. I couldn't let him come out. I couldn't let him hurt Bella. Bella. Bella. Think about Bella… The beautiful, hurting, trusting girl in your arms.

I felt her move her head from my chest to look up at me. Worry, anxiety, admiration. Her emotions confused me. She should have been worried, because I was a monster. She should have been anxious, because I had turned from softy to tense in a matter of seconds. She should not have been admiring me, because at this very moment I was trying not to let loose a part of man that did not care about her.

She had already told me that she spoke to the Major in her dreams, and that broke my heart. At first, I thought maybe the reason I couldn't place her was because it had been the Major she had known all of her life, not me. But even that didn't make sense, because if that were case I would not have known her at all. What killed me was that as a vampire, I was supposed to have the perfect memory. I was supposed to have the answers she needed, and I didn't. What kind of supernatural being was I?

"Jasper, it's okay if you don't want to talk about him." She sweetly offered. Always thinking of me, always worried for comfort of others. I was overwhelmed by the urge to protect her, a strange phenomenon that I had been dealing with since she entered my life. I could feel from my family that they all felt protective over her and wanted to care for her, but I felt more than that. I felt like it was already my personal responsibility and right to guard her from the dangers of this world. I knew that she had already fallen prey to far too many evils. Her gut-wrenchingly raw emotions proved that to me, and I didn't need any explanation from her. She would tell me about her new memories when she was ready, but I didn't want her dwelling on those feelings when she didn't have to. To be honest, I couldn't take it myself.

I needed to answer her. "Bella, I haven't always lived like this."

She nodded; that didn't seem to surprise her. My reaction must have registered on my face, because she quickly explained. "Esme mentioned to me earlier that you've lived through a lot, and she had never seen you…" She trailed off, and I felt her insecurity throw itself at me.

I took her face in my hands, and allowed myself to lose myself in her beautiful brown eyes before addressing her. "She had never seen me what, Bella?" I said softly, trying to find out what Esme had revealed about my life and why my little savior didn't feel at liberty to say it. I wasn't irritated at my mother, because I knew she wouldn't say anything out of ill will. And to be frank, she didn't know enough information to divulge Bella with. I kept myself well hidden in the Cullen house. After my escape from Maria, Edward had found me alone in my thoughts of self-hatred and misery. He had been out on a hunt, and followed my thoughts to my destination. He understood why I felt like such a monster, and told me about Carlisle and his compassion-based diet. From that moment on, I exiled the Major and followed Edward back to the rest of the coven. They had welcomed me wholeheartedly, and that just made me more determined than ever to conceal my past from them.

Of course, they knew who I was. All vampires did. I was Jasper Whitlock, the God of War. I was aware of my worldwide fame, the fame that surpassed even the Volturi. Whispers echoed at all times about my name, and the wind even seemed to bow to my will. It wasn't touching us right now, as we hid ourselves in this tree, because it had seen me do so many unspeakable things that made me untouchable. But despite all of my fame… I fought it. I didn't want to be a monster. So I hid my past from the Cullens as much as I could, never offering any information. I tried to be a good son, a good brother, a good man worthy of their name. I tried to be a gentle presence in the house in exchange for freedom from my past. It was exhausting, creating a new personality for myself. But doing so earned me relationships I did value, no matter the foundations they lacked.

Bella finished her sentence so quietly that I would not have heard it if not for my superhuman abilities. "She had never seen you so open… the way you are with me."

She ducked her head. Shame.

I never wanted her to feel ashamed or embarrassed, but I also didn't know how to answer her. She was right. I don't know why I felt so open with Bella, but it was undeniably more so than I had been with my own family. It was like Bella was a home. She was so familiar, so right. And she stumped me. I, the God of War, was stumped by the mystery of a human… And slowly but surely, she was opening me back up to feelings. I was closer to humanity than I had been in a long, long time. While it scared me to death, it also was quite the breath of fresh air. That's why, in my mind, she was called my savior.

"Well Bella… she's probably right. I don't know why it's easier with you. I don't know how I know you, or how I've been meeting you in your dreams every night for all your life… But I'm not like this with my family. I don't share quite so much about my past… and the Major, well he's part of my past." I tried not to stumble too much over my words as I offered her that pathetic explanation. I was ashamed of my past, and that did play a part in my skimmed details. However, greater was my concern for her than myself. I didn't want to overwhelm her. She was being unbelievably brave in how she handled this. I had just revealed to her that I was a 172-year-old vampire, and she barely blinked. I was impressed with her strength, but didn't want to test the limits.

She seemed to take that as an answer, and cuddled her head back into my chest… Right where she belonged. Quit it Jasper. She's clearly going through enough right now, she doesn't need some blood-thirsty guy trying to romance her. As much as I hated to admit it, the little voice in my head was right. She didn't need a confusing boyfriend, but she did need a protector. That was a role I would happily assume.

"Speaking of pasts…" Her warm little body clenched in my arms. "You don't have to tell me anything right away, but I just want to assure you that I will be here to listen when you're ready." She melted. "And I will protect you from whatever it is that you're hiding from."

I felt her appreciation, and that would have been enough. I was surprised when she answered me verbally. "You always have, angel."

I wanted to tell her I was no angel, that she instead was the only one worthy of that label. But I couldn't bring myself to deny her… If it was an angel she needed, than it was an angel I would be.

Her comment confused me, as her talk about dream-me always did. I should remember protecting her. I should remember what evils she faced. I had the sinking feeling I already knew her domestic horrors, judging by her emotional reactions to thoughts of her father and Colin Black. And if her emotions weren't staggering evidence enough, the stories of her pathetic father and the finger-shaped bruises covering her body were. I wanted to wait until she told me herself to let myself react, because it was her story to tell. I tried not to dwell on it or jump to conclusions, but I had never been so angry as when I pictured someone harming my newfound savior. How could anyone look into those eyes and cause them any harm?

One thing was for certain: whenever she was ready to deal with the problem, I would be waiting with wrath to unload and my military expertise to draw on. Her demons would be crushed- I would make sure of it.

I began to move once more to lift her up and take her back to the house when her rumbling stomach reminded me that humans needed to eat more frequently than I did. As I descended down the tree, I was almost brought to my knees by the sheer terror rolling off of her. I looked at her, trying to see if there was any threat near.

There was none, but what I did see upset me more than I expected- my two favorite brown eyes filled with tears. "Bella, talk to me. What are you afraid of?"

She shook her head, embarrassed again. I wasn't going to accept that.

"Sweetheart, I want to help. Let me in."

She breathed in a shaky breath, and let it out with just as much conviction. "Is everyone in your family this strong?"

I nodded, the reason for her terror beginning to dawn on me. "Some more than others, but all vampires have enhanced strength… But Bella, believe me when I say that none of them will harm you… Because if they do, I'll kick their butt." I smiled, trying to get a laugh out of her.

It worked in the slightest as she gave me a weak smile. "I honestly don't know if I can be around your brothers or father for very long right now, but I'll try. I-"

"Shh… You don't have to explain. I understand, and you can tell me more when you're ready. Don't feel guilty either, because everyone in the family knows you've been through a lot lately. They will understand if you aren't feeling very social."

She nodded, trying to calm down. I didn't know if she was trying harder to convince me or herself, but she wasn't doing a great job at either. "Would it be okay if I sent you some peace? I don't want to manipulate your emotions, but I don't want you to be afraid either." It was uncommon for me to ask permission to use my gift, but I didn't want her to feel more out of control than she already did.

"Yes," she sniffed. "That would be okay. Thank you." It was quiet, but it was a yes. I focused on the emotion desired, and then gently drove it into her senses. I could feel the effects of my work starting to take place, and continued my way towards the house.

"I'll make you a deal. I will not leave you alone with any of them unless you ask me to. I will be monitoring your emotions, and if things start getting overwhelming for you then I will find a way to get you out of there."

For the first time since she was terror-stricken at the base of the tree, she smiled with her eyes. As we approached my home, I set her down. She straightened out her clothing, and gave me a wink. "Let's do this then." I could feel her trying to foster her own bravery, and I didn't intervene. Her capabilities were too amazing to me to get involved.

I had figured that Alice would have seen my conversation with Bella, and that she would alert all the family members to the fact that I had told her the truth. I didn't know what their reactions would be, but judging by the scene before me, I was right. I escorted Bella into the living room, where each Cullen was seated in apparent expectance of our arrival. Their emotions hit me like thunder. Hopefulness from Esme, caution and kindness from Carlisle, happiness from Alice, patience from Edward, excitement from Emmett, and sympathy from Rosalie. None of them were negative, but Rosalie's did surprise me. I turned to look at her, and she just looked at Bella pointedly.

She must have figured out the reason Bella came to us in such a broken state as well, because her sympathies could only be explained by her shared history of abuse.

I turned my head, not wanting to think about it. I had to be there for Bella, not drag her down. I tuned into my new confidant's emotions. The peace I had put into place was still there, but I could tell I was going to have to monitor her closely. She was fragile.

Carlisle was the first to speak. "Bella," she dug her hands further into my arms. Holding her small frame tightly, I sent her a few ounces of security. Carlisle continued, no doubt noticing the exchange between us. "Bella, we understand that Jasper has revealed our true natures to you. We want you to know we will not hurt you, but we will answer any questions you have. And if you are not comfortable here, then of course you are free to go. We will help you find somewhere to stay and heal until you know where you want to go." I was proud of his kindness and compassion, but my heart skipped beats they weren't even taking at the mention of her leaving. I couldn't be without her, not before we had figured out our connection. I needed answers, and she did too.

Bella cleared her throat timidly and responded with the kind of frail confidence that made everyone in the room love her tenfold. "I know I don't know everything there is to know about your kind yet, but I don't think I can go anywhere else right now… If that's alright with you, of course."

I smiled at her, so proud of my little savior for her strength and thankful that she didn't want to leave. I sensed the entire family's confusion at my unmasked happiness, but it was okay with me. Bella wanted to stay.

We all sat in the living room and talked for a small time while she ate the early dinner Esme gave her. She asked questions, and we answered them as honestly as we could. We told her about how we don't sleep, how there were others of our kind out there, how the change took place, etc. At one point, she even asked about the vampire mating process. It was somewhat awkward, as the only two single people in the room were seated right next to each other while Carlisle explained to her the intimate work of mating. She handled it all with such dignity, and just nodded along as if we were discussing budget cuts for the country. What I was admittedly more thrilled about, however, was that she didn't leave my side all night. I was overjoyed that my presence seemed to calm her, and that she seemed to trust me to be so close. Her energy began wavering after a while, with no room to wonder why. Without a doubt, she had had a long day. As if on cue, she looked at me with an expression that practically shouted, "Can you please get me out of here now?"

I honored my deal, and quickly asked the family to excuse us as I helped Bella prepare for bed. It might have been too early for bed, but no one could blame her for wanting to retire to her room. Once we arrived at her door, I asked her what she wanted to do for the next few hours before she fell asleep.

She seemed to consider my question heavily, as if it were the most daunting one in the world. "Could we watch a movie?"

I agreed heartily, not really minding whatever we did as long as she was comfortable. She picked out a movie from our vast collection and put it in the DVD player before I looked at what it was, but I couldn't stop myself from laughing when I saw the menu take the screen. Out of the millions of movies we owned, she had picked one of the only ones we had that took place during the civil war. I, of course, had many of my own in my private study that were not included in the family's collection.

She looked up, confused by my laughter. "What? Is something wrong with this movie?" Her worry was so adorable, I almost couldn't tell her. But, knowing how rude that was made me decide against it.

"Nothing is wrong. I really like war movies, and I was surprised we had such similar taste."

She nodded, missing my very obvious hint. I had told her earlier when I was born, but she hadn't put the timing of my humanity together with the war yet. "I've always loved to study wars. I had a few ancestors in the civil war, and so I've always liked to watch movies about it. That's why I picked this one."

I wanted to hear more about her ancestors, but I didn't want to distract her once she started the movie so I held my tongue. She snuggled herself into me, and I responded by wrapping an arm around her. It was about 15 minutes into the movie when my previous comment seemed to dawn on her. I tried not to laugh. "Hey, Jasper?" She asked with interest laced in her voice.

"Yes Bella?" I responded, mimicking her enthusiasm.

"You said you were born in 1844, right?"

"I did." I didn't volunteer the information she sought, because I was enjoying watching her put all the pieces together in her mind.

She turned to look at me, eyes full of wonder. "Did you… Did you fight in the war?"

Oh darlin', you shouldn't be looking at me with so much admiration. If only you knew what came of that war… I kept my expression light. "I did. Congrats on figuring it out, ma'am." I offered, tipping my head while letting my true accent come on thick. I played every bit the southern gentleman, and it was easy reverting back to my upbringing.

She giggled, and I felt her awe pouring off of her. "That's incredible. Does this movie do it any justice?"

I rolled my eyes, and had to stop myself from launching into the world's longest detail on Hollywood's failures on my passion. "It was like this, but a whole lot less cheesy and a whole lot more scary. And you know… not at all like this." I gave her an easy smile.

She giggled again, which was quickly becoming my favorite song in the world. We stayed like that for a while. The movie kept playing, but we were more interested in discussing the historic event of my time. I kept the conversation light, and shied away from any inquiry about my rankings. I didn't want to get into the territory of my change, and I was surprised at how much fun it was to discuss the war with someone just as interested as I was but unaware of the looming doom it brought me. It allowed me to look back fondly at pride and joy as a human without the life it cost me.

We laughed, and talked, and I surprised her by correcting much of her textbook knowledge of the war to what actually happened. I was impressed by how invested she was in it, and she seemed to be fascinated by my accounts.

Eventually she fell asleep, mumbling something about continuing the conversation with "dream Jasper," and I was sorry I wouldn't get to take part in it.

It was such a fun, carefree night that I had almost been able to forget about the Major trying to poke his head out of exile. I had been so close, and then Bella started talking in her sleep. It would have been adorable if she hadn't started with, "Yes, Major. I understand."

How did you guys like getting Jasper's perspective? Most of the story will be written from Bella's, but there will definitely be more from Mr. Whitlock. New review contest: every review will be entered into a drawing to get to make a decision in the plot. I will give the winner two choices, and whichever they pick is the direction I will take. You may review different times in order to get your name in more if you so desire! I will even open it up to reviews on any chapter of the story thus far. On your mark... Get set... GO!