A/N: Sorry for disappearing everyone. My grandmother passed away and I thought I was going to the funeral in Hawaii at the beginning of the month, therefore took a hiatus. Long story short, the funeral isn't until the 28th, but I needed to take some time for me and talk to my family and stuff. I also finished my first novel. I was going to submit it for a novel writing contest, but the contest dropped their word count max. Since I was going by last year's rules, the max was 150k and my story was 147k. New max is 125k. So instead of submitting it for the contest, I will be self-publishing. Now that I am not under a specific deadline, I am having someone review one last time before I publish. So, now that things have somewhat settled down until next weekend, I am back at least until I leave for the funeral and will still be trying to write and update, but not guarantees. Ok, on with the new chapter.

Chapter 5 – Acceptance

"Are you sure you're alright to go to school, Bell's? I know the fever is gone and everything, but maybe you should take one more day to rest," Charlie suggested feeling his daughter's forehead one more time. He did not usually worry and act like this, but it had been a while since his daughter had lived with him and it had already turned him into an over-protected father.

Waving off his hand yet again, Bella rolled her eyes, "I promise dad, I'm fine. I told you yesterday's fever was from exhaustion. It was gone as soon as I got some sleep."

"I know, but still."

"Dad, really, I am ok and would really prefer going to school today."

The father sighed; he had lost the battle, "Well, alright, but if you start feeling sick, I want you to go to the nurse and have them call me."

"Sure dad," the brunette muttered before rushing out of the house before her father could do anything else or come up with another argument. She needed to get to school, she needed to see JW, and she needed to talk to him; not that Bella knew exactly what she was going to say, but she would figure it out once she faced him or on the way to school… maybe.

Pulling into the parking lot, Bella wasn't sure what awaited her, or if anything would be, but as soon as she crossed the threshold and entered school grounds, her eyes scanned for one particular person. Nerves flooded her and she could feel her heart racing, and all of this even before she saw him; and then, there he was standing next to an oversized jeep, talking to one of the people that had sat with him a couple days prior. Her nervousness increased, she slammed on the breaks, and forced herself to breathe while getting to her parking spot in one piece without killing anyone else in the meantime. Hopefully the students that witnessed her odd driving behavior would chalk it up to the fact that she was from out of town, and therefore she was different, or she could say that she thought she saw a rabbit or something fly in front of her… both of those would be better than the truth: slammed on breaks because her eyes fell on one JW or Jasper Hale and her heart skipped a beat. Yah, anything would be better than that.

Bella turned off the loud engine and was about to open her car door when it swung open for her and she looked up hoping to see one particular man and found two different ones staring back at her with concern. "Hey guys," she forced a smile and greeted her new friends.

"You had us worried there. What happened, can't take the wet weather?" Mike joked.

"Um, yah, exhaustion. I think I got tired from moving and getting settled in and everything. I wound up getting a fever yesterday, but all better today," she replied wanting these two people to leave so she could search out JW.

Shaking his head, Eric spoke up, "You need to take care of yourself, Bella. I was a little worried about you yesterday."

"Thanks, but I'm fine now," she needed to distract them, but with what… and then the brunette got an idea, "Do either of you have the class notes from yesterday?" Both boys perked up and declared that they did and raced off to make her a copy leaving her alone once again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Bella turned around to walk towards the jeep only to gasp and find the object of her real attention standing by the bed of her truck, "JW."

Jasper could feel the anxiousness swirling around her. She was still curious, and yet today there was also a level of acceptance in her emotions. Did that mean she believed him? If she did, would she be able to accept him in her life as he was? "Mornin' Bella," he said quietly, a small lopsided smile on his face. He had started to walk towards her as soon as she drove into the parking lot, but Eric and Mike had gotten to her first, and he had to tamp down on the jealousy creeping up in his own emotions. Never had he been so relieved to see them scampering away, even if it was to do something for Bella instead of really leaving her alone.

"You still talk funny," Bella commented, a small thrill at seeing him, hearing him running through her. That voice that had held her captivated as a child now sent a different kind of pleasure through her, and she had to tell herself to focus.

"I'm still from Texas, darlin'," he chuckled slightly.

Standing there, she didn't know what else to say or how to broach the subject she needed to talk to him about. Bella would open her mouth and then close it again, unsure of herself and her words.

Jasper looked over his shoulder and found Alice grinning like the Cheshire cat and Emmett shaking his head. He knew that the big man did not hold it against him though and would be somewhat supportive… well as much as Emmett could when his mate was Rosalie. Turning back to face Bella again, he told her, "I'm sure you have questions or something to say, but not hear. Can you meet me at lunch and we can talk?"

"Lunch?"

"Well, I didn't think you wanted so skip your mornin' classes since you were out yesterday," he smirked.

Bella looked at her phone and noticed the time, "Oh, um, no, I don't. My dad might be called if I did."

"So lunch?" He tried not to sound like he was begging or too hopeful, but it snuck into his voice regardless of what he wanted.

Tilting her head to the side, the brunette nodded, "Alright, lunch."

"See ya then. Oh, and you might want to prepare yourself, I think Mike and Eric are waiting for you. I can't read minds, but I would venture to guess they saw you talking to me and will ambush you."

"Great," she grumbled.

"Want me to walk you to class?"

"Something tells me that would just make it worse."

Jasper started to laugh, "True, but they might stay away from you until you can at least get to your seat."

There was something natural about talking to him, having Jasper at her side; it just felt right. A large part of her wanted to take him up on his offer, but she decided against it and shook her head, "They might, but I think it might be best to at least wait until lunch to wreak havoc on the sleepy little town of Forks."

Snorting with mirth, Jasper nodded, "Alright, it'll wait for lunch then." He walked off and joined Alice before walking to his first class. He knew the petite woman who had been his companion over the recent decades would be waiting on him, and it did not surprise him that Emmett had taken off already. Lunch seemed a millennia away, but in the grand scheme of things, it was no more than a blink of an eye for him. He just wished one of his gifts was making time speed up.

"So you're meeting her at lunch?" Alice asked a beaming smile on her face.

"I am," the southern vampire replied.

The seer's laughter resounded like a melodious ringing, "It will be fine and you have nothing to worry about." With that said, she skipped off leaving her friend to wander to his own classroom alone.

Once Jasper had walked away, Bella had started her own jaunt towards her first class, and just as the Texan had predicted, Mike and Eric were lying in wait, ready to pounce as soon as she approached them. Cutting across the lawn, she tried to walk around them, but they ran to catch up with her and she bemoaned her misfortune. Maybe it would have been better if she allowed Jasper to accompany her to class. "Mike, Eric, what's up?"

"Co-copier broken in the library," Eric stammered. It was the only thing he seemed to get out of his mouth at the moment. Did he have more competition? No, that can't be since Jasper Hale is dating Alice Cullen.

"Oh, that's ok. I can just copy your notes later or find out what we went over yesterday from the teachers," Bella offered.

Frowning, Mike had a little more control of his mouth than the other teen, "Why was Jasper Hale talking to you? You know he is dating Alice Cullen, right?" He sounded snide and jealous and he was perfectly okay with that.

"Huh, oh because JW and I met when I was ten and he remembered me," Bella answered. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the complete truth either, and neither of them would get that out of her.

Both boys seemed to relax and calm down at that statement and breathed, "Oh."

Then Eric queried, "Wait, JW?"

"Yah, that's what he used to go by. Now it's Jasper," Bella replied and started to walk away from them towards her first period class, leaving them gawking at her before they jogged to catch up. She really wished they would not be plying her with attention, but she did not know how to get rid of them either.

Her morning passed by quickly as she eagerly anticipated lunch. Rejecting offers to eat with the students who had clung to her on the first day, she walked out of her classroom realizing she didn't know where to meet Jasper. Thankfully, she did not have to think about it too much since he stood leaning against the wall waiting for her near her locker.

"Meet me in the parking lot after you put your books away," he said in low tones only she could hear as she passed by, and then disappeared before she could respond.

Bella rushed to meet him, practically throwing her books into the locker and slamming the door shut. Running towards the parking lot, she ignored the voices that called out to her and pushed forward in her mission. She needed to talk to Jasper. The brunette made it down to the parking lot within a few minutes and found a black car parked near the sidewalk with the engine running. As the window rolled down, she saw Jasper lean over the seat.

"Get in," he said.

She wasted no additional time as she opened the door and hopped in the car with a man who claimed he was a vampire, drank blood to survive, could control emotions, and sounded batshit crazy, but he was also someone who she felt safe with at the age of ten and that feeling had not gone away. She knew he would not hurt her and would return to school in one piece. Maybe she was looney too.

Rolling up the window and pulling away from the school, Jasper explained, "I figured this was the best way to make sure no one followed us or tried to listen in on our conversation."

Bella nodded her head. She was still unsure of how to begin or what exactly she wanted to say. Did she believe him? Yes, she did. How else did she explain the day before, his unchanged looks, the fact he had not aged at all and she knew perfectly well he had not been eleven when she was ten, or his insane story? Most people who would claim to be vampires would at least stick with the norm and not completely change the basic things about vampires from all those classic tales. Would they? Intent on talking about what he had told her, she blurted out the first thing on her mind, "Were you in my room yesterday?"

Did he lie and say he never stepped foot in her bedroom, or did he come clean? Jasper did what he felt was right, and like two days before found himself unable to conceal the truth, "Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I was worried."

Again nodding to show she accepted his answer, she moved on, "You could have told me a number of things to explain how you still looked almost the same as when you helped me find my way home. Why didn't you?"

"They wouldn't have been the truth, and I wanted you to know the real story… and before you ask why, it's because for some reason I don't want to lie to you." He could feel her acceptance of his answer, but she remained eerily quiet, "Bella?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll tell someone? Do you normally tell your secret to others?"

"I trust you, darlin'; and as for the other… no. You're one of the first one's I've ever told. I didn't want to keep it from you. I could've pretended to be Jasper Hale, a person apart from JW, but I found myself unable to do that with you. Only you, darlin'."

When he called her "darlin'" she felt her resolve diminishing, not that she had much to begin with, and a pooling warmth settle low in her stomach. That voice, that accent, hell just him, sent her body into a tizzy. It was not only a physical reaction, but there was that part of her that longed to have him call her that, and only her. Clearing her throat and attempting to clear her befuddled mind, she stated, "Let's… let's say I believe everything you told me, what next?"

He glanced at her with a bewildered expression and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not saying I don't have other questions, but do we pretend we don't really know each other? I mean I told Mike and Eric the reason you talked to me this morning is because you and I met when I was ten, but do we pretend to only be acquaintances. If that's the case, you could have left the whole truth telling behind closed lips. Are we friends who talk upon occasion? Everyone thinks you're dating Alice, so…" Bella stopped feeling a small bit of jealousy welling up in her.

Jasper could feel it too and it gave him a surge of… of what? He was happy that she felt jealous; there was no doubt about that. He also felt kind of like a Neanderthal and wanted to claim Bella was his and that she did not have to worry about anyone else. It made him feel giddy, possessive, and proud. Odd, he had never really felt like this before when it came to a girl. "They all think that because they all assume that's the case, but I told you it wasn't true. I also told you that we didn't correct it because neither of us had anyone we were interested in until recently." He felt a surge of hope coming from her. Did she feel everything he did? Did she notice the attraction between them? The way they seemed to feel bound to each other? Or at least he to her. Gazing in her direction again, he saw the slight discoloration in her cheeks telling him that she was blushing and smiled, "As for us, I say we take it day by day. I don't want to pretend that I don't know you, and I really don't want to think about you doing the same to me. So how about we just do what we want and to hell with everyone else."

Laughing, Bella shook her head. His… eloquent speech made her feel strangely better, "Okay."

He turned oddly serious, "Bella, one more thing darlin'…"

"What?"

"Stay away from Edward Cullen."

"Isn't he like your brother?"

"Yah, and I need you to stay away from him. He is out of town right now, but when he comes back, don't get near him."

"That's going to be a problem since we sit at the same table during biology."

Shaking his head, Jasper exhaled loudly, "Just do what you can."

"Can I ask why?"

"He's dangerous," Jasper replied softly and lifted a hand to stroke her hair, "Please promise me that you'll stay away from him."

Bella stared into his topaz eyes and found herself agreeing, loving the feel of his chilled hand running through her locks. "Okay," came her breathless reply unable to break eye contact. It was only a couple of minutes later that he was turning off the engine and pulling out the key from the ignition. Looking out the windshield, she noticed they had returned to school. When had they…? How had he driven without looking at the road? His deep chuckle drew her attention back to him, "What?"

"Darlin', my vision, even in my periphery, is better than any human," he said as he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "You have a few minutes to eat the lunch you brought and then I will walk you to class; and if you are free tonight, I will pick you up and you can ask me any question you can think of."

Smiling, she could feel the excitement bubbling inside her as she pulled out the brown paper bag and quickly ate. Bella could not wait for tonight and prayed her dad would let her go out even though she had stayed home sick the day before. Well, there were ways around that… if Jasper could climb in through her window once, he could do it again.