A/N: You already know we are going to have problems with Edward… How can we not? LOL. Hopefully it won't be too bad since I have a few other plans for our couple as well. Today is two different special days: White Day and Pi Day. Monday is St. Patrick's Day, so go out, have fun, and celebrate. Enjoy the new chapter (I promise the next one will be longer).

Chapter 7 – Failed Attempt at Sneaking

Bella walked in the house and closed the door behind her as she sighed with a dreamy look on her face. She didn't expect her father to be right there waiting for her, but there he was and she never noticed him until he spoke causing her to gasp in surprise.

"I thought you said you two were just friends," Charlie inquired, secretly chuckling at the fact he had scared her just a little.

"Huh? Oh, well, um, it turns out that he likes me and I like him… so it is more," Bella explained quickly and made for the stairs, stopping when her father called out to her, "What?"

Charlie studied her for a moment before he spoke, "He seems like a good kid, but I still want you to be careful. People can change a lot in 7 years."

"Aren't Dr. Cullen's children well behaved?"

"They are, but I get a weird vibe from a couple of them."

"JW?"

"No, not him, but one of the others. Not sure which one he is though, and the Cullen's like to keep to themselves so not a lot is really known about the family. They keep their noses clean, the doctor is well liked, but they are still an anomaly."

"And that means?"

"I just want you to keep your guard up and be careful."

Grinning, Bella nodded, "I will." It sounded much like the warning Jasper had given her about Edward and it made her wonder if the person her father questioned was the same missing Cullen sibling. "Night dad," she turned around and climb the stairs to her room wondering how dangerous Edward really was and why everyone insisted on warning her about him. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jasper about this, but it did make her very curious.

As the brunette went to bed that night, her thoughts centered on one particular man with a funny accent, and an even weirder diet; and yet, she held no fear or trepidation around him. She only felt happiness and comfort… like he was a missing piece in her existence.

That night, Jasper quietly lifted Bella's window, opening it so that he could gain entrance to her room. Unlike the previous time, the operation had gone smoothly because he grabbed some WD-40 from Rosalie's work area. She wouldn't notice it was missing any time soon, and if she did, oh well. Jasper had gone home and had the overwhelming urge to watch over Bella, to protect and guard her and he couldn't fight it. Instead of going up to his room or to seek Alice out, he went to the garage to grab the can and ran into Alice as he was leaving, "Hey, I'll tell you about it later."

Shaking her head, Alice smiled, "No, you need to go. I knew you would be leaving, so I wanted to tell you that Peter and Charlotte will be here in about a week."

"When will he be calling?" Jasper figured that his old friend hadn't called yet or informed any of the Cullen's that he and his mate would be passing through. If it was like all previous times, Alice gets a vision and informs everyone so that when Peter does finally call, it comes as no surprise. Oh Peter has tried to get the drop on Alice before, but it hasn't worked yet. The other man has yet to find a way around the woman's visions. On his last trip, Peter had made the comment that he didn't know why he even bothered calling when Alice always told on him. Everyone had a good laugh at his pouting act and then he and Charlotte left. They were wandering nomads and would only seek out the Cullen's, or more accurately Jasper, periodically. They drank from humans and the Cullen's drank from animals, so it could sometimes put a little strain on everyone when the couple arrived. Oh they never drank from anyone in the immediate vicinity, but they still drank from people, and the Cullen's were worried (more so Esme and Carlisle) that Peter and Charlotte would influence Jasper back to that life. It would not happen though because although it was sometimes a struggle, the Texan felt more peace and satisfied drinking from animals than he did humans because the emotions didn't overwhelm him; he didn't have to feel everything. Animals were better for his mental health.

Alice thought about it for a moment and then snickered, "He is going to wait until the last minute."

Chuckling, Jasper shook his head, "Trying to get one over on you yet again. He'll learn sooner or later that it won't work."

"It's become a game to him. Let him have his fun," Alice giggled and then waved Jasper away, "Now, go. She should be falling to sleep soon."

"Thanks Alice. I owe ya one."

"One? I think it is probably more than that," the petite woman teased.

Rolling his eyes, Jasper agreed, "Could be. I'll see ya later." He took off and ran through the woods without another thought and arrived at Bella's house with the spray which allowed him to enter quietly. The southern man believed that if Bella found him in her room this time, she wouldn't turn him away, but unlike him, she needed sleep and he would watch over her as she entered her dream world.

The moment he entered the bedroom, he was greeted by the sound of Bella's voice causing him to jump slightly, "I thought you might be asleep by now?"

She laughed at his assumption, "First, it's only nine and second, I only climbed into bed five minutes ago and that was only so my dad wouldn't interrogate me anymore. You only left about 40 minutes ago."

Glancing at the clock, Jasper chuckled. In his anxiousness to get to her, he had not been paying attention to the time and sure enough, it was still early, "Uh, sorry?" he didn't feel sorry though, in fact part of him got a thrill at knowing she was awake.

"You know, it's always better to actually look apologetic when you say something like that," she teased quietly. The last thing she wanted was for her dad to overhear her and Jasper talking.

Jasper walked over to her bed and sat down in the place she had made for him, winking at her, "I'll work on that. Although, I can make you feel sorry or any number of other emotions." When she snuggled up next to him, he wrapped an arm around her and held her close. This felt like home and he never wanted it to end.

She couldn't say why she had done it, but she pulled out an electric heating blanket for her bed that night and now she was more than glad she had done that. It allowed her to cuddle with Jasper without freezing because unfortunately his body temperature would become too uncomfortable before too long. She couldn't change his temperature, but she could make time with him more accessible in a way. "So this gift of yours lets you influence others as well as being able to feel what anyone around you is feeling," the brunette stated and looked up to see him nod in confirmation. She grinned, "So basically, you are the perfect lie detector."

Snorting with mirth, Jasper shook his head, "I guess you could say that."

They talked for a while longer before Jasper tried to encourage her to sleep. She did not want to, she wanted to stay up and talk to him all night, but she already felt sleep descending upon her and asked, "Will you stay with me, JW?"

"I'll stay with you as long as you want me here, darlin'," the southern man declared and kissed the top of her head. She may have thought that he meant for tonight, but she would be wrong in that assumption because he meant for the rest of her life. Thinking that forced his thoughts to turn to Alice and her comments about Bella and she being best friends… what had the pixie seen that she had yet to share? Jasper could not be sure, and Alice didn't always share until she was ready to, but he had a feeling it would be both good and bad; he just wasn't sure who would come out with the better deal. And then he thought about Edward; the perpetual 17 year old could not hear Bella's thoughts and instinct told him to drink the girl dry… Jasper would not allow that, but what made Bella so different from everyone else they have ever encountered in the world? So many questions and Jasper knew the answers would not be swift in coming, but he would discover the truth and protect what was his.

Glancing down at the girl beside him, Jasper smiled and kissed her head again, breathing in her scent. It smelled of lilac and vanilla; and he knew this is where he belonged. They would more than likely encounter resistance at school and within his family, but he would not leave her and he would do what he could to make sure she was safe from anything and everything that could harm her. Tomorrow would be the first obstacle. Scowling, he realized he didn't know how she wanted to handle this. Did they appear as friends for now, or more? After the brief kiss at her door, he did not want to be labeled as a friend and then watch guy after guy hitting on her; not acceptable, but if that is how she wanted to play it, he would do it for her… for now.

What Jasper did not know was that it would be more than just the school and his family he would have to worry about tomorrow. Something else was coming their way and it might impact them more than he could ever conceive.