Cold.
She was so cold.
Her eyes fluttered open, her vision blurred as she tried to find...someone. She didn't know who. Her chest aches more than her body does now. Her hands twitched, closing around the wet dirt and leaves. Bella took a few moments to realize she was lying on the cold, hard ground with her legs curled up to her chest.
When had she fallen? It was all a blur, but the pain was still there. Tears filled her eyes, and they flowed freely down the sides of her face.
Edward...
Birthday party.
The Cullens.
Paper cut.
Jasper.
Edward...
What had she done wrong? Had he felt this way about her all along? Hated her? Used her? It didn't matter anymore, though, did it? He must be long gone by now, and so were the Cullens. Closing her eyes, Bella couldn't fight the need to sleep and forget everything. Still feeling the unexpected touch of cold hands on her waist squeezing hard, his leg pressing painfully between hers and his lips crashing against hers, his tongue forcefully probing her to part them. The aches she felt were still there, all over her body.
There was a word for what he'd done, but she couldn't piece it together, like a broken puzzle. It didn't make sense. What Edward had done didn't make sense because there was no way he would have ever been capable of doing such a thing. But—
Assault. That's the word that had been used when Tessa O'Malley, a girl in class, had reported another student for sexual assault.
Had Edward done that? Whimpering, Bella pressed her forehead against the dirt and shook away the thought. No! That's not what happened! Edward is—was—her boyfriend. He wouldn't do such a thing to her...
Bella didn't know how long she was in the forest, but eventually, the pale sunset across the horizon was casting dark looming shadows around her.
"Bella?" When a cold hand rested over her shoulder, making Bella flinch and whip her head to the side with frightened wide eyes as she imagined Edward hovering over her. However, searching through the darkness, she found unwavering amber eyes gazing into hers and honey blonde strands of hair framing his face.
"Jasper..." her voice sounded so far away as she murmured the empath's name, "You're here?"
Kneeling on the ground, Jasper gently wraps his arms around her shoulders and helps Bella sit up, feeling the wave of pain radiating off her before she visibly grimaced.
"I'm here. Let's get you home. You're shivering," he said as another tear ran down her cheek and gritted his teeth when an aching feeling hit him next. "Are you in pain?" He waited until Bella nodded, "Where?"
His eyes followed her hand as she motioned to her waist and legs before Jasper noticed the cut on her swollen bottom lip. Holding a snarl, Jasper looked away. If Edward was still back home, Jasper knew he'd rip the fool's head clean off, if only for a few minutes, just to put him in his rightful place for treating Bella this way.
"Okay, I'm going to carry you," he gently wrapped his arms around her, keeping a firm hand under her legs and holding her close despite the burn in the back of his throat starting as soon as he caught the familiar scent of lavender. Bella whimpered as he slowly walked through the forest, curling into his arms and resting her head against his chest. The warmth of her tears seeped into his black shirt, and he tightened his hold on her a little more, casting a veil of peace over the girl in his arms.
Mate...
Edward said Bella was his mate, no ambivalence in his words no matter how much Jasper relived the moment.
This whole time, Jasper thought the pull he felt towards Bella had been nothing more than his gift wanting to heal another aching soul. The shame he felt whenever he wanted to be near Bella every day since meeting her had been stifling, almost as stifling as her scent was once it started lingering in the house. Jasper felt the sting of venom hitting the back of his eyes when he thought back on the conversation he'd had with Edward about the very pull he felt. Edward had kindly asked him to stay away from Bella, to protect her from Jasper since it had to be nothing more than his own bloodlust...
So, was all of that a lie to keep him from her? Edward had known or pieced it together that it wasn't bloodlust at all but the mating bond. And like the naive fool that he was, Jasper chose to see it his way and give up on whatever troublesome feelings he felt for the girl. Because he knew Edward had truly loved Bella.
Jasper never believed in things such as soulmates nor bonds that suddenly linked two strangers together. Those sorts of things don't exist, not in his world at least. Alice had tried to explain it to him long ago after they'd met—proving her belief in the mating bond when they met Carlisle and Esme or Rosalie and Emmett. But that was love, not some myth.
What a fool.
"Jasper..." Bella murmured, her voice sounding empty as she said the words, "He's gone."
"I know, Bella. I know," Choosing to ignore the pang in his chest, Jasper focused on the faint lights of his home that he could spot between the trees and breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped out of the treeline. He knew Carlisle could hear him even as he spoke softly while keeping Bella's painful emotions under control, "Carlisle. I found her."
Laying Bella down on the bed in the spare bedroom, Jasper stepped away to let Carlisle look over the girl, who appeared to be in some sort of shock. Her eyes were barely open, and her lips were purple, trembling from the cold air she'd been in for some time. Walking around to the foot of the bed, Jasper crossed his arms and silently watched his father tend to her.
Carlisle flashed a light across her eyes before checking her pulse, "Bella, sweetheart, can you hear me?"
No response.
"I think she's in shock. She's barely said more than two words at a time." Jasper admitted as he heard the bedroom door open and close behind Esme as she walked over to the other side of the bed with a folded blanket in her hands. A whimper from Bella brought his attention back to her with a frown, "She's in pain."
"We need to get her warmed up, or at this rate, she'll get sick. Esme, can you help her get out of these wet clothes?" Carlisle asked before Esme wordlessly nodded as she sat on the edge of the bed, gently brushing Bella's hair away from her face and tucking the strands behind her ear.
"Come with me, son?" Carlisle motioned for him to follow, rubbing a hand over his face as he walked out of the room.
Jasper hesitated for a moment when he felt a tug in his chest again as he moved to walk out of the room, his eyes never leaving Bella's tired form as Esme sat her up and whispered words of affirmation and regret for what had happened. When the spike of fear started once more as soon as Esme's hands touched Bella's shoulders, Jasper sent a wave of lethargy to relax her as best he could.
Suddenly feeling exhausted, Jasper closed the door behind him moments before hearing the zipper of Bella's jacket being pulled down. As Jasper made his way down the stairs with Carlisle, he noticed Rosalie walking up with a neat pile of clothes held in between her hands. The grim expression on her face and subtle nod she granted Calrilse had Jasper sharing a healthy dose of calm to his sister as well. Rosalie caught his gaze with her saddened golden ones and forced a smile as she walked to the room where Bella was.
"Where is he?" Jasper couldn't hold back the growl in the back of his throat as he mentioned Edward, continuously searching for the man's tortured emotions the moment he stepped into the house with Bella in his arms.
Carlisle rummaged through his black bag and retrieved a bottle of painkillers from the cabinet in his study before turning to face Jasper. He sighed with a shake of his head, "He's going away for some time. To repent, as he said," Jasper only snorted at that, "Do you wish to talk about what happened earlier?"
Jasper shook his head as he felt another ripple of pain upstairs, "There's nothing to talk about that's more important than Bella right now. Whatever he did to her...it wasn't gentle."
Carlisle clasped a hand over his stoic son's shoulder and gave him an apologetic smile, "You did right in bringing her here. Thank you, Jasper. I can only imagine how you must be feeling..."
For once, his father's kind words did little to sate the guilt and anger boiling inside of him, but he merely nodded in gratitude before watching Carlisle disappear upstairs once Esme called for him. Walking out of Carlisle's study, Jasper practically stormed down the hall and went to the one person he knew could understand him best. Knocking on Alice's door, he didn't wait for her to answer before opening it.
There, sitting on her bed with her head in her hands, was Alice. Her small frame was impossible not to notice in her blue long sleeve shirt and black leggings.
"Is she going to be alright?" He asked despite already knowing the answer when Alice looked up with a lost gaze of her own.
"I don't know. I can't really see her future anymore."
Walking over to the window, Jasper stared out into the darkness of the forest and willed himself to calm the storm inside his head, his heart. "Did you know?" He questioned, his deep voice cutting through the silence. Alice's small hand patted his back, and when he looked over his shoulder to find lament in her eyes, he shook his head incredulously, "You did..."
"I wasn't sure. It was never clear since Edward became so involved with her the moment they met. His attachment to her was palpable, and you know that. I think he knew what he wanted and convinced all of us that they were mates."
"Attachment...you mean obsession because that's what it was, Alice." He snapped.
"Either way," Alice continued with a sigh, pulling Jasper away from the window and to the loveseat in her bedroom to sit down. He did so because he didn't know what he should do. If he should go back upstairs and be there for the girl, who'd been broken into nothing by Edward, or stay away from her. Jasper didn't know right from wrong anymore, "now you know the truth. Right? So what are you going to do?"
What was he going to do? There was nothing to do.
Jasper scoffed with an incredulous look on his face, "Am I supposed to just make her forget all about him? As if it never happened and I can tell her I'm her mate? Do you realize how delusional this all sounds? We barely know each other thanks to him."
Had he come to care for Isabella Swan deeply? Despite denying it, Jasper cared for her and thought about her every day and night when Edward wasn't around to hear his disrespectful thoughts. Or at least what he thought was equivalent to disrespect for his brother, who he cared for greatly.
The need to be close to Bella started the moment they met, and it only grew stronger, especially after the ordeal with James...
His rough hands wanted to touch her warm skin...
He wanted to talk to her and listen to her soft, timid voice...
It was overwhelmingly frustrating when he denied those needs he felt he had no control over, all due to considering Edward's relationship with Bella. And now that he had the answer as to why he felt so strongly for the human girl upstairs, Jasper couldn't believe he hadn't realized it sooner.
"How did I miss it? She's my mate, Alice."
Alice tilted her head to the side with endearment lacing her eyes, "Jazz, you're my best friend who I love dearly. And if we had been lucky enough to be mates, I would want to know that I'm not alone. What Edward did, manipulate you and Bella the way he had, is inexcusable and painful for you. I know that it is. But...he hurt Bella so much more. So be who you need to be for her, and time will tell. But you can't run away from this."
"I assume you already know what the future holds for...us. Right?" He nodded, holding back a scoff when Alice gave him a sheepish grin, "Right...guess I'll just have to wait and find out for myself."
He let Alice wrap her arms around him and hug him, only tightening her hold when they heard another whimper from Bella upstairs and Carlisle's soothing voice trying to console her, "I'll call Charlie and tell him Bella's spending the night with me. Hopefully, it'll buy her some time to recover by tomorrow."
Jasper closed his eyes and hoped Alice was right because he didn't know what to do. He couldn't run away because Alice wouldn't allow it, not that he would do such a thing in the first place. Jasper may be a lot of things...but he wasn't a coward, and he wouldn't leave Bella's side the same way Edward had. Not when he felt the strong weight of the bond that led him back upstairs to sit in the chair beside the bed she was sleeping in. Slowly, as she slept, Jasper took in cautious breaths to grow accustomed to her scent and willed for the burn in his throat to go away.
If there was one thing Jasper could do for her right now, it was to protect Bella, even if that meant protecting her from himself.
Thanks for reading x
In this fic, I wanted to make the 'mate bond' as natural as possible by allowing Jasper and Bella to get to know each other before it becomes this amplified feeling that other fanfics describe it to be if that makes sense! Of course, they feel a natural need to be close to one another but it wasn't obvious since Jasper tried his best to do as Edward said and staying away from Bella.
Let me know what you think by leaving a review and please follow/favorite if you haven't already!
