Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

AN - A few things you need to know. Alice and Edward fans need not apply. Seriously, I am not nice to them in this story. Warnings for bad language and some probably lemons in later chapters. Erm... Yeah. I have a few chapters written, but updates beyond them will likely be sporadic. Regardless, I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review on your way out :)

Fixing Jasper

Time heals all wounds… Bella didn't necessarily agree with the old adage, but she did know that time helps numb out the pain. When she was eighteen, she'd truly believed that her life was over, that Edward had taken her heart and soul with him when he left her in the forest.

Now, she was living away from Forks, she had a nice apartment, she had a decent job, and she was living. It may not be the perfect life, but really, it was better than she'd ever expected.

"Bella, honey, I'm taking off," Will, her boss and friend, called from across the bar.

She nodded, waving. "Later, Will."

Sharing a brief smile with him, she turned to the next customer. She'd never pictured herself as a barmaid, but she enjoyed her job, and she owed Will a lot. He'd taken her under his wing, and a month following her twenty first birthday, he'd paid for her to take the course to be a Bar Manager.

That he'd added her name to the licence when she passed with flying colours only made her more grateful.

The night moved along nicely, the bar filling up gradually. Saturday was always busy, and that was how Bella preferred it. She enjoyed being busy, it kept her mind off things best left alone.

As two am arrived, Bella signalled to the DJ to call for last orders. She moved along the bar easily, filling drink orders, smiling and flirting with her regulars, and having a good time with the other staff members, so it wasn't a surprise that she didn't see the woman waiting for her at the end of the bar until it was too late.

If the red eyes hadn't given her the biggest clue, the pale skin and unnatural beauty would have told Bella all she needed to know.

"Fuck my life," she murmured to herself. "If you're here to see me, you'll have to wait."

She said it quietly, her lips barely moving, but the woman nodded her head in understanding. Bella finished serving on autopilot, her eyes travelling to the woman every few minutes. When the bar was almost empty, Bella poured herself a whisky and leant against the bar where the woman was waiting.

"What do you want?" she asked, flatly.

"Are you Bella Swan?" the woman asked, and Bella rolled her eyes.

"You already know I am, or you wouldn't be sitting in my bar waiting for me."

"Sorry, Sugar, I had to check. I'm Charlotte."

Bella just stared at her.

"I need your help."

Snorting inelegantly, Bella took a sip of her drink. "Unless you want my blood, which you would have taken by force I'm sure, what help could I possibly give you?"

Charlotte laughed. "Peter, my mate, said you'd be feisty."

"I don't know any red eyed Peter's."

She nodded. "I know, Sug, but you will. Pete know's shit. He has a gift that -"

"I'm aware of the process of gifts. I'm still not aware of the reason for this conversation. Do us both a favour and tell me what you want," Bella said, her voice ringing out in the now empty bar.

She didn't want to be having this conversation. In all honesty, she'd hoped never to run across a vampire again, but she just wasn't that fucking lucky.

"Bells? I'm going to head home. You'll be alright?" Chris, the doorman, said as he locked up the main doors to the bar.

Bella smiled at him. "I'm good, Chris. Tell Meghan I said hi, and have a good night."

"Make sure you get a cab, sweetheart. It's too late for you to be walking alone," he said, offering her a paternal smile.

She nodded, turning back to Charlotte when Chris left.

"My brother returned home two years ago, a broken man. Peter and I thought he just needed time, that he'd be alright, but he's not. He doesn't move. He lies on his bed for weeks at a time. Peter has to force him to hunt. He… We don't know what to do, but from the bits that he said when he first came to us, we believe that you can help us and Peter says you definitely can."

Bella's eyebrow rose slightly. "Who is your brother?"

"Jasper Whitlock. You may have known him as Hale."

A torrent of emotions tumbled over Bella simultaneously. Primarily she was angry at Charlotte for attempting to bring her back into the world that nearly destroyed her, but almost equal to that anger was concern for Jasper.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked after a moment.

"Guilt and heartbreak," Charlotte replied wearily. "We know what happened on your birthday, and that… that was a catalyst. The bitch he was married to destroyed him completely after that happened. She blamed him for her own pain and that of the family, she called him a monster, she… let's just say that if I ever see her again, I'm going to tear her fucking arms off."

"Why do you believe I can help?" Bella asked curiously. When she saw Charlotte's face fall, she added, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying no. Much as I don't want any part of the Cullen's lives again, I… I don't hate Jasper, you know? I didn't blame him for what he did, not even when it happened. I just don't really understand how I can help."

"I think if you could just visit with him, make sure he know's you don't blame him… I'm hoping it will help."

Bella sighed. "Where is he?"

"Montana."

Swearing softly, Bella let her chin drop to her chest.

"Alright. I'll… It can't hurt for me to see him and see if it helps, I guess. I have things to sort out before I leave though. Do you have a cell?"

Charlotte nodded. Bella handed her own over.

"Put your number in there," she muttered, walking away from the bar to the back room. She grabbed her coat and bag. Returning to the bar, she took the cell phone from Charlotte and dropped it into her bag.

"I'll call you tomorrow when I'm ready to go. Have you driven or will we need to take my bike?"

"Bike?"

"I don't drive a car, I ride a bike, so…"

"I drove here, so I'll take you and drive you home when you're ready. It's about eleven hours in the car without stopping."

Bella nodded. "Right. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow."

Charlotte smiled at Bella as she stood up.

"Thank you for doing this. I know I had no right to ask… We just didn't know what else to do."

Bella sighed. "It's… well no, it's not fine, but I don't mind. If I can help him, I will."

The next day, following an exhausting conversation with a worried Will, Bella threw a duffle bag into the trunk of Charlotte's car and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Hey," Charlotte said quietly, and Bella could hear the nerves in the poor woman's voice.

Vampire or not, she was only trying to do the best she could for her family and Bella could respect that. Softening some, she smiled.

"Hi. Did you have a good night?"

Charlotte smiled wryly and nodded. "It was fine, thank you for asking. I'm ready to get home to my Peter though."

Bella nodded. Carlisle had once explained to her the power of the mating process to Bella and she knew it was uncomfortable for vampires to be away from their mates for extended periods of time.

They drove in comfortable silence, Bella watching the sparse scenery pass by out of the open window. It was an overcast day, something she was sure Charlotte was grateful for. With two stops for Bella to stretch and have her 'human moments', they arrived at Charlotte's house just before midnight.

Tired but wired, Bella got out of the car and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder, eyeing the house warily. Jasper was in there, and Bella had no idea what kind of situation she was walking into.

The door opened, and a dark haired male walked out at a human pace to greet them. He wrapped his arms around Charlotte, kissing her briefly but passionately before he turned to Bella.

"Thank you. For coming. For listening to Charlotte. For… For being brave enough to try and help," he murmured.

Bella nodded. "Of course. Where is he?"

"He's in his bedroom."

"I'm sure he can hear us," Bella replied, not attempting to keep her voice down. Perhaps if Jasper heard her, it would snap him out of his funk enough that she wouldn't have to stay here.

Peter shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm not sure if he's listening. Honestly, I don't know if he's heard anything beyond his own thoughts for months."

"Has he hunted lately?" Bella asked.

She saw Peter's smile widen slightly when he nodded. "When Charlotte told me that you'd agreed to visit with him, I took him out hunting today. You'll be safe here, Isabella. I honestly don't believe he would hurt you, but we'll stop him if he tries."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not scared of him. Or you for that matter," she added. "I just don't want him to be unduly uncomfortable."

Peter and Charlotte chuckled.

"You are one of a kind, Miss Swan," Peter said.

Charlotte grinned. "I told you she was special."

Bella took a deep breath, then nodded to the house. "Can I see him?"

Peter led Bella to a bedroom on the second floor, and dropping her bag just outside the door, she followed him into the bedroom. What she saw broke her heart.

Jasper lay curled up on the bed. He was on his side, his legs drawn up to his stomach with his arms wrapped around them. His eyes were open but unblinking and they were dead.

There was no life, no spark in them.

She walked forward cautiously, squatting down beside the bed so she was in his eye line.

"Jasper?"

There was no recognition, no reaction. She sighed, sitting on the bed beside him. Her hand stretched out between them, she touched his hand lightly.

"Oh, Jasper. What have they done to you?"

Three things happened at once.

Jasper clutched at her hand as soon as her skin met his, his eyes shot up to her face, and she heard him whimper in pain.

Glancing at Peter, she noticed a satisfied gleam in his eyes. He nodded at her.

"Jasper, do you remember me?" she murmured, holding his eyes with her own.

"Bella," he croaked out, and she sighed with relief. Before she could say anything else, he whimpered again, his eyes filling with venom.

"I'm sorry, so sorry," he whispered, over and over again. When she pulled her hand away from his, he shook his head.

"Don't leave, please, don't leave me. I'm sorry, so sorry, so sorry."

She shifted on the bed, kicking her shoes off and leaning back against the headboard with her legs out straight in front of her.

"Come here, honey," she murmured, holding her arm out.

He shifted rapidly, resting his head against her stomach as his arms wrapped around her waist, his hand clutching at her shirt. She dropped a hand to his head, stroking his hair comfortingly.

"I'll fetch you a drink and a sandwich," Peter said quietly. "Will you be alright on your own with him?"

She nodded. "He won't hurt me."

Though she didn't know how she knew, she did know that her words were true. Peter nodded and left the room silently.

Jasper was still murmuring apologies into her stomach, so she shushed him gently, her hand never stopping it's rhythm of shifting through his hair.

"It's alright, Jasper. I won't leave you. Calm down, honey," she said softly.

He fell quiet but his chest was still wracked with silent sobs. Peter returned, sandwich and drink in hand, and he put them on the bedside table, lifting it with ease and placing it within reach of Bella's hand.

"Charlotte is just looking for a dvd for you to watch," he told her, and she could hear his amusement. "Do you have any preferences or requests?"

She shook her head. "I'm not fussy but… um…"

"Anything you need, Bella. If we can get it for you, we will."

"I just wanted to freshen up. It was a long drive, you know? I could do with a shower."

He chuckled. "Of course. Eat your sandwich and I'll show you where the bathroom is. Char put your bag in the guest room, so you can change in there. I'm honestly not sure if Jasper will let you sleep in there though."

Bella chuckled lightly. "It's fine. I'll stay in here with him, at least for tonight."

Peter nodded. "I'll be back up soon."

She nodded, and reached out to pick up the sandwich with her free hand. She didn't know how she managed to get herself into these situations. Glancing down at Jasper, she sighed. She remembered Jasper as being… serenity incarnate. Though she knew he had a few issues following the Cullen's chosen diet, she'd never felt anything but safe with him.

Even after he tried to get at her on her eighteenth, she hadn't been scared of seeing him again. Of course, she didn't see him, so it was a moot point, but she'd never so much as thought about being scared of him.

This Jasper… he was a shadow of the man she'd briefly known.

She finished the sandwich, grateful that it filled the hunger she'd been starting to feel and was sipping at the drink when Peter returned.

"The bathroom is ready for you, Sugar," he told her with a small smile.

Shifting herself from under Jasper, she wasn't surprised when he gripped at her a little tighter so she couldn't move.

"Don't leave me," he whimpered again, and her heart broke for him.

"Jasper, I'm coming back, I promise. I just want to get a shower and change, okay? Let me go, honey, I'll be back before you know it."

He didn't say anything, but he released his grip and she slid out of his arms. Before she'd even stood up, he'd returned to the position she'd first found him in.

Shaking her head slightly, she stroked his hair a final time and left the room.

"What did they do to him?" she asked Peter, frowning. "That's not… that's not the Jasper I know."

"The pixie bitch destroyed his self worth. Jasper… he had a lot of issues when they met, you know. We didn't have the same kind of start to life that the other Cullens had, and he had a lot of demons. We let him go without complaint because we thought she would help him, but… rather than helping him deal with his issues, she covered them up with peppy clothes and gold eyes and just let him… fester."

Bella sighed.

"You know, when I met them… I put them on such a pedestal. Edward and Alice… and the others to some degree, but those two in particular… they could do no wrong. They were perfect in every way. Even when they left, I blamed myself for the longest time. But this… this is like nothing I've ever seen before. I can't believe what they've turned him into."

Peter nodded. "I know what you're saying. I think Jazz had a bit of hero worship for them in a way. They were all so controlled and perfect and he tried so hard to be the same as them it just… it was a clusterfuck waiting to happen."

"I noticed his eyes are still gold. Why is he sticking to the diet?"

"Would you rather he ate humans?" Peter asked, and she could hear the honest curiosity in his voice.

She shrugged. "It's his natural food source. I wouldn't expect to keep a lion for a pet and feed it cat food, you know?"

Peter smiled and nodded. "We're of the same opinion then. There are fresh towels in there for you," he added, nodding to the bathroom. "The guest room is through the other door in the bathroom."

"Thank you."

"Of course. Thank you for coming here, Bella. I understand it must have been difficult."

She sighed. "Not as difficult as you might think."

Freshly showered and dressed in black shorts and a white tank top, Bella returned to Jasper's room. A television had been set up, and the menu screen of a movie was waiting for her. She noticed Peter or Charlotte had refilled her drink and she smiled.

They were really nice people, she acknowledged to herself as she sat lightly on the bed beside Jasper again.

"Hey, Jazz," she murmured, touching his hand lightly.

His eyes raised to meet her's once more.

"You came back," he whispered, and the wonder in the words almost killed her.

"I said I would," she replied lightly.

She sat back on the bed, propping pillows up so she wouldn't have to lean on the hard wood of the headboard. Getting comfortable, she raised her arm so Jasper could curl up in her side. His head back on her stomach, she felt rather than heard him breath in her scent.

She was unreasonably happy when he relaxed slightly as he wrapped his arms back around her waist, holding her close to him. Picking up the remote from the table, she pressed play and turned off the lamp. Her hand back in Jasper's hair, she lost herself in the movie.

Bella woke suddenly. The credits were rolling on the tv, so she couldn't have been asleep for very long. Jasper still lay on her stomach, and her hand was resting on the back of his neck. Realising that she was cold, Bella sighed.

Sitting up as much as she was able, she pulled one of the throw blankets from the bottom of the bed.

"Jasper, let go for a second, honey," she murmured, pleased when he did as she asked without begging her not to leave him. He shifted away from her, watching her every movement. She could see the fear in his eyes and it hurt her that he had to feel like that.

Rearranging the pillows, she moved down the bed a little so she could lie down and pulled the blanket over her. Jasper lay beside her, tensed up and cautious.

"Get comfortable, Jasper," she told him softly. "Wherever you need to be is okay."

"Are you sure?" he croaked out, and she nodded encouragingly.

"Can you feel my emotions?" she asked, and when he nodded, she smiled.

"Then you know that I'm perfectly comfortable. Come here, honey," she offered.

He moved back towards her and she slipped her hand under his neck when he put his head on her chest, wrapping her arm around so she was cradling his head. He wrapped his arm around her stomach, pulling her into his body.

"We're going to talk tomorrow, sweetheart," she whispered, and he stiffened again.

"It's nothing to worry about," she assured him. "You can't keep going like this, Jazz, it's not right. Don't let the bastards win."

His arm tightened minutely on her stomach and she wrapped her other arm around him, settling herself comfortable against him.

"It'll be alright, Jazz. We'll get there," she whispered tiredly, pressing a kiss to his head. "I won't leave you."

"Promise?"

She hadn't expected a reply, but she smiled. "I'll be here as long as you need me. I promise."

Drifting off into sleep, she felt him relax against her fully, and as he sighed, she felt his cool breath dance along her skin. She hadn't felt so comfortable in years.

When Bella woke the following morning, Jasper was still wrapped around her. She'd half expected him to have moved in the night, or for him to have left the room completely. She dropped a kiss to his head before stretching herself out.

"Let go, sweetheart, I need to go and freshen up," she said quietly. He released her silently, rolling over onto his back. She couldn't stop herself from noticing that there seemed to be more life in his eyes than there had been the night before, though he still didn't look like himself.

She stood up, enjoying the crack when she stretched her back out.

"Bella," Jasper whispered, and she turned around to look at him. "Why did you come?"

She smiled slightly. "Because Charlotte said there was a chance I could help you."

"So?"

"So what?"

"After all I did… why would you want to help me?"

"Because you're worth it, Jazz," she told him, repeating the words he'd once said to her. His eyes widened slightly in recognition.

"I'm going to get a shower and dressed and we'll talk, okay?"

He nodded. "I'll be here."

"You'll be downstairs in the kitchen," she corrected lightly. "I ain't lazing the day away in bed and neither are you."

She grinned when she saw the faint smile on his lips. Leaving the room, she walked to the bathroom she'd showered in the previous night and closed and locked the door. Glad that she seemed to be making some sort of progress with Jasper, she followed her usual morning rituals and got dressed in jeans and a t shirt.

Peter was waiting for her with a big smile on his face when she left the bathroom.

"I don't know how to thank you," he admitted. "But if there is ever anything you need, I'm your man."

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't come here to get anything in return," she told him. "But for what it's worth? You're welcome."