A huge thankyou to everyone who's reviewed and/or favorited this story. Your support encourages my little muse.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. There I said it, now if you excuse me I'm going to cry in a corner for a little while.

Chapter 5

"I'm so, so sorry."

"Dude, she thought…" Emmett cackled.

"Really, I never thought that…" Bella continued to apologise.

More laughter.

"I love your mom, Bella. Seriously."

Jasper rolled his eyes in askance. Why? Why, did Emmett have to witness his humiliation?

The younger vampire could be a merciless tease. There was no way his brother would let him live this down anytime soon.

Having your mate's mother question your sexuality was probably one of the most embarrassing things that could happen to an individual. The fact that Renee had asked in front of his family only made the situation more uncomfortable.

Even Carlisle had difficulty hiding his amusement. Vampire's had no need to start coughing, after all. The fact the older man refused to look him in the eye and struggled to control his facial muscles forming a smile were further clues.

His sibling's however, hadn't even attempted to hold back their glee in watching Jasper dodge the minefield. Alice was giggling behind her hand. A bell like tone the fluctuated behind Emmett's guffaws.

Edward and Michael were more reserved in their laughter, but he had no doubt they would make jabs later, when Carlisle was out of the room.

Retaliation would be painful, he decided.

Of course, Emmett never knew when to call it quits.

Which was why the moment Renee left hearing distance, the burly vampire exploded into heart wrenching sobs. Clutching Alice like a teddy bear- his sister looked annoyed-as he howled in grief.

There was definitely perks to being an empath.

"Jasper…" Carlisle looked exasperated.

Sighing in disappointment Jasper relaxed his powers. Alice quickly flung herself to the opposite side of the room while Emmett glared menacingly.

"Not cool, Jasper." He growled only to stop as a hand slapped the back of his head.

"You're scaring Bella." Michael tutted.

"I'm not scared."

Glancing at the human he had to disagree. Despite Bella's acceptance of their nature, the girl wasn't completely immune to ignoring it. Some tiny part of her could still recognise she was surrounded by predators, even if she purposely chose to reject it. With the recent trauma from James' attack, Bella was obviously going to find it more difficult to push aside her instincts.

The girl's pupils were dilated and her heart was clearly racing. A rapid staccato beat that all present could sense.

Edward nodded his thanks to Michael as he took Bella out the room. Jasper felt himself relax a bit with her exit. Despite his best efforts to ignore the girl's scent it was difficult when in such close proximity. He'd been pushed to his limits with Renee.

Not wanting to appear rude he'd done his best to answer her questions politely. Unfortunately, the more he talked the more he had to breathe. Renee didn't smell half as good as her daughters, her scent was more peppery. But, it was still infinitely better than animals, and he'd had to cope with the woman's seemingly ignorance of personal space. He'd had to take shallow breaths, in order to ignore the increasing burn at the back of his throat.

In school he tended to keep a larger distance from humans. When forced to work alongside humans in pairs he always shifted his chair to the further end of the table. Spreading out papers and textbooks to make it appear the space between him and his partner had nothing to do with him avoiding human contact.

Renee had no idea how precarious her life had been sitting so close.

It hadn't escaped his notice how his family had crowded around him. Emmett's casual perching on the back of the settee had been an unspoken safety net. Had he lost control Emmett was the only one capable of holding him back.

Granted it was unlikely his family would actually prevent him from killing a person if he really wanted to. The majority of his family were incredibly innocent for vampires, their alternative diet saved them from the constant territory disputes human drinkers suffered when covens warred.

Edward was truly fortunate he hadn't ended up a pile of ash during his rebellious years. Jasper supposed that was in part due to his mind reading- it would naturally be easier to avoid the more aggressive fractions if you could hear their thoughts blocks away.

With Edward's lack of confrontation, it meant only Michael had any experience in fighting other vampires- at least prior to the skirmish with James- and it wouldn't be enough.

It hadn't been the first time Jasper had been the reason the family had been forced to move and as much as he hated to admit it probably wouldn't be the last.

When Alice finally managed to pry the woman away- she had been the key element in persuading Renee to head back to Florida- suggesting Bella and Abby could have a girls' night with Alice and pointing out Carlisle - as a responsible adult and doctor- would be close by to check on them for the next few days.

It never failed to surprise him how good Alice was at getting her way. Renee had no idea she'd been played.

Chances were high Edward would commandeer Bella at the first opportunity. Not that he could really complain given he'd be monopolising Abby.

While Jasper hadn't had to wait longer than Carlisle to find his other half, he had been alone longer than Edward had. The twisted relationship with Maria not withstanding, Jasper had spent over a century as a solitary vampire.

Seeing the joy Peter experienced having Charlotte, the same feeling shared by the Cullen couples, Jasper was hopeful to cultivate a bond with Abby.

Unfortunately it seemed it wouldn't be too easy.

Alice's visions suggested that courting Abby was going to be difficult. Apparently his mate had contemplated skipping town when she discovered Renee's arranged matchmaking.

The reason why wasn't clear but it hurt to think she wanted nothing to do with him. He'd been reluctant to collect her from the hospital knowing Abby was likely to be uncomfortable around him.

Using Carlisle's new Mercedes- Alice had arranged for the old one to be carted away and the replacement dropped at the hotel less than an hour ago- he pulled into the hospital car park.

He found her easily, sitting on a bench outside the entrance. She looked beautiful, even if she hadn't decided to wear the dress Alice had packed into the bag- his sister had laughed loudly when a vision showed Renee had added something before leaving. Whatever it was had caused Edward to ping pong emotionally and he was curious to discover what had sent his brother into a tailspin.

With his advanced eyesight, Jasper could make out the splotches of water on her body and how the darker areas of fabric clung to her wet body. She'd obviously had a quick shower before coming outside and was shivering slightly in the cooler night air.

Jasper ran his eyes over her form again as he pulled up to the curb. Judging by her body language she was clearly tired. Leaning heavily against the back of the bench- her eyes unfocused as she blinked slowly. Arms crossed across her chest- his eyes lingered slightly- and chewing slightly on her lower lip showed she was nervous and defensive.

His mate was clearly anxious about meeting the Cullens. Not too surprising given she'd be in the presence of so many strangers.

Then again it could just be natural human instinct. The majority of humans were unconsciously wary around them- Bella being an obvious exception to the rule. While Abby had yet to meet the family, she had met Edward- he couldn't really include himself as his meeting hadn't featured an introduction- and from what he'd heard, Abby had kept her distance.

Stepping out the car and moving forward to introduce himself he was bemused to discover the distinct odour of garlic. He was a little worried about that, having heard about Bella's little slip of tongue the night before.

Could Abby already suspect the truth?

Alice might not have seen the girl shrieking in terror or acting in anyway obvious about the Cullens being vampires, but that didn't necessarily mean Abby didn't know.

One of the few details he knew about the girl was that she liked the more imaginative genres. According to her sister, Abby was a huge fan of Joss Weadon- Buffy, in particular and other supernatural shows like Charmed.

Was it just a coincidence, or did Abby actually believe those things existed?

He was unsure what to think. On one hand if she knew the truth it would make things so much easier. He wouldn't need to lie to her and could court her more openly if he didn't need to maintain the human charade. He wasn't looking forward to eating human food or regurgitating it later.

He'd make a point in talking to Alice about his suspicions and developing a plan of action once Abby and Bella went to sleep. In the meantime he'd enjoy the opportunity given to get to know his mate without his siblings interference.

"Hello, I'm Jasper Hale. You're Bella's twin? Renee asked me to pick you up."

Abby's head shot up, seemingly more alert. Brown eyes focused briefly on his own before glancing downwards as a slow blush crept into the girl's cheeks. Again he was assailed by feelings of lust and attraction followed by embarrassment.

Unable to resist he gently teased "You can look, I don't bite."

Her eyes rounded with shock – the reaction confirmed his suspicions, she had to know or at least suspect.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Let's get going." Abby stood pausing only to pick up her bag and a small take out box, before following him back to the Mercedes.

His mate moved quickly, climbing into the car before he had a chance to open the door for her. A little put out that he lost an opportunity to charm her, Jasper made his way to the other side. The feeling of disappointment increased as he settled into the driver's seat , when Abby pulled out her iPod, making it quite clear she didn't intend to interact with him.

Unfortunately for Abby, Jasper refused to be ignored.

Knowing how uncomfortable Bella had been with the Cullen's disregard for set speed limits, Jasper reluctantly obeyed the law as he drove them back to the hotel.

There was also the additional benefit of keeping Abby to himself for a little longer.

"What music are you listening to?"

"Hmm?"

Removing a hand from the steering wheel Jasper tugged on the thin cable causing the right earbud to fall out.

"What are you listening to?" Jasper queried.

"Music" Abby replied shortly.

Jasper felt his lips twitch at the snippy tone. His mate was adorable. Even if he hadn't been able to feel the girl's emotions- waves of attraction and embarrassment- her arousal...

He swallowed hard. "What kind? Genre, artist, title?"

He was glad he'd had the foresight to leave the window open. The cool night air allowed him some relief from the seductive scent. Jasper's eyes flickered over Abby's form again as she squirmed in the seat.

Seeing her about to replace the earbud he tugged it out of her hands and raised it towards him.

The whole act was unnecessary given he could clearly hear the music – Bon Jovi- but it made for conversational topic.

"You're purposely irritating me, aren't you?" Abby's brown eyes glared accusingly.

"What makes you think that?"

"I put my music on so we didn't have to talk."

"Isn't it a bit rude to ignore your host?"

"Isn't it a bit rude to antagonise your guest?"

"Touché" Jasper acceded.

"I would have thought you'd enjoy the quiet. I'm sure Renee would have chatted your ears off earlier."

"She was talkative." Jasper confirmed.

"That's polite for "sodding nuisance"".

"Sodding?"

Abby winced slightly "Not a Harry Potter fan?"

"I haven't read them yet. I was more interested in "Lord of the Rings."

Jasper's confidence soared when Abby sat up a little straighter. The mention of Tolkien had sparked her interest.

There was a brief lull as she seemingly struggled with an internal debate to continue talking. With a little underhanded manipulation he increased her curiosity and sent subtle waves of safety allowing her to relax.

A full smile graced his lips as she turned off her iPod.

It would be awhile before they returned to the hotel.