Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 12.

No POV.

Jasper was seated, on the edge of a cliff. He was left alone to the thoughts that were racing through his head at many miles per second. The thoughts, the questions, that were racing, could only be answered by one single person.

Alice.

"Why would she leave? I thought she loved me." This was only one of the thoughts that could be picked out, the others raced so fast, that humans like us could not hear them.

As Jasper allowed these thoughts and feelings to swamp him, he scanned the area around him. To his left, he could see a line of trees, and if he circled his head around the area behind him, he could see a semi circle of woodland, creating a large area of space that he had centred himself. The grass around him was not cut, but was still long enough to reach his knees. It swayed gently in the light breeze, the few flowers that have sprouted moved a little less. As he turned his head to look forward, he saw the horizon, stretched across what seemed the end of the earth. Before that, trees and rocks lined the ground, hundreds of feet below him. How much he wished he could lean forward and tumble to his death. He did not wish to live the life he is forced to lead.

The only thing bringing him the slightest of joy at that moment was the colours of the horizon. As he stared on, his vampiric vision showed each and every detail as the sun slowly set. The deep reds, oranges, occasional violets, and so on and so forth. To keep his mind free of bad thoughts, he tried to pick out each colour, name it and follow it till it faded into another. But this did not help for long enough, his thoughts eventually went straight back to Alice.

He could hear distant birds chirping, but soon, as the sun set more, they began to quieten down, and the entire area was silent. Jasper was completed secluded, not a soul in sight, he lay back in the grass and stared up into the darkening sky.

A sudden crack drew his attention to the left side, among the trees there was something. Too quiet to be an animal. Instantly, he knew what it was, and jumped into a crouch, ready for any threats. He scanned the trees, searching for the cause of the noise. Nothing, no shadows, no noises, no scents.

But when Bella slowly walked through a small clearing, her head bowed, her hands behind her back, Jasper's posture slumped and he sat back on the edge of the cliff. Bella walked towards him, and seated herself a metre away, crossing her legs under her.

Jasper's arm began to tingle, and it moved of its own accord to pat the space closer to him. He did not understand why this happened, he didn't choose to do this, it seemed his body was making the decision for him. Bella looked at him surprised, but slowly inched closer to him, so there was a few inches space between them.

The hairs on his arm began to rise, and a strange shiver ran down his spine. He could feel a strange pull, and a million volts run through his body. It was a thrill to feel something, to feel so alive. But he did not understand where it was coming from.

He looked up to Bella, who appeared to be feeling the same, and she looked at him confused. He could see the sadness etched into her features, only years of depression could do that to any person. He felt the need to make her happy again, to give her something joyful in her life. But what?

He hadn't got to know Bella at all, before he and his family left, he was not allowed near her on account of his blood lust. He had always wanted to talk to her, but he was so nervous, and her feelings of nervousness around him only intensified those feelings. He sent a small wave of happiness her way, this took a lot to get this feeling to the surface for him. He was coated in depression he could not control the feelings very well, but Bella seemed to help him.

Bella sucked in a sharp breath, and let out a sigh, and a slight giggle and Jasper's attempts. She gave him a half smile, which he returned.

"Your wife came to see me today, claims my clan don't care about me." Bella looked back out across the horizon, looking deep in thought.

"She's no longer my wife." Jasper placed his hand on the edge of the cliff, kicking his legs against the edge.

Bella's hand slowly inched out towards his, and covered his with her own. The sudden intensity that ran through both of their bodies shocked them but they didn't move their hands away.

Bella looked at him, and smiled encouragingly. She nodded her head slightly, urging him lightly to explain what had happened.

Jasper sighed and went on to describe the past days event, and how the split came from no where. He would not meet the eyes that were gazing at his face intently, he could not bare the disappointment in them.

Bella, being the kind soul she is, placed her arm on his shoulder, the furthest from her, and pulled his head to lean on her shoulder. She then began to run her hands through his hair in a calming gesture. Jasper allowed his eyes to close, as he let the sensation run through his entire body.

"Jasper, please don't blame yourself for what happened. I honestly thought Alice controlled you too much. You were not allowed to be yourself around her, she was not right for you. You need someone that cares for you, and the person inside, not the person they can create for themselves. I understand what you are going through, and I am here for you as you get through it. I do not understand why would ever put up with it, why did you allow the Cullen's to hold you back so? Mainly Edward and Alice, you have to be you, the one inside, and I'm here to help let him out." Jasper had never had such a thoughtful act thrust upon him, and he seemed to instantly brighten, the depression lightening more than he thought it ever could.

Jasper smiled lightly, as a strange tingling sensation ran through his body. He sat up to look at Bella, staring deeply into her topaz eyes.

"Bella, I'm sorry for avoiding you for so long while you were with Edward. I never meant to, he just told me I wasn't allowed near you. If I knew of the great person you were, I would never have allowed him near you. From what I saw, he pretty much ruined you. I'm just so glad to see you so much better now." It was now Jasper's turn to place his arm around Bella. He continued to smile, happy to have some genuine company that cared about him. It had been so long since he was just himself.

"Jasper, never think I blamed you. I could understand perfectly, especially now, I know just how difficult the blood lust is. Just think, now that we have neither Edward nor Alice in our way, we can actually get to know each other." Jasper could feel her large grin on his shoulder as she beamed at the thought of getting to know the mysterious Cullen much better.

Bella suddenly sat up and span towards him, bringing her legs round so they curled around to her side. Jasper turned his head to look at her, seeing she was now completely facing him, her smile stretched right across her face. Jasper looked confused, but moved to follow her actions. They were now seated right in front of each other.

"I want to learn everything about you Jasper, I need to catch up. I know everything, well almost, about every other Cullen. You are the one I know the least about. So, tell me everything!" She exclaimed, bouncing slightly in a way he would normally remember as something Alice would do. But suddenly, now it was just the cute thing Bella did when she got excited.

Jasper laughed, throwing his head back, one of the happiest, more real laughs he'd experienced in years. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

"Okay, what would you like to know first?" He felt much more excited about talking to someone about his past and his personality, than he had to anyone. Perhaps it was because he knew just how much she actually cared, and seemed so interested in him and his life.

From this moment on, they spoke for hours, the sun now completely set, the moon high above their heads. The stars scattered like they had been thrown and landed as they pleased.

By this point, so many hours on, they had moved from discussing themselves, to picking out pictures within the stars. As the both lay on their backs, occasionally pointing out certain images, they continued talking about random situations they may have gotten themselves into, or things their friends had gotten them into. As Bella moved her arm to point to one shape that looked like two rabbits, her arm brushed lightly passed his. This, again, sent a strange feeling through his entire body. He was slowly beginning to realise what it was, he was just unsure at that moment.

"So, as my friend Lucy threw the bag at me, which of course I didn't catch, Ryan came charging at me! He knocked me to the ground, him going with me. We rolled together down this hill, landing in a bush of thorns! I managed to break my wrist, you know, no changes there. But the worst thing of all, Ryan had managed to wet himself as we rolled down the hill!" She began giggling more uncontrollably, her voice gaining a few octaves and speeding up a significant amount. "But as he was on top of me, I was covered in it too! He tried to put the blame on me, but he managed to wet himself again while standing there! He was nicknamed pissypants for the next 5 years!" She rolled onto her side with laughter, and at that moment Jasper joined in her merriment. Her joy was contagious.

As their laughter began to die down, they were both laying on their sides facing each other. And as Jasper stared into Bella's eyes, he realised what the feeling was. Love, lust, longing for her. He was falling for her, hard.

Neither could bring themselves to look away from one another's eyes. Jasper slid his hand from his leg to her hand and pulled them both to lay between them. A soft smile lit up Bella's face at this moment, and she glanced down at their entwined hands.

Jasper slowly leant forward and placed a small kiss on Bella's lips. Bella looked back into his eyes, the happiness evident instantly. She then leant forward and kissed him.