Lost

part 5

Sunday came and Bella had made some progress despite the fact that it had only been two days since the attack.

Bella had spent quite a bit of time with Jasper and was now able to be alone with him without fear of him hurting her, though she didn't like to be touched. She could be in the same room as Emmett and not be afraid, as long as someone else was around and she was comfortable around both Rosalie and Alice. Bella was still afraid of Edward hurting her and Rosalie had made sure her mate was never alone with him. Carlisle was still angry with Rosalie and spent most of the time away from the house so he didn't start a fight.

"How did you sleep?" Rosalie questioned from the chair beside her bed.

Bella shrugged. She still had the same nightmares. She had only spent a few days here but it felt so much longer. "I slept okay," she replied honestly. There were a few hours that she managed to sleep nightmare free. She had a feeling Jasper had a lot to do with that.

Rosalie looked away from Bella. "Jasper wants to talk to you," she said. "Will you be okay being alone with him while I get you some breakfast?"

"Sure," Bella said. Jasper would never hurt her. She knew that and most of the time she believed it.

Rosalie kissed Bella's forehead and left the room, just as Jasper walked in. "Hello Bella," Jasper greeted.

"Hey Jazz," Bella said. She patted the bed beside her. She found sitting beside Jasper comforting. He constantly projected his emotions but unless someone was sitting close to him they wouldn't be able to feel it. He was so calm all the time and Bella found it relaxing.

He walked over to the nightstand and grabbed Bella's cell phone before sitting down at the far edge of the bed. Jasper fiddled with the phone for half a minute before handing it to Bella. "I added my phone number," Jasper explained. "If you ever need or want to talk feel free to text or call me anytime."

"Thanks," Bella said taking back the phone.

"You have questions," Jasper stated.

"I was wondering about your story, how you were changed," Bella admitted.

Jasper chuckled. "I will tell you," he promised. "But now is not the best time. It is a rather long and in depth story. Perhaps tonight if Rosalie agrees."

Bella frowned. "Why does Rosalie have to agree?" she questioned. It seemed a little strange that Jasper needed to permission to spend time with her.

"It is customary for a male vampire to ask permission to be alone with a mated female," Jasper explained. He glanced at Bella. "You have not completed the mating process. It puts Rosalie on edge. When it comes to a newly mated couple, especially one that hasn't been marked, it is always better safe than sorry."

"Is it like that for all of you?" Bella wondered. Somehow she couldn't picture Jasper asking permission to be around Esme.

"In the beginning, yes," Jasper replied. "Now it's not necessary. I know Emmett and Carlisle are no threat to my relationship with Alice."

"Rosalie mentioned you don't feed on humans because of your ability to feel emotions," Bella stated.

"That's true," Jasper agreed. "I had to stop to preserve my sanity."

"What about animals?" Bella asked. "Do they have emotions?"

"You know you are the first person to ever ask that," Jasper laughed. "To answer your question, yes they do have emotions but they are not as strong or evolved as ours. It makes it easier on me."

"The others do it to appear more human right?" Bella asked for clarification. "That's why you go to school."

Jasper nodded in confirmation. "Carlisle despises his life as a vampire. It is not my place to tell you his story but I will say he tried many times to kill himself and failed each time. He didn't succeed and decided to do everything he could to be as human as possible."