[closed/in progress]

[bellatramonto]

WHO: Bella and Jasper
WHAT: Jasper comes to make sure Bella's okay after her near rape incident.
WHERE: Swan apartment
WHEN: During Charlie's graveyard shift

Comments

[insanguinato]

Jasper wasn't sure how he felt about what had happened to Bella. He was by no means her bodyguard, and yet learning that she'd been attacked during the one time he hadn't been around her made him feel guilty, like ignoring her blatant attempts to get him to accompany her without actually asking him to was somehow his fault. He certainly could have gone with her, he'd had nothing else to do that night. He wouldn't have liked it, but at least it'd have kept her out of danger

[bellatramonto]

Bella hadn’t seen Jasper walking towards her apartment from her window view, so it was a surprise and slight shock to hear the sound of knocking on the door of the apartment.

Oh no. She hadn’t thought this fully through. Jasper was here, at her house. He was going to see the ugly baby pictures of her all around the dining room and refrigerator. He was going to see the horrible paint job done by Charlie on the walls. The man really had no sense of color coordination…

Bella jumped off of her seat so fast her socks slipped on the wooden floor and she smacked her face into her throw rug.

Perfect.Picking herself up, Bella skidded out into the hall and used her arms to right herself on the walls as she went. It was a pretty sizable apartment for this part of town, but definitely nothing fancy. This building was probably the most upper-class of the poor division

[insanguinato]

She sounded like a heard of elephants stampeding through the place, so Jasper wasn't surprised when the door suddenly flew open. She was flushed and her heart was pounding hard enough to be distracting, but Jasper did his best to ignore it as he stepped inside.

It was unusual, being invited in someplace, but inside he could sense that they really were alone in it, and that helped him to relax a little. He took a moment to glance briefly around, taking in the immediate sights as the scent of Bella and her father mingled with various house smells to form a scent that was unique to the place. It was already half-familiar, having clung to her clothes every time he'd met her someplace else. Still, it was another thing entirely to be swamped in it, and he felt a bit out of place.

From Bella herself he could pick up nothing but nerves and excitement, probably at his presence here. He glanced out onto the street one more time before she could close the door, then finally turned to her.

"Hi."

[bellatramonto]

Once Jasper was inside, Bella could do nothing but stand and stare. Her eyes squinted as they took in his disheveled hair, his trendy but rebellious clothes, and his ocean-blue eyes. They were usually blackish, or red, so it was interesting to see them so normal for once.

When she was able to snap herself out of her trance, Bella cursed herself inwardly for her labored breathing. She took one look around the apartment before deciding that she needed Jasper to get out of it. Grabbing his arm, she tried to pull him towards her bedroom.

"Let's go to my room," she pleaded. It was the cleanest part of the flat, and it also reflected her personal style and tastes the most.

[bellatramonto]

"Maybe I'm just in shock," she suggested.

Truthfully, she probably hadn't been as afraid as most because compared to Jasper's vampire status, the Sicilian was just a normal kid. That didn't mean he couldn't have raped her- but once you've encountered the big man, you aren't as fearful as the little men in between.

"I knew you probably wouldn't have been there to save me, but I think a part of me still thought you would show up and be the hero."

Bella looked away in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing noticeably. Damn her readable expressions.

"Did I mention that I was drunk at the time?"

[insanguinato]

"Yes," Jasper said with a frown, twisting and shifting his weight around so that he could look at her more comfortably. "How much did you have, exactly?"

He wanted to ask what on earth had possessed her to drink anything at all when she'd made it obvious before that she didn't normally, and she was at a party alone. That would just upset her again, though, and he was fairly certain she wouldn't have an answer for him. At least she'd been sober enough to think to stop him.

[bellatramonto]

Bella looked at Jasper also, rotating her body so that she was facing him. She thought about that one drink she consumed- the one called 'jungle juice.'

"I only had one drink. They said it was a combination of drinks. I thought it would taste better than the beer I had at the bonfire."

[insanguinato]

"And did it?" Jasper asked, partly out of curiosity and partly to see if she'd actually enjoyed it. He couldn't blame her for it, most kids her age drank and it was actually more unusual for her not to. But he didn't like the thought of her wandering around among strangers half-intoxicated.