**A/N: Make sure you catch the footnote at the end. Enjoy**
I've always accepted that the feeling of a body against yours is indescribable. You can come up with fifty different adjectives to try to convey what it feels like, but there's no way to do real justice to the warmth of another body against yours. The feeling that at any moment the slight sheen of sweat you can't see, but you can feel, will evaporate your morality eludes description. There aren't words to convey the true sensation of rippling, breath-staggering chills which emanate from the point where their fingers touch you, testing it, and testing your will power. Its nearly impossible to efficiently describe the hitching, suffocating way that your breath tries desperately to remain in your throat, because the anticipation of contact makes you lose touch with your mechanized senses. No words truly define the ache that claws at your will, at the moment of breathless, anguished, and desperate hesitation, just before their lips touch yours.
What I never realized was that you'd still feel this way, even when the body against yours isn't one you've asked for. That through teasing and taunting words, evocative gestures and dangerous threats, your body's response to the electric sense of proximity to another's body still remains the same.
These are the strange thoughts that went through my head the night of my eighteenth birthday, as I stood pressed against a wall, listening to the whispered explanations of what Jasper Cullen, my boyfriend's older brother, was intending to do to me. We were alone. He was drunk, strong, determined, and I was powerless to stop him.
The morning of my birthday dawned very normally. I got up, got ready for school, and laughed when my boyfriend Edward came in shaking rain out of his hair all over the kitchen. I was making my breakfast. We'd met the previous year at school, when I'd moved back here to Forks, to be with my Dad. My Mom and her new husband had a life to live, and I'd decided to try to make one for myself here.
I loved Edward very much, and he loved me, and the previous year had been full of the difficult process of bringing us together. Now we were inseparable.
"I'll make you mop the floor if you don't stop that," I threatened, looking down at the droplets of water on my recently donned t-shirt.
"It's water. I think you'll survive," he said, grinning at me crookedly.
"Speaking of surviving, how bad is tonight going to be? Should I be afraid?" I didn't have to explain, Edward knew I was referring to the birthday party he and my best friend had insisted on throwing me, on the pretext that it would just be a few friends and family. I knew Alice though, and I was suspicious. I hated parties, gifts and any sort of celebratory event that made me the center of attention.
"I'm sure it'll be terrifying, but I think that too, you'll survive," he said, coming over and wrapping his arms around me. I scoffed, making him chuckle. I glared at him but he just grinned and kissed me.
"Ok, my little survivalist, I think we'd better head out before it gets too late. You can't always rely on me to talk you out of your tardy notices," he grinned.
I looked at him, "You have dark circles under your eyes."
He sighed, "I didn't sleep very well last night. I was tempted to come over here and climb through your window, but I figured that if I didn't die in the attempt, you'd probably have a heart attack from fear."
"I don't know about me, but I'm sure Charlie would have an aneurysm if he found you crawling in my bedroom window," I said, pulling away from him and swatting him with the towel I picked up off the counter.
"Damn right I would." Charlie's voice came from the stairway. A moment later he came around the corner.
"You coming home before the party, Bella, or will I not see you till after its over?" Charlie asked me.
I looked at Edward, who grinned wickedly, "Not till afterward Chief Swan, I'm under strict orders from Alice that Bella isn't allowed out of my sight for the day, so she can't skip out on the party."
I rolled my eyes as Edward laughed. Charlie loved Alice, but knew how persuasive she could be, so he merely nodded
"Ok." I said, grabbing my backpack and waited for Edward to follow me out. I walked over to Charlie and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Dad, see you later."
Charlie looked a little sheepish, "Yeah, alright, uh...Happy..Birthday Bells," he said, squeezing my arm as we left for school.
True to his word, Edward only let me out of of his sight long enough to let me get through my classes. As each one ended, he'd be there to walk me to my next one. At the end of the day, I tried to walk out the door no one used to leave, just to mess with Edward, and found Alice standing there.
"I had a hunch you might try something like this, Bella. You are not getting out of this party. I've invited both of Edward's brothers and his sister-in-law will be there, too. They all want very much to meet the girl who has stolen their baby brother's heart." Edward, who had just reached us from the other door grimaced as Alice emphasized the word baby. "So there will be no evasive maneuvers out of you, Swan!" she ended threateningly.
I had to give her credit, Alice was uncommonly good at appearing intimidating, considering she was only 4'10", and weighed no more than my backpack.
I held my hands up in surrender, "Ok, ok, ok, I'll be a good girl. You know, you really are a pushy little thing, Brandon." I said back to her with a frown, making her laugh as we all headed for the parking lot.
When we got to Edward's house, Alice grabbed my hand and dragged me up the stairs, "I get to give you your birthday present before the party, because it's for the party itself. Yay!" she said, clapping her hands together like a happy toddler just before we walked through her boyfriend's bedroom door. Alice had been dating Jasper since she was a Freshman at Forks High. He was two years older than Edward, and was away at the University of Washington, as a History and Philosophy of Science major. Alice was wildly in love with him, had been since the moment they met.
Alice's Mom lived in Forks, but since her Dad left, her Mom had taken to drinking and not being very sociable. Her sister left last year to live with their Father, taking away her only company. So Alice spent all her time at the Cullens' house. She practically lived here. Jasper's room was sort of hers too, now. She'd been very forlorn until I'd arrived, and our friendship had been instantaneous. I couldn't see how anyone could not be friends with Alice, she was so gregarious. I loved only Charlie and Edward above her.
As we stepped into the room, there on the bed was an outfit which made me instantly cringe. I was a strictly t-shirt or blouse and jeans kind of girl. The outfit Alice had for me wasn't my style, but it wasn't entirely without merit. There was a pretty spaghetti strap tank top which was a dark red color, almost blood red, with lace and sequined detailing around the v-necked front, and dark-blue jeans, which looked brand new, and expensive. "Alice," I groaned, "those are really nice things. But you know I hate when you spend money on me."
She looked at me imperiously. "Bella, you only turn eighteen once." and with that she turned and stomped out of the room, leaving me to get dressed.
I walked over to the bed and pulled my shirt off, my bra was black, but it was strapless, so it wouldn't show beneath the tank. I was trying to strip my jeans off and inadvertently, my clutzy nature took over and I fell back onto the bed, with my jeans in my hands. I heard the sound of my keys drop onto the floor. I turned over and crawled across the bed to retrieve them. They were just under the edge, so I jumped off the edge of the bed to the floor. I leaned over and looked under the bed to find them. Feeling around with my hand, I finally found them. I grasped hold of them and stood back up. A slight movement before me got my attention and caused me to look up.
At the end of the bed stood the most gorgeous, tall, well-muscled, blonde haired, green eyed man I'd ever seen. His was grinning very widely, and if there hadn't been a somewhat mischievous glint in his eye, it would have been the most beautiful, perfectly white-toothed smile I'd ever seen.
My eyes were saucers, and my mouth fell open. I could feel myself blush all over, which reminded me that I was almost completely undressed. I threw my old dingy jeans, which I'd managed to keep in my left hand, across my front.
"You must be Bella Swan. My little brother didn't do you much justice I'm afraid," he said, eyeing my exposed places appreciatively.
"J-Ja-Jasper!" I finally managed to stutter out. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were, I mean, I didn't even think about the fact that you might...holy crow!" I exclaimed in embarrassment.
Jasper chuckled, deeply. "It's alright, I apologize for coming in on you like that. I wasn't expecting any scantily dressed girls to be hiding under my bed."
I was mortified and felt my blush deepen. "I wasn't hiding under your bed, I was searching under it."
He stepped around the corner of the bed and stepped next to me, casting a cursory glance at the floor. He leaned in close to my ear, and spoke softly as though we were keeping a secret together, "What of mine, which I might keep under my bed, would a lovely unadorned lady like yourself be searching for," his eyes slid quickly down my front, then snapped back to my eyes, "under my bed?" he added.
My heart was racing in my chest, and I felt goosebumps ripple in a wave across my body from the point on my neck his breath caressed as he spoke. He nuzzled his nose near my neck, and I heard the sound of him inhaling my scent. Up to this moment I'd been embarrassed, but at that moment, I became scared. I shuddered convulsively, and Jasper stepped back. He turned toward the door, walked away. "I'm just teasing. Go ahead and use my room to dress, I'm going downstairs to see my baby brother and congratulate him on his," he paused, glancing back at me over his shoulder as he pulled the door open, and smirked slightly, "good taste." And then he walked through the door, and closed it behind him.
I dressed quickly after he left the room, and flew down the stairs, still mostly mortified. When I reached the bottom, there was suddenly a houseful of people. I'd seen pictures of Edward's brother, Emmett and his wife, Rosalie before. But in person, they were like the couple you saw on the cover of fashion catalogues, perfectly matched in their stunning beauty and out of place in the dreary greyness of Washington. As I descended Emmett looked up. "Is this the birthday girl and my new little sister?" he grinned openly. This family had really cornered the market on beautiful smiles. At his words everyone else turned around, and the moment that I'd been dreading happened. I became the center of attention.
The first voice I heard was Edward's. "Little sister?" he squeaked at Emmett. "Are you in such a hurry to get me married so young?" he laughed. Emmett took two steps over to me and dragged me up into the biggest bear hug I'd ever received in my life. "Hell yes, she's adorable, and I'm going to keep her," he said to everyone. "It's nice to meet ya little sister," he said as he put me back down on my feet again. It was impossible not to emulate his enthusiasm.
I beamed widely back at him, "It's great meeting you, too." I said, meaning it. Then Edward pulled me to him, "Rosalie, Jasper, this is my Bella," he said, as we smiled at each other. Jasper and Rosalie both looked at me and nodded, Rosalie mumbled that it was nice to meet me. and I mumbled back.
I froze as Jasper said, "My pleasure, Bella," He flashed me the faintest ghost of a smirk. I looked up at Edward to see if he'd noticed, but he was talking to Emmett about something already. Edward still had his arm wrapped around my waist, so I leaned into him a little closer, and leaned my head against his chest. That got his attention, and he wrapped his other arm over the first and hugged me tight to him, kissing the top of my head.
The rest of the party was sort of a blur. There was food, and drinks, and laughter. Emmett, Jasper, Mike Newton and Ben Chaney, who'd come in with my friend Angela Weber, all yelled over a game between the Huskies and the Trojans, apparently the Trojans had been winning until the 3rd Quarter, not that I knew the difference between a quarter, or an inning, or the exact definition of a half-time. It was all a different language to me.
As the evening grew later, my friends left, and Edward's parents, Carlisle and Esme, returned home. They disappeared into their room after a short introduction. Nearly everyone at the party had been drinking a little, most everyone had champagne to toast my birthday, and wine was served with dinner. The older brothers were both slugging beers.
I was happy Edward wasn't much of a drinker. He hadn't had anything to drink, I'd only had the champagne toast. It was just enough to make me a little giggly. I was at the bottom of the stairs when I heard Alice and Jasper laughing loudly from their room. Just then Alice came out and was bent over in laughter. She walked out to the top of the stairs where Jasper joined her. He kissed her on the lips and turned back to pull their bedroom door shut.
Alice moved forward to take the first step and suddenly her eyes went wide, and shot down to look in the direction of her feet. She fell foward onto the stairs, and bounced down a couple of them. Since the staircase in the Cullen's house is the winding type, she hit the turn of it pretty fast, the stairs shuddered beneath my hand which was on the bannister when she hit. There was a loud crack as she hit it, and then there was blood on the floor.
I could smell the blood, I've never been able to handle blood. I tried to close my eyes, and stop breathing. I could feel my stomach turn. I fell back a few steps and felt the reassuring solidness of the wall behind me. I stayed against it and risked opening my eyes. Alice's tiny, fragile body slid off the last step right at that moment and came to an unmoving stop. Everything was silent for a moment and then suddenly the house erupted in sound.
Rosalie screamed, while Edward and Emmett both called out Alice's name. Jasper was at the top of the stairs looking horrified. He began stumbling down the steps, as Esme and Carlisle reached the top of the staircase. When they saw Alice lying still at the bottom of them Esme called out, "Alice, Oh my God!" and Carlisle spun around. Carlisle was a doctor, if anything could be done Carlisle would take care of it.
"Alice! No, Alice," I screamed, but no sooner had I opened my mouth and called, then I smelled the blood. My traitor stomach began to twist.
Jasper fell down the last two steps himself, and landed on his knees next to Alice with an anguished look in his eyes. He put his hand on her cheek, and brushed her hair out of her face and behind the curve of her head. He pulled his hand back, and from my point of view, I could plainly see the blood his hand came back with. Jasper made an incoherent sound and began repeating her name over and over, while tears fell down his cheeks.
Carlisle reached the bottom of the stairs at that moment, and he pulled Jasper back, "Son, move. Let me get to her." Carlisle lifted Alice by her shoulders slightly and placed the towel he'd brought down with him against her head. He held it there for quite some time, then pulled it away and swiped across it. The towel was positively soaked and my stomach began flipping again, causing me to moan. Carlisle heard it and turned around, to look at me. I assume he must have seen my white face, because he immediately looked around and the first person he saw was Jasper. He looked into his frozen face and called out to him sternly, "Jasper!" Hearing his name seemed to unfreeze him. Jasper started slightly and met his Father's eyes. "Take Bella in the other room, and get her a cool drink, while I look Alice's injury over." He looked up at Edward then and asked him to get the car out of the garage.
Jasper dragged his eyes away from Alice and looked back at me. His eyes were on me, but I could tell his mind was still on Alice. The tears were still very much in his eyes, and I just didn't want him to have to do anything for me which would drag him from Alice's side.
I shook my head and said, "I'll be fine, you stay here Jasper." I took three steps towards the direction of the kitchen and started to fall. Jasper managed to catch me. He grumbled distractedly, "I think my Dad's right, Bella. In the kitchen." He pulled me into the other room, stumbling behind him.
We got into the kitchen and he sat me in one of the chairs around the table. He walked over to the fridge and got a coke for me, then grabbed a glass from the cupboard next to the fridge. He crossed back over to where I sat and set both can and glass on the table before me. He pulled out the chair next to me and dropped into it, as he opened the can and poured the drink for me.
He was watching as he did this, but it would have been obvious to anyone that he wasn't actually seeing what he was doing. He sat there with me as I took a few drinks, while he stared out the back windows of the house.
After several minutes of watching Jasper's fear inebriate him far worse than the alcohol had, Carlisle barked his name from the front room, and Jasper was gone so fast that it was almost as if he hadn't been there.
I could hear them talking in the front room. There was a lot of arguing going on, and a lot of crying. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, planning. I gathered quickly that the plan was to get Alice to the emergency room immediately, and my heart sped into hyperdrive as I realized how badly she must be injured judging by Carlisle's tone. I heard Rosalie's and Esme's voices, and then the front door opened and closed. After a few more minutes of low mumbling, I heard Jasper's raised voice. "Why me, Dad? Why not Edward?"
"Jasper we haven't got time to argue about this, you've had too much to drink, everyone has, except Edward. I can't drive and take care of Alice at the same time and I need Emmett's strength. We will call you from the hospital and keep you up to date on what is going on. Now please, be polite to our guest and make her feel at home."
There was a scuffle, stressed voices talked and planned, and then the sound of the front door opening, and then closing again. After it closed I heard Jasper's voice mumbling oaths in a lowered and dark tone. I sat there sipping my coke and tried to do my best to remain quiet. I wanted to go out and apologize to him, but I knew the room would still smell like blood and there'd be no way I could handle that.
I took a turn to stare out the back windows. I turned when I heard Jasper's bootheels clicking on the tile floor of the kitchen. "I'm sorry Bella, I didn't mean to neglect you for so long. I've been asked to make you feel at home, and I'm not doing such a good job so far. Can I get you something to eat perhaps?"
I looked at him compassionately, "I'm fine, thanks, I'm sorry you're stuck with me Jasper. I feel terrible. If I didn't know he was out overnight on a fishing trip, I'd call Charlie right now and have him pick me up and drop you at the hospital. This is awful."
Jasper looked into my face for the first time since we'd come into the room and held my eyes for a few moments. Then he slowly shook his head, "No Bella, it's really not that big a deal. I'm sure Carlisle's trying to keep me from learning how bad it really is. He acted the same way when my Mom was dying-" Jasper's voice suddenly caught and he quickly turned away.
I hadn't realized that Esme wasn't Jasper's Mom, but when I thought about it, it made sense. He really didn't look like either Emmett or Edward, though those two looked close enough. Emmett looked just like Edward, only huge. It was hard to believe they were only a year apart. Jasper was a year older than Emmett but even he was dwarfed by Emmett's immense size.
I stood and walked up behind Jasper. I put my hand on his shoulder, "She'll be alright Jasper, she has to be." I tried to convey a sense of certainty I didn't feel myself.
Jasper pushed the heels of his hands against his eyes, and wiped unmercifully at them. Then sniffing audibly, Jasper turned suddenly and was face to face with me. Just like that, I felt like we were suddenly back upstairs in his bedroom and I felt half naked again, or at least as though he could see through my feeble act.
He looked into my eyes critically for only a moment. Then his head lifted slightly, "I'm sure you're right, even if you don't believe it either." He then turned on his heel again and walked over to the fridge, opened the door and grabbed a beer and walked towards the front room. "I'm going to watch TV to try and distract myself, care to join me?" I downed what was left in my glass, and then picked up the can and followed him out.
I had a moment's pause when I got into the hallway and smelled the blood which had been left on the tiles by the family's hasty exit. I swooned slightly and braced a hand against the wall. I took several steadying breaths and walked passed the blood to the living room, holding my breath. Jasper had the TV on and was flipping through the channels.
I sat on the couch Jasper wasn't on, but I could smell the blood still, so I got up and sat down next to him. He looked at me as I sat down, but then went back to flipping the remote.
Jasper found Die Hard playing on one of the channels, it had just begun. We watched almost the entire film, while I went through the rest of my coke and Jasper went through 7 bottles of beer. He was in the kitchen getting his 8th bottle when the phone rang. I heard him attack the phone, it sounded as if he'd fallen and grabbed the phone to keep his balance. I stood up and walked back to make sure he was okay.
He was standing with his back to me so I couldn't see his face. I came up behind him and stood there, not wanting to interrupt or disturb him. I could hear a voice on the other end of the phone, it sounded like Carlisle, but I couldn't understand what was being said. Jasper's shoulders began sagging down, as I stood there I watched him melt slowly into grief and I stopped breathing. My God, could my friend be dead, really? No, no, no, Alice couldn't die. That simply couldn't happen. I couldn't go on without my best friend, I needed her in my life. I shook my head and stepped back, disbelieving. I took a few steps back and it occurred to me I still hadn't taken a breath when I suddenly realized that everything was going black.
As I felt myself falling, the last things I heard was Jasper's raw and emotional voice, "Ok Carlisle, thank you for letting me know," the sound of the phone being put back into its cradle and Jasper's oath, then the blackness took me.
Jasper's voice came and found me in the dark. His voice whispered at first, softly and pleadingly, then became louder and more persistent. The light too, became more demanding, insisting I see things I wanted to hide my eyes from. First there was just the glow of light around me, but slowly my view shifted and things resolved into shapes. The first thing I saw clearly was Jasper's face floating above mine, backlit by the kitchen ceiling lights. His blonde hair glowed like a halo, which didn't correspond somehow with the wide grin on his face. I frowned, and he began to lift me up,
"That's a girl, gave me a hell of a scare there, fainting like that. Nearly had to figure out a way to get you to the hospital too," he said, reminding me of what had made me faint.
I gasped, "Alice! Oh Jasper, is she..is she...." I couldn't get the words out, as my throat constricted with the fear. I grasped Jasper's upper arms tightly with both of mine, trying to keep my balance as unconsciousness threatened again, he reached forward and gripped me around my waist, "Whoa there, no, Alice is not...whatever you are thinking. They're about eighty percent sure she's fine." He waited a moment while I took a couple galvanizing breaths, then continued, "She actually managed to crack the back of her skull, but it was a hairline fracture. Carlisle said there was some concern about concussion, but that it ended up being minimal. She's resting peacefully now."
"Oh thank God," I said, as I leaned back against the counter. Jasper turned to the fridge and grabbed himself another bottle of beer. He took out another coke out and offered it to me. "No thank you, I think I've had enough caffeine for one night."
"Something else?" He leaned over and looked in, his face lit by the light. "Juice, milk, sparkling cider?" he cited off as he looked through the fridge, then turned to me with his eyebrows raised.
"Ice water?" I suggested.
Jasper nodded, closed the fridge door and stepped forward toward me, he leaned towards me, confusing me. He was looking me right in the face expectantly and I leaned away from him a bit until I realized he was reaching up to the cabinet behind me for a glass. I moved off to the left and he got me ice, water, and handed the glass back to me. He lifted his bottle and gestured in the direction of the living room, "Want to go back and watch the rest of the movie?"
He grinned. More than anything else, his grin told me that Alice was fine, because as long as she'd been in danger, Jasper had been distraught. I felt fractionally relieved, but I was still worried for her.
We were walking back out towards the living room when Jasper suddenly stopped and turned on a dime. I was right behind him, and ended up dumping the glass of ice water half on him and half on myself. I'd tried to jump back, but the outer wall of the kitchen had been too close. I struck the wall and the rest of the water slid down my front, soaking my tank. As I stepped back and became a little unbalanced Jasper instinctively reached up and stabalized me by putting his free hand on my waist again, He looked down at the water running down my front and then looked into my eyes. He tilted his head slightly and something in his eyes intensified. Jasper's face grew serious, and his breathing became ragged.
He leaned back a little and still looking in my eyes, keeping them locked with his, he began unbuttoning his shirt. He pulled the first one off his shoulders, dropping it on the floor beside us. Then he pulled the white and grey t-shirt he'd been wearing under it, over his head. His chest was defined, muscular and so close. I looked at it in a way that made me blush. He then leaned forward and reached around the wall and flicked the kitchen light off. His body pressed against mine, and because of the differences in temperature between my drenched upper body, and my dry lower half, I was acutely aware of every inch of him that was touching me.
He looked down at my wet front again, I was too embarrassed to look for myself, but I could feel the water trickling off my shoulders and down between my breasts, beneath my bra. The part of my shirt below my bra was sticking to me because of the water. Jasper reached his hand up again, and wriggled one finger under my tank strap. "You've gotten your shirt wet," he breathed out, in just slightly more than a whisper. Even at that volume his voice was husky.
He trailed his finger down the strap, around the curve of the tanks arm hole, and then slid his fingertips down across the side of my ribcage and rested his whole hand at the waistline of my jeans. He casually laid his hand on the rising curve of my hip bone. I felt him him curl his hand through the belt loop of my jeans and grip a handful of the waistband in his fist as he pulled me forward.
He leaned in close to my neck, and whispered in my ear, "You should take it off." he said in a rough, shaking voice. And he leaned his head down to the edge of my top and ran his tongue from there up across my chest, and then across my shoulder, licking the water off. Then he leaned his head down and licked across the curve of my right breast and paused. He nibbled my breast with only his lips, and then continued to run his tongue across it and up my neck on the other side.
I hadn't asked for this, I hadn't given him any indication this was something I wanted. Until today I didn't know Jasper at all. He'd always been only an elusive name belonging to the brother of my boyfriend. Yet, here he was, his lips on my body, causing my breathing to come in gasps. Without any invitation, he was making my heart race, and my body shudder.
He wrapped his lips around the tendon at the base of my throat and just grazed his teeth across it as he deftly closed his lips against my skin. He pulled his lips away from me and I leaned my head back against the wall, still breathing hard, my eyes wide and frantic. He lifted his lips up to my other ear and whispered, "I'm going to take that off for you, beautiful, so we can get you into something more comfortable."
He was still holding my jeans in his fist with one hand, he didn't release that hold as he leaned down and set his beer on the floor beside us. He lowered himself down onto his knees, and released his grip on my jeans. With both hands, he grabbed the bottom edge of my shirt and crumpled it in his fingers, using the crumped edge to lift it up as he covered my stomach with his lips.
He ran his lips, and blew his breath, across what felt like every inch of my stomach. I was breathing so shallowly it was a wonder that I hadn't fainted yet. He pushed himself back up to his feet and lifted my shirt over my head, leaving me as exposed as he'd found me that morning. He leaned back slightly and looked at me. His body shuddered slightly as something close to a deep, guttural growl sounded from his throat.
Jasper ran his fingers over my left breast, just above my bra. He continued across the line of the bra with his first two fingers, then changed direction and ran them up my shoulder. He slid his hand over the top of my shoulder and wrapped it around the back of my neck. His other hand meanwhile wrapped around my back and his fingertips slid slightly into the top of my jeans. He pulled me forward against him and leaning forward, pressed his lips to mine. I had been frozen in fear, immovable, but when his lips touched mine, it was like I'd been shocked. I threw my arms out and tried to pull away, breaking the forgotten water glass in my right hand, and cutting myself.
Jasper jerked when the glass broke, but not before he'd pressed his lips hard against mine, grazingly biting down on my bottom lip. When the glass broke, he jerked back, and looked down at my hand. I had several cuts on my hand that would need to be tended to. Jasper centered in on one which covered the second section of my right index finger. "Oh look, you've got a papercut," he said huskily. He pulled my finger up and wrapped his lips around it, sucking on my finger while he looked straight into my eyes. Whatever excuse for breathing I'd been managing ceased at that moment. I wanted to be offended, angry, and taken advantage of. What I was, was turned on and very scared.
I felt my mouth drop open just slightly as my breathing grew more rapid with every moment his lips spent around my finger. Suddenly he pulled his mouth back. Moving my hand so my fingers pointed up, palm forward, he ran his tongue up my finger to the tip. He pulled the finger down with his lips and sucked it all the way the the base, lifting it up for his inspection and then kissing the place where the actual cut was.
His head dropped slightly and something animalistic flashed in his eyes. I knew without a doubt he was going to kiss me a moment before he actually did it. He pressed his lips into mine again, kissing my lips in small nibbling movements, then coaxed my mouth open. His tongue slid into my mouth, unwanted and unasked for, and yet I didn't feel anywhere near as invaded as I should have.
His tongue explored my mouth in a familiar way that shocked me. It was the first time I'd been kissed that way. His hips ground against mine, and his hand on my back pulled my upper body against him. It was the most incredibly sensual thing I'd ever felt. The hand at my back suddenly slid around to the front and I felt his hand slide into the front of my pants.
It was at this incredibly tenuous moment that my memory of Edward returned, and I pushed back against Jasper with my entire being. "NO!" I yelled.
Jasper, still locked into the kiss, and his eyes still animalistic, pushed back against me and shot his head forward trying to return his lips to the place of warmth and comfort they'd just found. I pushed back again, "No, Jasper, stop it! You're Edward's brother-" My words were cut off by the door slamming and Edward's yell, "Not after this he's not! Jasper get the hell away from Bella, you SICK..DISGUSTING..." Edward seemed to struggle with words bad enough to call him.
Emmett had no time for words. He took two striding steps forward, grabbed Jasper's shoulders with his bear paw like hands and threw him bodily across the hall. Jasper landed on the floor and glared at Emmett. He opened his mouth to protest, but Emmett beat him to it, "You're drunk, you jackass! Alice is in the hospital! Her head is broken, are you trying to break her heart too?"
Emmett walked over to where I still stood frozen. He reached down and grabbed Jasper's shirts where he'd dropped them, and threw them angrily at him, then reached over and picked up my tank top. He stood up and looked at me with rounded eyes and worried brows. "Bella?" he asked softly, offering me my shirt. I looked at it stupidly for a moment and then took it from him and began pulling it back over me.
Emmett walked to where Jasper was just getting up off the floor, at the same time Edward walked up to me. As I pulled my tank down over my waist and readjusted it as best as I could, Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him. "I am so sorry for leaving you here alone, with him. I was so worried about Alice I didn't think. I'm sorry, Bella." He softly kissed my cheek, and I buried my face into his neck. "I'm alright," I said, my voice sounded oddly muffled by his shoulder.
Emmett and Jasper were scuffling behind me. "Jesus Em, let me get my damn clothes on first," Jasper said indignantly.
"Sick jerk! They shouldn't have been off!" Emmett growled as he grabbed the shoulder of Jasper's shirt and dragged him out the door. Jasper's inebriated misbalance seemed to take over and he stumbled ungracefully down the stairs after Emmett, who dragged him out the door, in the direction of the garage.
I began shaking, uncontrollably then. Now that the danger was over I shook and shivered as if I'd lost blood. I couldn't stop it, and Edward took me to the kitchen. "I know you can't drink caffeine, but what do you say to some herbal tea and a little snack?" I shook my head, "No, c-could I,....c-could I-I m-maybe t-take a sh-shower?" I said, my teeth chattering. It was perfectly warm in the house, I couldn't understand my bodies response. I voiced my confusion, "I d-don't know w-why I'm s-so c-c-cold, it makes no s-s-sense."
Edward looked at me, very tenderly and a little condescendingly, "Love, you're in shock. Of course you can take a shower, come on. I'll take you to my bathroom." As we headed for the stairs, I froze. "What if Jasper comes back?" I gasped, speaking too fast to stutter.
He looked at me, "No, Emmett's taking him back to the hospital to see Alice. I'm sure they'll make a Starbucks run. When Jasper sobers up, it's unlikely he'll ever be able to so much as come near you, let alone look you in the eye. Some people shouldn't drink, and unfortunately, my brother is one of them. He usually doesn't go to that extreme, because he knows his propensities, I can't understand his actions at all."
I turned to him as we continued finally up the stairs. "He was afraid Carlisle was going to call and say Alice was dead. It haunted him, I saw it, before...before..." I trailed off, unable to explain what had just happened. "He said Carlisle had worn the same expression he'd had when Jasper's Mom died. I didn't know Esme wasn't his mother, you'd never know it to see the way she fawns over him."
Edward smiled as we stepped into his bedroom. "My Mother has the ability to love very deeply and unconditionally. She never considered Jasper as anything but her son, from the first day. She also immediately accepted Alice as a part of the family the moment she became a part of Jasper's life. The rest of us just sort of followed suit. It was the same with Rosalie, but no, Emmett and I are Esme's only kids."
We'd reached his bathroom. He reached over and turned on the light and then let me go, turning to walk out. Panicked, I stopped him, "Edward!" I called. He saw the wild look in my eyes and immediately turned back and wrapped his arms around me again. "What, Bella, what's the matter?" he asked.
I shook my head, "Nothing, it's just, could you not..could you please not leave. I know I shouldn't do this, but I can't bear the idea of being alone right now." Edward smiled softly and nodded his head, "Of course I'll stay."
He walked over and pushed himself up onto his counter. I walked over to the shower and pulled my tank top off, and then my pants, then opened the door to the shower. I heard Edward chuckle darkly and turned to see what he was laughing at.
His expression was amused, but intense.
"What?!" I asked.
"Seeing you like that makes it a lot easier to understand Jasper's motivation. He never stood a chance, you're beautiful, my Bella."
I blushed and stepped into the shower. I removed my underthings, and proceeded to take a long, hot shower. Edward asked me what happened after he'd left. There was a tinge to his voice that made me think he was trying to figure out what might have happened to get us to the point he'd found us at. I told him everything.
After my shower, Edward loaned me a shirt, and I pulled the jeans I'd worn over, back on. They might not have been Alice approved, but they were comfortable, dry, and mine. They had the added benefit of being untarnished by any memories of Jasper.
Edward climbed onto his bed and threw his arms out for me to sit with him. No sooner had I curled up into his arms, then exhaustion took over.
The next morning, I woke up lying next to Edward, who was already awake and watching me sleep. I looked at him smiling, and he smiled back. His arm moved and returned with a small box in his hand. It was royal blue and had an elegant silver ribbon sewn around it.
"What's this?" I asked.
He chuckled and said, "My birthday present for you," I frowned, he knew I didn't like him buying things for me. "Oh stop, it's an heirloom. I didn't spend a penny on it....open it. Before your 19th birthday, preferrably," he added impatiently.
I laughed and taking the box from him, opened it. Inside was a simple and beautiful braided gold and silver ring. I gasped at how delicate it was. It was beautiful. "Oh! It's so lovely, where did it come from? You said it was an heirloom, who's it from?"
"It's the first ring my Mother ever received from my Grandparents, when she was about fifteen," he said, grinning widely.
"It's beautiful. Oh, there's something engraved inside, it looks like three words, but I can't see them." I glanced into Edward's eyes. "Do you know what it says?" I asked him.
He smiled, "A life intended."
I felt the tears trickle down my cheek, and I leaned forward and kissed Edward softly on the lips. There was a knock at the door just then and my whole being tensed. Edward rubbed a hand across my arm. "It's alright Bella, it's Emmett. I heard him coming up the stairs, he walks like a bear."
I giggled and said, "Hugs like one too," making Edward laugh as he called out to Emmett, "Come in."
Emmett opened the door with another huge grin plastered on his face. "Good morning little sister!" he said to me, then to Edward he said, "Chief Swan's on the phone. Dad explained to him about last night, and said the tension had wiped Bella out. He says she's not in trouble, but that he wants her home right after breakfast." I shot a look to Edward in scared desperation, Emmett caught the look. "Bella, after I brought Jasper back from the hospital, he climbed into his car and drove back to school. He isn't here, and we wouldn't let him get near you even if he were."
"I don't want the family to exclude him because of me, Emmett, I don't think he was in his right mind last night, no one was. I'm not ready to see him right this minute, but one day, I hope to." Emmett shook his head and said, "Definitely a class act, little brother, I meant it, I'm keeping her, even if you don't." he said, grinning again as he pulled the door closed. Before it was completely closed, he threw it open again, "Oh, I almost forgot. Alice is awake, Dad said the doctors are very optimistic. She might come home as early as tomorrow."
"Well, I'm afraid that you're stuck now. Emmett's seal of approval, there's no escaping that," he said as we both climbed off the bed.
I chuckled softly and turned around to him as I stood up off the other side of the bed. "Well, lucky for you, I have no intention of escaping anywhere."
He strolled over and wrapped his arms around my waist again. "That was the perfect answer," and he kissed me on the forehead. "Now let's go visit our sister."
THE END
**Footnote: I wrote this to prove that even as a human, Jasper could be a bit scary and menacing. Read & Review and let me know if you think I accomplished my intention.**