Title: Alternative

Author: Seylin

Summary: Jasper wakes up after a mysterious accident to an alternative life. Does he want to live this one? Or get the one he had back?

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mentions of slash & mpreg.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made from my writing this.

Alternative

"...Jazz...Jasper, can you hear me?"

Jasper blinked slowly, wincing at the painfully bright light that hummed above him. There was a click and the light dimmed. He tried opening his eyes again and this time there was a squeal and then he was choking from the tight hug that had been thrown around his neck. After a moment he was released and the hugger pulled back, smiling brilliantly at him.

"A-Alice?" His voice was rough from disuse and she poured him a cup of water.

"Drink that and I'll let the doctor know you're awake," she said. Alice leaned in quickly and pressed a light kiss to his lips. Jasper was left staring after her in confusion as she disappeared out the door. He couldn't drink water…she knew that.

When she and the doctor returned a few minutes later, Jasper was still confused. Why was he in the hospital? How long had he been here? Why was Alice here? Why had she kissed him? Where was Seth?

"Mr. Cullen, it's good to see you finally awake. We were beginning to lose hope," the doctor said as he took out his pin light and checked Jasper's eyes.

'…Cullen?' That wasn't right. He and Seth had changed their last names to Whitlock just before their last move. So much was coming to mind, Jasper pressed a hand to his head.

"I'm sorry," he said, "But, what do you mean awake?" That made more sense to ask than to question the doctor about his last name. He was a vampire, he hadn't slept in more than 200 years.

The doctor smiled kindly. "You've been in a coma for the past six months, rather nasty bump on your head in the car accident."

"Car accident?"

Alice reached out and took one of Jasper's hands from where she had sat in the chair next to his bed. "Shouldn't he remember something, doctor?"

"Slight amnesia is not uncommon after a head injury. It'll all come back in time. We'll do some more tests but if everything comes back fine, you should be out of here in the next few days. I'll schedule those tests, a nurse will be in soon to check your vitals." Without another look at Jasper, the doctor closed his chart and left the room.

"How do you feel?" Alice asked.

Jasper let out a long sigh. "Confused, very confused."

"You can ask me anything."

Jasper choked out a laugh. "I think you'd have me committed if I spoke what was going on in my head right now."

Before Alice could say anything else, a nurse bustled in. "I'm here to take your vitals Mr. Cullen." She took his wrist in hand and looked at the watch on her wrist.

"I don't thi-" Jasper stopped when he felt the beats of his pulse against the nurse's fingers. -What the hell?-

"70 beats per minute," the nurse chirped. "Very good. Now the rest." She proceeded to take his blood pressure, temperature, and respiration rate. "If things remain as they are, I think you'll be going home before the week's out." She gave him a kind smile.

Jasper tried to return it but his heart sank. Could whatever this home was actually be home? Yes, he wanted to go, to go home, to Seth.

-x-

Jasper had to admit, if he didn't retain any memories from his other life...he could have been happy in this one. He was a month out of the hospital, settled in a house in the suburbs of Seattle with Alice. Apparently he had been a nonfiction author, specializing in the Civil War. Jasper found that quite ironic.

Alice was...perfect, but then she always had been. It was the parallels between this life and the other that he found most interesting. Alice still had an uncanny ability to predict things. It was never anything concrete, just a sense that something was going to happen, and it usually did.

The first time Esme and Carlisle had come to visit a week after he got out of the hospital had been an experience. Carlisle was still a doctor, just a general practitioner, and Esme worked for a small realty company. It was weird to see them with just the barest hints of gray in their hair.

Jasper hadn't brought up Rosalie, Emmett or Edward, not sure how his other siblings fit into this picture. He didn't have to though, as Esme filled him in. His parents had adopted them all at some point. Rosalie and Emmett were on their honeymoon in Europe and Edward was in college. They had all been to see him during his hospital stay and the wedding hadn't felt right without him but, life had to go on.

"I thought I might go to the scene of the accident, see if that brings back any memories," Jasper said as he washed his plate from supper. This was met with silence until he looked at his family. "What?"

"Well, it's not a bad idea from a medical standpoint," Carlisle hedged.

"But?"

"It would be difficult, that's all," Esme told him."

"Why?"

Alice bit her bottom lip. "It's across the country. Your accident was in Vermont."

Jasper stared at her. Vermont? He and Seth had moved to Vermont ten years before Luka was born. "Oh, well, perhaps not then." Alice took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"You'll remember, in time," she assured him. Her tone was a lot more confident than he felt.

That night Jasper couldn't sleep. He laid beside Alice for two hours before getting up, closing the bedroom door behind himself so he wouldn't wake her. He went to the living room, pulling his first book off the shelf, and settling in the recliner. He turned the lamp on and started to look through the pages, though his attention was not focused on them. He was still so confused and one answer only seemed to lead to two more questions.

He sighed deeply and let his head fall back against the chair, staring up at the ceiling. Here was what he knew… six months ago he had been in a car accident, the accident had happened in Vermont, he had sustained a "life threatening head injury", he had been taken to a hospital in Vermont but once stabilized he had been moved to New York City and later Seattle. Somehow…unless he had gone completely crazy or dreamt the whole thing, the car accident had caused him to turn human and everything that had been in his life was completely reversed. Most importantly, he wasn't a vampire.

The questions he had mostly centered around what had happened and where Seth was. Everyone, save the wolves, were still in his life in some form or another, and they all seemed to carry traits from the life he remembered. Where were the wolves? Most importantly, where was Seth? Was he somehow still in Vermont? That seemed unlikely but hell, waking up human was about unlikely as it got. Jasper swallowed hard, his fingers tightening on his book. W-Where was Luka? Did he even exist? After trying for their little boy for so long, Jasper was filled with sorrow at the thought that he once again didn't exist.

He closed the book with a snap, mind made up. He needed to find Seth. But, where did he start? Vermont was the first place that came to mind. Jasper shook his head. No, Alice wouldn't let him make the trip to Vermont alone and he didn't think this was a conversation he could have with her…yet. There were any number of places that he and Seth had lived since leaving Forks…

'That's it!" He thought. 'Not Forks but La Push!'

If Seth were anywhere in this alternate reality, it would be La Push. He wouldn't even have to really tell Alice where he was going, it would only take a few hours to get from Seattle to La Push. Jasper felt a smile spread across his lips. For the first time in weeks he felt something other than confusion.

-x-

The road onto the Reservation had never been paved. Every so often a new load of gravel would be spread but it had been a long time since the last load. The dirt was packed down hard in places due to the frequent use but deep ruts from being driven on in the rain made Jasper drive cautiously. The last thing he needed was to tear out the transmission on his Mustang. Finally the forest around him opened up and he was surrounded by buildings that reminded him of the late 1800s. There was, what he suspected served as, a general store and other buildings that housed businesses. The houses didn't start until a little further down.

He pulled up in front of the store and stopped his Mustang. It was so achingly familiar to the times he had come here with Seth before they moved. Removing his sunglasses and laying them in the passenger seat he got out. The Reservation was quiet, but it was still early. Maybe he should just go to the Clearwater house...

"Hey, you need some help?"

Jasper turned at the voice and felt a measure of relief wash over him. "Jacob."

The other man, or boy rather for he couldn't be older than seventeen, stopped and tipped his head in confusion. "Do I...know you?"

Jasper cursed under his breath. He could not get used to everyone he remembered...not remembering. "Er...no, I don't suppose so. But I'm hoping-"

He was caught off by Jacob's whistle. "Nice ride man! Mustang?"

"1968."

"Classic. Original engine?"

"Yes, had to replace the transmission in the 90s though...raced her a little hard."

"Drag racing?"

Jasper smiled at the interest he heard in Jacob's voice and decided to go on and ask. "I need to talk to Seth. Do you know where he is?"

Now Jacob became a bit guarded, his expression closing off. Jacob always did have a soft spot for the young member of his pack. "How do you-"

"Jake! I found that part you needed!"

Jasper looked past Jacob and felt his heart stop. Seth. He looked almost the same, but a bit younger since he didn't have the wolf gene adding to his age. "Seth."

The younger boy stopped next to Jacob and blinked at him in confusion. "Yes...?"

"Says he's looking for you," Jacob told him. "Know him?"

"No." Seth looked at Jacob and handed him the part that he'd been holding. He turned back to Jasper, sticking his hands in his pockets. "How can I help ya?"

"Could we talk?" Jasper glanced at Jacob. "Alone?"

"Seth, I don't think-" Jacob started.

"Sure," Seth replied with a shrug.

"Seth, you don't know this guy, he could be a-a predator," Jacob protested.

Seth snorted with laughter. "Really Jake? And he's going to kidnap me with you and multiple others as witnesses? Riiiight."

"I'm not a predator. I just want to talk."

"It's okay Jake, I can take care of myself. C'mon stranger, we'll go down to the beach." Seth turned and started to walk away.

Jasper started to follow but stopped after a couple of steps and turned back to Jacob. "Check it out," he said tossing him the keys to his Mustang. Jacob's mouth fell open as he caught them. Jasper turned and resumed following Seth.

When they got down to the beach, Seth found a large rock to climb up and sit on. He rested his elbows on his crossed legs, propping his chin up in one hand. He fixed Jasper with a curious look. "So talk."

Jasper took a deep breath. "I don't know where to start..."

"The beginning is usually a good point."

"Smart ass," Jasper muttered. "No, I mean, there are kind of two starting points to this story."

Seth tilted his head. "Okay..."

Jasper thought a moment before settling. "Please just hear me out." Seth nodded. "In 1864 I was on patrol in Texas, I was part of the Confederate army you see, when I met three beautiful women..."

He wasn't sure how long the whole story took, he wasn't wearing a watch and clouds had rolled in so he couldn't judge by the sun. He had seen Jacob and Sam peek over the top of the hill to check on them a couple of times though. "Then eight months ago, I woke up in a hospital and I was human."

Jasper finished his story and wearily looked at Seth. He expected the boy to be looking at him as if he had grown two heads. Instead, he found Seth staring out at the ocean, his expression neutral.

"Seth," he said after a few moments.

Seth blinked and looked at him. "Hm?"

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to give me a reaction?"

"What kind of reaction do you want?"

Jasper groaned in frustration and dug his fingers into his hair. "I don't know! Anger? Disbelief? I'm telling you about a future with vampires and werewolves, one where we're together and have a child! And you act like I've just told you the weather is going to be seventy and sunny!"

Seth smiled a little and Jasper's heart skipped a beat. Seth slid off the rock he had been sitting on and turning like he was going to leave, but he paused. "What you've told me is quite...unbelievable. But, you do seem really shaken which makes me think that whatever happened, you believe in this alternative future. Either way, I think you have an important decision to make."

"What's that?"

"Are you happy with the future where you leave here and go home to your wife? Or...do you want the future you had with me?" Seth gave a little shrug. "It's up to you."

Seth walked back up the hill they had come down. He didn't look back. If he had, he would have seen Jasper staring after him with...what?

Jasper stared until Seth had disappeared. It was a good question. What did he want?

A/N: It must be noted that I have no intention of continuing this story. I wrote it so any reader can make their own decision on what Jasper decided to do. However, if anyone else would like to do something with this idea, please contact me via PM.