Disclaimer: Okay, don't own Twilight and I don't own Criminal Minds either. Both belong to their respective creators.
Okay, so new story.
It's different to Change of Heart and it was something that wouldn't leave me alone.
Hope you like it.
"You need to lighten up, Eddie." Emmett laughed as we turned off the lights and walked out of the office. He chuckled the entire way out of the building and if I hadn't loved the guy like a brother, I would have clocked him one. It was still an enticing idea. "Go out. Have fun. Get laid. I'd bet money on the fact that someone could be happy to give you a ride."
"Please don't tell me you've actually got money on something like that." I groaned as we walked out of the building. It wouldn't surprise me.
"That would be telling." He smirked and I rolled my eyes as I stopped to light up a cigarette.
"Don't you have anything better to do than take bets on my sex life?" Or lack thereof, I thought bitterly. I had to admit, the thought of walking back into that empty house another night was not appealing in the slightest but I didn't really want to go and pick up a random trick either.
And unfortunately, my job wasn't conducive to keeping up a relationship. The only ones I'd known to actually make it work was Emmett and his wife, Rosalie – a spitfire if I've ever met one. Unfortunately not all of us have the ability to keep a relationship going.
I shook my head, getting rid of those thoughts as Emmett laughed. "Not a chance, man. I think the day you get some if the day the world stops spinning." I rolled my eyes, knowing that what he was saying wasn't exactly an exaggeration. Well, the world spinning stuff obviously was but everything else, not much.
It had been a while.
"I'll see you tomorrow." I punched him in the shoulder and he laughed. He walked off in the direction of his car as I turned to walk home. I only lived a ten minute walk away from the building so driving seemed pointless. And what with traffic it would probably take me longer to get there.
I threw my cigarette on the ground, hearing someone shouting out in pain as I turned the corner, I saw where it had come from.
There was a fight going on in the opening of an alley but as I got closer I saw that it wasn't really a fight. More like five guys attacking one guy on his own.
From what I could see he was down and I knew it wasn't really any of my business but the protector in me couldn't help but want to help him.
"Hey!" I shouted and two of them turned to face me.
"Keep moving, pretty boy!" One of them sneered at me and I stopped, smirking at him. "Get lost. Or do you want to find out what happens to pretty little boys like you who get involved in matters that don't concern them?"
"See, getting involved when someone is clearly outnumbered is what I do best." I tilted my head to the side, putting my hands on my hips, making sure that the glock resting there was clearly visible. "Sure you want to carry out that little threat?" His eyes widened as he saw the gun. "I could put a bullet in your head right now and get away with it scot free." I stared him down and he stepped away from me.
"Let's get out of here." He sneered at me and the others stepped behind him, looking as though they wanted to rush me. I placed my hand on the gun and they apparently all came to the same conclusion that even though there were more of them, the man with the gun was more of a threat. "He's a useless fag anyway."
Even though I knew they were talking about the man they'd been beating to a pulp I bristled, hating the derogatory term.
They talked away and I turned my attention to the guy on the ground. I walked over and crouched down next to him, pulling out my phone. I gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched away from me. At least I knew that he was alive.
"Hey, hey, you're okay." I said softly, not moving my hand. "I'm just going to call an ambulance."
"No!" He turned to face me and I'm met with a pair of the bluest, fear-filled eyes I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of fear in my job. "No ambulances, no hospitals. Please." He sounded so afraid and I immediately put my phone away.
"You could be really hurt." I tried to persuade him but I could see he wasn't going to budge. "You need to get checked out."
"I'll be fine." He sat up, wincing and I raised an eyebrow at him, challenging his words. "Really, thanks for your help but I'll be fine."
"Where are you staying?" I asked and he looked up at me, questioning. "I'm not going to just leave you here, not with those guys still around here. Something tells me that they wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't come along. Now, where are you staying?"
"I, umm . . ." He looked down at his lap and I took a proper look at him.
His hair was blonde but it was so caked in dust and dirt, it was hard to distinguish it's exact colour. His skin was dirty and his clothes threadbare and obviously too small for him. It hit me when I noticed that he wasn't wearing a coat in the middle of February, shivering that he didn't actually have anywhere to go.
I took off my coat, wrapping it around his shoulders as I pulled out my phone, dialling a cab.
"What are you doing?" He asked, seeming somewhat worried about what I was doing. Well, I think that if I had been in his place, I probably would be feeling the same.
"Well," I said, putting my phone back in my pocket. "From what I can see, you don't have anywhere to go." He looked away from me again and I shook my head, practically feeling his shame. "And that's nothing to be ashamed of. I don't know why you're out there, what caused all of this but I do know that I'm not going to leave you out here while you're hurt."
"A shelter?" He scoffed and I raised an eyebrow at him. "They don't give a shit about you, especially if you're a guy." He shook his head, wincing slightly at the movement. "There's a reason I only go there when I've got no other choice."
"Well, it's a good thing that's not where we're going then, isn't it?" I smirked, helping him to his feet slowly as he watched me warily. "Don't look at me like that." I chuckled lightly, shaking my head. I was probably throwing him into a bigger state of confusion than the one he was in before but then again, in my book, it was better than leaving him out here.
The cab pulled up to where we were standing and I opened the door, holding it open for him. I knew I was taking an enormous risk in doing this and some part of me knew that it was a stupid idea but I really didn't care. He didn't trust me. I could see that in the way he was watching me and his body language told me that he'd probably been on his own for a long time.
I looked up at the sky, knowing it was going to piss it down in a matter of moments.
"It's going to rain soon." I told him softly and he glanced upwards. "The choice is yours. Stay out here, freeze and get drenched while going hungry or you can come with me, get some clean clothes, a shower, some hot food and a warm bed." He bit his lip, weighing up his options. "It's up to you."
He looked up and down the street and I could tell the cabbie was getting impatient. I told him I'd pay him double if he'd wait. That shut him up quickly.
I looked back and saw that he had taken a few steps towards me, still looking nervous. I stepped away from the door not wanting him to feel cornered. He climbed into the cab, scurrying over to the other side, pressing himself against the door on the other side of the car.
I told the cabbie my address and he took us there without any real complaint. He was probably cussing us out in his mind but as long as he didn't say anything out loud, that was fine with me.
When we pulled up to my house, I threw a wad of cash at the driver and climbed out, opening the door for . . . mental note: ask his name.
He looked up at me cautiously before climbing out of the cab, which peeled out of the driveway as though he was on the run.
"Come on." I turned and walked up the driveway and unlocked the door, turning to see him standing a couple of feet behind me. "If you take your shoes off in the hallway, I'll order some food. Pizza, okay?" I looked back and saw him standing there, looking around almost in awe and I couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he'd been in a house. "You okay?" I asked, stepping over to him but stopping a distance away.
"This is your home?" He asked and I nodded hanging my suit jacket up. "You realise how much of a stupid idea this is, right?"
"Why do you say that?" I asked, stepping around him to close the door. He looked at me, wide-eyed and I shrugged. "Letting the heat out. Now what makes you think that my giving a man a meal and a bed for the night is worse than leaving him to freeze and starve, right?"
"All, I'm saying is that I could be a . . . serial killer or something. You don't know anything about me." He was justified in his argument, I'll admit. But I had an argument of my own.
"Well, if you were a serial killer we would have met long before now." I chuckled and he looked confused. "I'm FBI." He took a step back and I chuckled again. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble or anything. I meant what I said when I said that I didn't want to leave you on the ground."
"You expect me to believe that?" He didn't trust me and I didn't blame him. He was a homeless man who had been taken into the home of a stranger who just so happened to be a member of the FBI.
I didn't blame him for being wary.
"Put it this way, if you were in trouble – even despite the fact that I don't even know your name – I wouldn't have brought you to my home." I sighed running my hands through my hair. "We'd been en route to the FBI building and not standing in my entrance hall. But if you really want to sleep outside, you're welcome to go." I gestured towards the door before walking into the kitchen and picking up the phone, dialling the pizza place.
I didn't hear the door while I was on the phone, so I guessed he hadn't left. I put the phone back on the base and placed my gun and badge on the side.
"Jasper." I heard a small voice behind me. I turned to see him standing in the doorway that led into the kitchen. Even though he was the same height as me, if not slightly taller, he looked so small. He was hunched over, his fingers playing with the frayed cuffs of the threadbare sweater he was wearing. His eyes were fixed on the ground as though it held the answers to all of his questions. "My name is Jasper."
"Well, Jasper, I'm Edward." He looked up at me and I gave him a small smile which he returned. "Pizza will be here in about half an hour. Vegetarian alright with you?" He nodded slowly, probably waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Did you want to take a shower before it gets here?"
"You don't have to-"
"I want to." I cut him off and his eyes flew to the ground like he'd been scolded. I wondered what had happened to him. He displayed behaviour of someone who'd had an extremely strict upbringing. He was jumpy, didn't make or maintain eye contact and he kept himself hunched over, trying to make himself seem smaller, less noticeable. "Come on." I walked past him and he practically jumped away from me. I carried on, knowing he probably wouldn't want attention brought to his actions. I could hear him following me a little way behind me.
I led him into the bathroom and showed him where everything was and showing him how to work the shower. I swear, that thing still confuses me sometimes.
"Just let me grab you something to wear and I'll be right back." I turned and walked into my bedroom, grabbing a t-shirt and some sweats out of one of the drawers and walked back into the bathroom. "You seem to be the same size as me, so I grabbed you a couple of things."
"Why are you helping me?" He asked, his eyes downcast. "I mean, you don't know me. You have no reason to help me."
"I know." I shrugged and he looked up at me, his eyes showing nothing but confusion. "But I want to." He looked down again and I took a breath. "You're not used to that, are you?" Again, confusion. "People wanting to help you, I mean?"
"Not anymore." He whispered and I felt my heart ache for him.
"Get cleaned up." I said softly, moving back towards the door. "Food should be here by the time you're done."
He nodded, not meeting my gaze. "Thank you." His whisper was so soft, I didn't think I was supposed to hear it.
When I get down to the kitchen, I grabbed the phone, hitting the speed dial.
"Hunter."
"Hey, James, it's Edward." I ran my hand through my hair. "You know that vacation time you've been bugging me to take?"
"Sure I do." He laughed and I smirked at his tone.
"Something's come up and I need to take a few days." I bit my lip, knowing that it was short notice and I really needed to go through the proper channels but part of me didn't really want to leave Jasper. "Not going to be a problem, is it?"
"Should be fine." I heard him shuffling some things around. "I'll get everything sorted for you tomorrow. Must be pretty important for you to take time off."
"You could say that, yeah." I looked up at the ceiling, knowing that there was a man who had probably not had a decent wash or meal in a while.
"How long to you need?" He asked and I thought for a moment.
"A week, maybe?" It came out as more of a question.
"No problem." I felt my body relax with his words. "See you in a week, then."
"Thanks, bye." I hung up, placing the phone back in the base before I heard the sound of someone walking up the driveway.
I made my way to the door as someone rang the bell. I looked through the peephole, seeing my cousin Riley standing there. He obviously knew that I was there as he waved at me and I rolled my eyes, silently groaning.
I loved Riley. I really did. But there was only so much I could take of him. He was one of the most flamboyant people I knew and he didn't care what people thought of him.
"Hey, Eddie!" He grinned and I sighed, not able to stop the smile appearing on my face. It was an innate gift of Riley's. When he was happy, so was everyone else around him. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" He asked, a pout appearing on his face.
I bit my lip, glancing upstairs, knowing that Jasper – as nervous as he was already – would probably freak out with someone else in the house.
"It's probably not a good idea." I said softly and he smirk, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Nothing like that." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "It's just . . . he's really nervous. Jumpy, you know?"
"And you think I'll scare him?"
"Honestly? Yes." He laughed and I smiled along with him. "I just don't want to scare him or freak him out any more than he already is."
"Alright." He nodded, understanding with what limited knowledge he had. "But you will tell me what's going on soon. Not an option."
"Maybe." I conceded and he laughed again, knowing that he wouldn't get anything else out of me. He turned, starting to walk back out of the driveway. "Thanks, Riley. I really appreciate it."
"No problem." He laughed, waving me off as he walked away. He only lived two minutes away so it was probably a spur of the moment idea for him to come and see me.
I closed the door, realising that the shower had turned off upstairs. I hoped that Jasper felt a bit better after getting cleaned up. As I made my way into the kitchen, making myself a coffee and grabbing Jasper a glass of water, I heard him creeping down the stairs. It was like he was afraid to make any noise.
But then again, maybe he was.
I didn't want to startle him, so I stayed in the kitchen, waiting for him to approach me. I turned to face him as he stopped in the doorway.
His hair was still wet, plastered to his head and skin was now clear of all the mud and grime that had coated it before.
"How're you feeling?" I asked and he let out a breath, clearly not used to someone talking to him and asking him questions about his wellbeing.
"Better. Thank you."
"Good." I noticed that he had his clothes in his hands as he stood there. He clung onto the, as though they were a life preserver. "Want me to put your clothes in the wash?" I asked and his grasp seemed to tighten on them. "You're going to get them back, don't worry about it." I paused as the doorbell rang. "Hold that thought."
I made my way past him, making sure to leave a slightly wide berth so that he wouldn't feel threatened. I thanked my training for allowing me to know when to push and when to allow boundaries to stand.
I opened the door to see the pizza guy standing there with the two pizzas I'd ordered. I paid the guy, thanked him and turned to see Jasper standing there behind me with my mug of coffee and the glass of water I'd poured for him. His clothes were no longer in his hands and I wondered where he'd put them.
"I put them on the floor in the kitchen," he said softly, not looking at me. "Is that okay?" He bit his lower lip, clearly looking for approval. From what I knew about his behaviour, he'd grown up in an extremely strict household, possibly military. Type of a household where you put a toe out of line and there were serious repercussions.
"That's fine." I nodded and he gave me a ghost of a smile. "Come on, sit down." He nodded but didn't move. I walked into the living room, placing the boxes on my coffee table. I pulled out two coasters and slid them in front of him. He placed the mug and glass down on them.
I opened the boxes and gestured for him to help himself as I did.
"Any reason for the vegetarian?" He asked softly, watching me as I made my way through my first slice.
"Work in my job, you get turned off meat." I answered and he looked confused as he seemed to copy my movements. "You see dead bodies often enough, the sight, smell anything to do with meat." I shook my head, indicating it wasn't something I wanted to talk about while I was eating. "You alright over there?"
"I don't really . . ."
"This is your first pizza, isn't it?" I asked and he looked down, nodding slowly. "Don't worry. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's easy. Just pick it up and eat it with your hands."
We didn't really talk after that but he picked up how to eat a slice of pizza with minimal spillage. I told him to stay where he was while I cleared everything away. Although all it meant me doing was throwing the boxes in the recycling. Not exactly strenuous stuff but there we go. I didn't really want him to feel obligated to do anything because I'd made the decision I had.
"Jasper?" I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I thought of what I was going to say. "I guess you can tell I don't do this . . . ever. I don't go around splitting up alleyway fights and bringing someone home. It's not something I do."
"So why me?" He asked, not looking at me. Guy had a serious aversion to eye contact.
"Honestly? I don't know." I shook my head. "There was just . . . something about you. I don't know what it was but . . . I couldn't leave you there."
"Maybe you should have." He whispered, his hands fisting.
"Why?"
"Because I'm not good enough."
That statement didn't really confuse me. It was a clear sign of self-esteem issues which I was sure wasn't uncommon with those who lived on the street. Whatever put him there had done a real number on him.
"Why do you say that?" I asked, keeping my voice soft and calm. I didn't want him to feel pressured.
"Would anyone worth anything be living on the street?" His eyes finally flew up to meet mine. I could see the hurt that was flowing in them and I knew that it was only a matter of seconds before he clammed up on me. I'd seen it too many times before not to know the signs of a victim – because that's what it seemed he was, a victim of circumstance – when they've been pushed that little bit too far.
"Depends on what put you there." I shrugged and he looked at me, his brow furrowing. "Anything nowadays can have you end up on the streets. People are losing their jobs, can't pay the rent, miss mortgage payments and don't have anywhere else to go. People with mental disorders that aren't understood, can't hold down a job, nowhere else to go. Maybe runaways. Teenagers being kicked out." He looked away from me at my last words. "You were kicked out, weren't you?" He let out a breath, closing his eyes before nodding.
"The only one who really put up a fight when he kicked me out was my sister. I didn't have any money, no phone, nowhere to go. I tried to call her but my parents paid her cell phone plan. When I tried to call her, the number wasn't in use anymore." I nodded, hating that he'd been through something like that. "She was the only one who cared."
I made up my mind then and there, there was one person I knew who might be able to find Jasper's sister. And all I needed to do was make a call in the morning.
Hopefully, he would still be here in the morning.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
