Disclaimer: Can't you see me? How depressed and broke I am? Of course I don't own Twilight or any of its characters! Gah!


A Softer Side

Jasper x Alice

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I couldn't help but stare—something I found myself doing a lot of with the Cullens as of late—as Alice and Jasper made their way out of the building.

Edward and I had taken to escaping the jailhouse quickly and then waiting alone for his siblings to gather; splitting up so that Alice could come over to my house with me and placate my father while Edward and I spent our time together.

It was a fairly regular thing, yet I still found myself staring at and studying these ethereal beings I was hesitantly beginning to call my family.

I shifted, leaning against Edward's arm and placing myself more snugly against his silver Volvo as I refocused my attention on the pixie-like girl I easily called my sister and the tall, blonde-haired man I was slightly unsure about.

Alice had always been optimistic, friendly, and bubbling over with happiness and excitement.

Jasper, on the other hand, was rather cold, quiet, and distant.

I wondered how two seemingly completely different people could come together as easily as these two vampires—I shivered subconsciously at the still unfamiliar word—seemed to be able to. After glancing at the granite sculpture of Adam that cooled my arm, I resettled my thoughts; stranger things had happened in this bizarre little Garden of Eden.

When I returned my gaze to the front of the school, I was caught off-guard.

As the couple weaved their way around students—meeting up with and trailing behind the bear and the supermodel—a chilled wind had blown Alice's scarf out of place.

No, I'm not crazy; that wasn't the thing that surprised me.

When Alice flipped it back up into its fashionably chosen spot, she unexpectedly hit Jasper in the face—I don't think even Alice saw it coming. Jasper looked so surprised; it nearly gave me a heart attack. I had never seen one of the Cullens caught off-guard before, let alone Jasper.

Alice glanced at him, equally surprised and suppressing a laugh, when Jasper turned to her—almost too quickly—and snapped at the space near her neck playfully, smiling down at her before the both of them reverted back to their neutral "human expressions".

Now that scared me.

I looked up in alarm at Edward, whispering my surprising revelation—at least it was surprising to me—in fear of the objects of my study hearing and knowing very well that Edward have no trouble catching my words.

"Do Alice and Jasper do that a lot?" I knew he had watched me watching his siblings and would understand my train of thought.

"Surprising, isn't it? Jasper has a softer side too, you know." The amused sarcasm in his velvety tone soothed my startled nerves, but I couldn't help looking back at them—just to see if it really happened.

I breathed a little sound of wonder as they approached—knowing that I hadn't been quiet enough as Alice's eyes sparkled at me peculiarly and Jasper's lip curled up slightly.

A softer side, huh? The Garden of Eden never lacks a surprise.