I should be shot for this. It's the most random idea for a story I've ever had. I really enjoyed writing it though. If you have any ideas for other scenes I could put in here, or sequels you'd like to see, feel free to mention them.
Just as a side note, I loathe the Twilight universe. The only characters I like, and this is because I've constructed my own versions of reality for them, are Edward, Carlisle, Jasper, Alice, and Caius. I can work with the others, but I prefer writing for these characters. Never have published any of them, though, aside from Loss of Control. I took it down to edit it and it got lost amongst all my other work. Oh well.
Enjoy!
Jasper took a deep breath, smelling the salty air. He was enamored with the ocean. He had been for a long time, and only he and Caius knew why. Caius was one of the leaders of the Volturi, and he and Jasper had had many adventures together, unbeknownst to either the other Volturi or Jasper's family.
Jasper really only had a family because of Caius. The white-haired Halfling brought the southern bred one to Carlisle. It was nice, but there were currently two problems. One, Carlisle didn't know he was a Halfling. Two, Carlisle didn't know how dangerous it was for Jasper to be near the ocean. Jasper grabbed the necklace around his neck. It was a see through ball, with a circle of green in the middle that took up a large part of the ball. It was a very special necklace, and that green stuff was dangerous, which was why it was sealed up nice and tight inside the ball.
"Heya Jazz!" Emmett said walking over.
"Emmett," Jasper greeted calmly, hiding the necklace in his shirt again.
"Whatcha got there?"
"Nuthin'."
"Must be that necklace of yours," the bigger boy said.
Jasper shrugged.
"Why is it so important to you?"
"I just don' want it to break," Jasper said softly.
"Can I at least see it?"
"No. You'll break it."
"C'mon Jazz!"
"No."
Emmett huffed and left. But not too far; Jasper didn't know how far away he was because of the sand. As he stood behind a rock, he spied on his brother. And he heard these words, said softly, but very clearly.
"My soul cries out for thee
Oh Rapture, city of my dreams
Deep down under the waves
Surrounded by sea bream.
"Please let me see your halls
And let the angels sing
Let me taste their golden blood
As they fall from upon a wing.
"Let me see all my sisters
Playing daily with glee
And let me find a daddy
That will help to set me free.
"Let me drink the Adam
That oozes from within me
And let me see the Eve
The guiding light for daddy.
"Please, oh Rapture, bring me back
To my real family
Who understands my struggles
And who will never leave me."
Jasper fell silent, staring out to the ocean. Emmett felt moved by that poem. It was full of longing, a deep, deep longing that Emmett feared he would never know. It was more intense than his own longing for Rosalie. It was as if a part of Jasper remained in this Rapture that he spoke of. Emmett watched as Jasper lowered his head, and suddenly he realized how private a moment this was supposed to be. Jasper obviously didn't expect anybody to hear that.
The southern vampire took the necklace off and held it up. Emmett nearly gasped out loud. Jasper had lowered his lips to the ball and the green stuff inside started glowing.
Jasper pulled it back from his lips, staring deeply into the green. He was struggling not to break it himself. That wondrous green stuff was Adam. It was only a little bit, but it was enough to awaken the slug in his belly. Then he would start producing Adam, which would be an immediate effect. And he would start reverting back into a little child, but before he was little again, he would swim to Rapture and be brought back into Splicer hell. Because as long as two Splicers were alive, one male and one female, they would breed like rabbits until there were a certain number of them. Nobody knew that number.
He sighed and slipped the chain back on his neck. He had a family. Or he was supposed to. He felt like he had brothers, a sister, and a mother. But a father? He had horrible memories of his own father. He didn't want another one. That hurt Carlisle. Bad. But Jasper was hesitant to view him as his father. In fact, that had affected his life as a Little Brother. He had never been attracted to the Big Daddies, which made it hard for him to collect Adam from the angels.
Jasper sighed. He wished he could ask Carlisle to move them away from these depthless waters. He didn't want to be a Little Brother again. Well….A part of him actually did. He'd had plenty of sisters and a momma who showered him with affection. And Caius was his brother, wrestling with him and laughing at his jokes. He smiled, remembering clearly the fun they had finding the angels and defending each other from Splicers. A thought dropped the smile off of his face and he put his necklace back into his shirt. Rapture was probably dead anyway, filled with nothing but Splicers.
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"Give it back Emmett!" Jasper roared.
"No! You broke my game station! Now I get to break something of yours!"
"No!" Jasper looked terrified. "Please, Emmett! Please, I beg you! You can break anything but that! Please, break me if you must, but don't break my necklace!"
Emmett narrowed his eyes then, with all his vampire strength, threw the ball on the hardwood floor. The floor shattered, but so did the ball, and Jasper screamed in fear as the Adam began creeping toward him. Emmett had started to laugh, but his jaw dropped when he saw the green mass moving.
"What the hell is that stuff?!" he asked, reaching down to touch it. He yelled and leaped back as it burned him.
Jasper shot into the kitchen and got a dish with a lid. As soon as he picked the thing up, it glowed fiercely and tried crawling up his arm toward his mouth. He tossed it into the dish and sealed it tight. Breathing heavily, he looked up at Emmett, his bottom lip trembling.
"Look at what you've done! You've sent me back to the bottom of the ocean!" Jasper screeched.
He ran upstairs and slammed the door to his room. He swallowed and grabbed his cell phone. He dialed the numbers frantically and waited breathlessly until Caius answered.
"Jasper?"
"Emmett broke it."
"Broke what?"
"My necklace. Go check on yours."
There was silence for a moment then Caius said, "It was shattered. The Adam's in my hand. You got yours?"
"It's in a dish in my lap. Why?"
"We're damned now, so we might as well do this together."
Jasper smiled and took the wriggling green mass out and held it above his head. "Ready?" he asked.
"Three, two, one!"
They both simultaneously placed the Adam into their mouths and swallowed. They were immediately connected and they both shuddered hard as they felt the slugs awaken. There was a rush and Jasper moaned softly.
"I'm going to be throwing up Adam again soon. When can we meet? I don't want Carlisle to know."
"I'm stuck here for about a month. Hold off your physical changes for as long as you can. If you start to change go to Rapture without me and head straight for the house. If there are any Little Sisters there…take care of them."
"I will. Bye."
Jasper carried the bowl and lid down to the sink and washed them by hand. He already felt the fog of beauty and peace surrounding him that followed all of the Little Children. He shook it off as he dried the dish and put it away. Emmett was in the doorway watching him.
"Where'd the green thing go?"
"I got rid of it."
"Why was it crawling after you?"
Because it's naturally attracted to a hibernating Adam slug. It wants to wake it up. Jasper thought, but he said, "I don't know."
"What did you mean that you were going to be sent to the bottom of the ocean?"
"You upset me. I was speaking poetically."
"Speaking of poems, Jazz, I—"
The door opened and Rosalie stormed in, Edward laughing behind her. Rosalie's hair was a mess and she looked absolutely pissed. Jasper looked over and felt his eyes turn yellow. She was gorgeous.
"Oh, Rose, you look beautiful today," he said dreamily.
"Get lost Jasper!" she spat.
Jasper shook his head. "No, I mean it. Your hair is pretty like that. Imagine what it would look like in curls. You should curl your hair more often, though you can't really surpass your own beauty."
His eyes turned back to normal just as everybody looked at him. Rosalie narrowed her eyes.
"Do you mean it?"
"Course," Jasper said, smiling. "Now go curl your hair. I want to see it like that."
She studied him then brightened, skipping up the stairs. Emmett and Edward stared at him, mouths agape.
"What the hell was that about?!" Emmett demanded.
"I can't compliment my sister?" Jasper asked, hiding his embarrassment.
"Well…But you sounded weird, like you're coming on to her. Rosalie is mine, bro," Emmett said possessively.
"I know. I was just complimenting her. And I'm still upset from you breaking my necklace, so I can sound however I want."
"Wait, you broke his necklace?" Edward asked.
Jasper left them and went outside to stand near the ocean, which was practically in their backyard. He filtered the sensation through the bond with Caius and Jasper felt him relax. He stood there until Carlisle touched his shoulder as the morning sun peeked over the horizon.
"Are you alright, Jasper?"
"Yes, Carlisle."
"You can call me Dad if you'd like."
"No, thanks."
Carlisle's emotions were nothing but hurt at that moment. But he kept on talking.
"Emmett told me he broke your necklace."
"Yeah."
"Has he apologized?"
"No. And it doesn't matter if he does, anyway. The damage is done."
"Come on, let's get an apology from Emmett anyway."
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Jasper was kneeling in front of the toilet, heaving his guts out. At least, that's what it felt like. He hadn't produced Adam in about forty years. His throat wasn't used to throwing up Adam anymore. It did, however, taste amazing, and purging his stomach was taking so long because he kept swallowing some of the Adam when it got to his mouth.
His family was gone. Esme, Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett were hunting, and Carlisle was at work. At least, Jasper thought he was at work. But just as another wave came up, he heard the door open and Carlisle call out for him. There was no doubt that Carlisle heard the retching, because within three seconds he was up and knocking on the door.
"Jasper, son, what's wrong?" The doctor wriggled the knob, but the door was locked.
"I'm fine, Carlisle," Jasper choked out then heaved again.
Blessedly, that was the last wave. He had no more Adam in him, other than the slug. He cleaned up and flushed the toilet. He really didn't want to face Carlisle on the other side of that door. But he took a deep breath and opened it. He was immediately grabbed and dragged into Carlisle's office.
"Sit down." Jasper obeyed, playing with his hands. Carlisle dragged a chair over in front of him. "Jasper," he stated solemnly. "What just happened?"
"I don't know," Jasper muttered. "Bit of blood that didn't agree with me, I guess."
"Jasper," Carlisle sighed. "Please, talk to me."
"There's nothing to talk about. Besides," he added before he could stop himself. "You probably wouldn't believe me."
"How do you know that though?"
There was silence. Jasper wanted to cry, but instead, he stood and walked out of the office.
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Jasper felt like he was going to burst. He needed to vomit up the Adam, but Carlisle was keeping a close eye on him since the last time he threw up. He finally went for a swim, going as deep as he could, and released the contents of his stomach. He surfaced when he thought he was done and walked over to his towel and sat down. Carlisle came over to him.
"You okay?"
"Yes," Jasper said softly, looking away.
Carlisle wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Jasper didn't bother to move it. Suddenly his stomach rumbled and he moaned, trying to lunge back to the water.
"Jasper! What's wrong?" Carlisle asked, holding him in place.
Jasper turned to tell him and ending up heaving the Adam out all over Carlisle's lap. The good doctor yelled and surged to his feet. Jasper blushed, acutely ashamed of himself, and he ran to the house. He slammed the door of his room and pulled the curtains closed. Collapsing on his bed, he hid his face in his pillow. About ten minutes later there was a knock on his door. Jasper didn't move.
"Jasper?" Carlisle asked, walking in. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes," came the muffled response.
"Jasper! Why are you lying?"
"I'm not," Jasper said as he sat up; he kept his eyes locked on the floor as he lied. "It's just an old problem I have from Maria's army. It's come back with a vengeance, it seems."
"Why didn't you tell me that?" Carlisle asked softly.
"I didn't want you to worry," Jasper muttered, feeling embarrassed.
"Is there anything we can do?"
"You won't have to worry about it in a couple weeks."
"That's good. Now, you want to come outside again?"
"Sure."
Later that day, everybody was gearing up to go hunting. Jasper was downstairs and Carlisle came up behind him.
"Would you like to come with us? You've been hunting alone lately. Maybe catching a deer with your family will help you."
Jasper felt his eyes turn yellow. "No! I don't want deer, I want an angel!" he said, his voice higher than normal. His eyes turned normal and he sat still, completely mortified. There was silence from his family.
"What the fu—?" Edward started, but he stopped short when Carlisle spun around and glared at him.
"Language!" he snapped.
"Oh, come on!" Edward exclaimed. "What the hell does that even mean?"
"It has something to do with a place called Rapture," Emmett said.
Jasper turned to look at him, forcing himself to look confused. "What? Where's that?"
"Somewhere in the ocean, according to you."
"What does this Rapture have to do with angels?" Edward asked.
"'Please let me see your halls
And let the angels sing
Let me taste their golden blood
As they fall from upon a wing.'"
"And?"
"That's what he said about angels," Emmett said with a shrug.
"Let's go hunting," Jasper said abruptly, standing and heading for the door.
"Jasper, what is this about Rapture?" Carlisle asked, catching his shoulder. Jasper turned to look at the older vampire. He sounded like he knew about Rapture.
"Nothing. Just something I heard the Volturi talking about once."
"Jasper—"
"I'm thirsty."
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Even though he had fought it valiantly, his clothes were getting too loose within three weeks of swallowing that first little bit of Adam. He penned a note to his family, who were all gone from the house, and went out. He stripped naked and dove into the water, beginning the long, intense trip to Rapture. He swam and swam diving deep into the chilly waters. It was eventually so dark that he could see nothing. But he instinctively knew where Rapture was and sure enough, the first day of the fourth week since he'd swallowed Adam found him forcing open a bathysphere door and stepping into the halls. The first whiff of air sent shudders of remembrance through him. The door snapped shut behind him and he stood naked in the halls.
He walked silently through the halls which were smaller than he remembered. Then again, he was a child most of the time while here. He found himself in Arcadia, and he strolled through the gardens, taking in large breaths of fresh air. He giggled, feeling extremely childish. He heard hard stomping and hurried over to peek around the corner. It was a Big Daddy, and with him was a Little Sister. He strolled up to them and the Big Daddy's glowing parts became orange in warning. The Little Sister hid behind him then sniffed the air. She came out and stared at him. He smiled, his own eyes turning yellow. She was a beautiful little girl, with curls of red and eyes of green. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
"Little Brother?" she asked.
"Hi Little Sis," Jasper said.
His voice came out so childlike that Jasper could swear he felt himself shrinking. In fact, he was. Now that he was in Rapture, the changes happened quicker and by the time they got to the vent that led to home, he was the size of the Little Sister. His mind was so foggy that he knew it was a matter of hours before he lapsed into the state of fully being a Little Brother.
When he stepped into the room, there were lots of Little Sisters there, all with beautiful eyes of blue and green and brown and hazel. Their hair was of every shade possible. He smiled then his eyes shut down for a moment. They were all suddenly grey skinned with dark hair and fully yellow, glowing eyes. He knew he looked very similar. He took a deep breath. He knew that whatever he saw in Rapture wasn't the full truth. And he wouldn't remember that as a child. His eyes turned yellow again.
"Momma!" the Little Sister holding Jasper's hand called.
A woman came out, beautiful and young. "Yes, little one? Oh! Who do you have there?"
"He needs clothes, Momma! He's naked."
"I can see that. Come here, child," she said, gesturing at Jasper.
He followed her into a back room and she pulled out a pair of trousers. Jasper clapped.
"Those are mine, Momma!" he said excitedly.
"I know. Are you Jasper or Caius?"
"Jasper," came the reply. "Brother has white hair. It turns red because of the angels."
"I see. Now put these on," Momma said, handing Jasper the trousers. He pulled them on and they fit perfectly. "Good boy. Now do you want to go hunt for Adam?"
Jasper looked and her and grabbed his stomach. "My belly's full, Momma."
"Oh! Well, Grandmother's Adam tank is over here. Come on little one."
Jasper climbed up the stepladder and, looked into the tank. There was hardly any in there. He suddenly felt his stomach clench and Adam poured from his mouth. He threw up all he had then settled back and yawned as his Momma wiped his mouth.
"I'm tired, Momma," he said sluggishly.
Momma led him over to his old bed and he snuggled down into the beautiful silk sheets. He sighed and drifted off to sleep.
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When Caius arrived, Jasper leaped at him and hugged him, ignoring the fact that he was naked. Momma clothed him then the white haired child gave up the Adam in his stomach into the tank. Instead of falling asleep, like Jasper had, he dragged the younger child to the vents and Momma shouted at them.
"Where are you going?"
"Adam hunting!" Caius said proudly. "Don't worry Momma, we'll protect each other."
"Be safe."
They raced through the halls, sniffing around for angels. They finally found some fresh ones, a whole group of them. Jasper settled down next to a female angel and breathed in deeply. She smelled lovely. He lowered his mouth to her throat and pierced the flesh. He began to suck. The both of them filled their bellies then moved to a vent. Jasper was suddenly grabbed and he flailed helplessly in the Splicer's arm. He let out a wail and Caius leapt from the vent, teeth bared.
Little Brothers were not only made to gather Adam. They were also made to protect Little Sisters. Jasper and Caius were fierce fighters and could dismember hundreds of Splicers if they attacked a Little Sister. The big flaw in their design, though, was that they were helpless if left by themselves. Their conditioning did not allow for them to fight to free themselves. That was why Jasper and Caius went off with each other. Caius had no problems with the Big Daddies, but as much as the hulking brutes were attracted to Jasper, he was not attracted to them and refused to go anywhere with them. So the two Little Brothers had teamed up, going out together and defending each other.
Caius tore the Splicer's heart out then sniffed the body after it had collapsed. "Split an angel?"
"Must go straight home after that," Jasper said with a nod.
They sucked the Splicer dry and hurried through the vents to home. They refused to stop for the Little Sisters who wanted to play and sprang up on the stepladder. Standing side by side, they emptied most of their stomach out, but kept a little to fuel themselves. Hopping down, they went over and began to play dolls with their sisters. They played the Big Daddies and the Little Sisters played themselves. Momma came in to tuck them in. They whispered together until Momma got on to them then settled down to sleep.
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"I need to know more about Rapture," Carlisle said, staring at Aro and Marcus.
"Rapture? That city is long dead," Aro said dismissively.
"Just tell me more about it."
"Fine," Aro said softly. "Though Caius is the one who knows the most about Rapture. Or at least he claims he does." He cleared his throat. "Rapture was a city built at the bottom of the North Atlantic ocean, conceived of and built by a man named Andrew Ryan. The construction on it began in 1945 after the second World War. Nobody on the surface is sure when it was finished, though it is believed to be in the early 1950s. Not much else is known about it though. The citizens and leaders of Rapture were very secretive about their fair city. Caius claims he's been there, and that we definitely shouldn't go. I think he's lying, personally."
"Do we know where it is?" Carlisle asked, staring unblinkingly at the Volturi leaders.
"We know the approximate location, but it's at the bottom of the ocean. It's too dark even for us to see."
"I'll take my chances," Carlisle said.
An hour later he was swimming close to the surface of the ocean, just deep enough not to be spotted. He was in a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and his doctor's coat. He had gotten home and came straight to the Volturi.
A month ago he had come home to find a note from Jasper. It was extremely vague, telling his family that he was going for a long swim. A month was way, way too long, in Carlisle's opinion. He had been pacing his office, worrying, when he remembered the thing about Rapture. Jasper knew something about Rapture. He might have actually gone there. So Carlisle had gone to the Volturi, and now he was swimming to find Rapture. He would go anywhere for his son. He would do anything for him, too. And he was about to prove that statement either true…or false.
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Carlisle had been swimming in darkness for so long that he had forgotten light. So the first beam of light was a shock to him. He swam faster and went over a rise in the ocean floor to find a city. It looked well preserved. And he could see hulking old fashioned deep sea diving suits roaming around fixing the city, plugging the holes in the thick glass and using rivet guns to reseal metal plating. He watched for a few seconds then swam quickly to a door. He pulled the four plates apart and the water rushed in. The door snapped closed behind him.
He spent the first minute throwing up water. It was pure seawater. All of the blood had been used in his system. He coughed up the last little bit and shook himself off, taking a deep breath. He wrinkled his nose. The air smelled funny. As he breathed, his body began to tingle and with a shuddering gasp passing through his lips, his heart gave its first thump in over three hundred years. He pressed his hand over his heart, feeling it pound. He wasn't prone to cursing. He hated his children cursing. But curse he did.
"What the hell?!" he exclaimed softly.
There was a growl in front of him. What came out stood on two legs and had two arms. But the face was the ugliest, most deformed piece of human anatomy he had ever seen. The creature hissed and two more came out from behind a large piece of furniture. He was horrified. They approached him, holding up pipes. He felt his heart sped up and knew that at least some of his vampirism was gone. He was about to feel pain. He closed his eyes, bracing for impact, then heard the most horrible sound he could have at that moment.
"Mr. Bubbles, Mr. Bubbles, are you there? Are you there? Come and give me lollies, come and bring me toffees. Teddy bears…Teddy bears."
It was a child, her voice sweet. It certainly got the horrible creatures' attention. Carlisle was suddenly ignored as they shot off after the voice. He gasped and took off after him. He got to the child as she was grabbed mercilessly and shaken by the creatures. Her mouth was covered. Carlisle couldn't let them hurt her! He grabbed what looked like the leg of an ornate couch then snuck up behind the one holding her. Bringing the makeshift club down on his head, there was a crunch of bone breaking and he dropped, blood gushing onto the floor. As soon as the child was out of his hands, she screamed, long and loud.
There was a grinding metallic sound and one of those giants in the diving suits came through the door. Carlisle stood there stupidly as the being drilled into the middle of one of them, blood flying everywhere. The second one was hit with a burst of fire that came out of the gloved hand. He screamed until he was dead, collapsing on the floor. The hulking mass turned its attention to Carlisle, revving his drill threateningly.
"Stop, Mr. Bubbles!" called a voice. The creature stopped.
Carlisle turned to see another child. This one was male, holding the little girl. He had white hair.
"C-Caius?" Carlisle asked shakily.
"Yes, Carlisle. It is I. What are you doing down here?"
"I think my son Jasper is down here. Have you seen him?"
"Yes. He is home with most of our sisters. Why do you want him?"
"He's my son. I've come to bring him home."
Caius studied him for a few moments. "Let me ask you something, Carlisle. What are you willing to do for Jasper?"
"Anything," Carlisle answered immediately.
"Do you mean that?" Caius asked seriously.
"Yes. I would do anything for any of my children."
"But Jasper's anything is a lot different than the anythings of your other children."
"Your point?"
Caius stared at him for a minute. "How red is your coat going to get, I wonder."
"What?"
"Follow me. We must get you to Momma before I lose myself again. Come on, sister. Let's go home."
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The woman had a clutch of children behind her. She was pointing a revolver at Carlisle's head.
"Caius, what have you done? Why did you lead him here?"
"Momma, please. Carlisle is here for Jasper. He can help us get back to normal. He can return the girls to their homes."
"You are clear headed."
"Yes Momma. I know Carlisle. He says he's willing to do anything for Jasper, and I believe him."
"What is your definition of anything?" the woman asked the vampire, or whatever he was now.
"Anything that keeps him safe, that helps him. Anything to save him," Carlisle replied seriously.
"Would you kill for him?"
Carlisle immediately felt his conscience nag at him, but he said, "Yes."
"How many?"
Carlisle looked surprised. "Is there a set number for my love and protection?"
The woman lowered the gun. "Jasper, come here."
A little boy walked to stand in front of her. For the first time, Carlisle got a good look at one of the Little Children. He walked forward and knelt down, staring. Jasper's skin was grey, like death had taken over his body. His hair, usually honey blonde, was so filthy that it was brown. And his eyes were sickly yellow, and they glowed. He was wearing nothing but a pair of ragged trousers, and had no shoes. Carlisle reached for him, but the boy shied away, backing behind the woman. Caius walked over and grabbed Jasper's hand, leading him to Carlisle. Jasper fought him, whimpering.
"Come on, Jasper! Carlisle is your daddy!" Caius grunted, tugging hard on his brother's arm.
"I don't have a daddy," Jasper said, digging his heels into the floor. "I don't want a daddy!"
Carlisle gave a little moan and asked the question that had been haunting him. "Why, Jasper, why don't you want a daddy?"
Jasper moved forward so fast that Caius flew headfirst and, after releasing his brother, slammed into the wall. Jasper stood directly in front of Carlisle, staring in his eyes. The pure yellowness was weirding the vampire out.
"I don't want a daddy," the boy said firmly. "Because my first one hurt me."
"How did your daddy hurt you?" Carlisle asked gently.
"He beat me. With whips. And branders," Jasper said, his voice trembling. Tears slipped down his grey cheeks.
Carlisle pulled the boy close, enfolding him in his arms. "I would never do that to you."
"B-but the spankings…" Jasper sobbed.
"A spanking is not a beating. I do it only with my hand and I will hold you for as long as you like afterwards. Understand?"
Jasper shivered in his arms. "Yes…Papa."
Carlisle's heart soared. It had taken a trip to Rapture for Jasper to call him that. Apparently it was quite the big deal because the woman stared at him.
"Please, after he is asleep tonight, come to my room."
"I'm married," Carlisle said, arching an eyebrow.
"No, no, none of that. I shall explain Rapture to you. Splicers, Adam, Eve, plasmids. Then I shall make you an offer."
Carlisle agreed and that night he found himself knocking on her door. She invited him in and, after telling him her name was Angela Tenenbaum, she spoke until midnight on Rapture. His head felt like it was going to burst with all of the new, and quite disturbing, information. She finished up, like she said, with a proposal.
"And this is what I feel is best for both you and Jasper. I suggest you become his Big Daddy."
"I don't want to wear one of those suits," Carlisle said, wrinkling his nose.
"You won't. But you will splice up. According to my grandmother's notes, vampires cannot become addicted to Adam."
"Very well. If that is what's best for my Jasper, then that is what I shall do."
"Then tomorrow I shall make you a Big Daddy."
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Carlisle walked with Jasper thorough the rooms of Rapture. They hadn't run into any Splicers yet, but they had come across two angels. They were now looking for plasmids. Jasper sniffed the air and ran forward.
"Here you go, Papa!" he said, handing Carlisle a yellow bottle.
"Which plasmid is this, my child?"
"Insect Swarm."
Carlisle hummed and opened the bottle. He sniffed it. It smelled…strange. He swallowed nervously, knowing he was about to rewrite his genetic code. He downed it in three gulps. He suddenly felt as if every single inch of him was twisting apart. Then it felt like insects were crawling along every inch of him. Lastly, holes opened in his skin and bugs started crawling from one hole into the other. He shuddered, expecting to feel pain, but there was none. The shock of the genetic rewrite was a little too much for him. When he came to himself, he was lying on the floor, and Jasper was settled on his chest.
"You okay, Papa?" he asked.
"Yes, Jasper. I'm okay."
"Can I see your arm?"
Carlisle held out his modified left hand. Jasper poked a finger in a hole and watched as a bug crawled on it.
"Hello, buggy," Jasper said, petting it. "You belong to my Papa."
The insect buzzed, and the child put it back. Carlisle stood up and froze. He heard something. Tenenbaum had explained a week ago that most parts of vampirism were stopped by a chemical in the air. It had been developed by scientists trying to take down the vampires that had lived in Rapture many years ago. Since the air was constantly recycled, the chemical was still in effect. Though it made a vampire more human, some of their strength remained, plus some of their speed, and all of their sharp senses. And currently, Carlisle heard plaster cracking, which meant there was a Spider Splicer around.
The vampire had a pistol in his pants and a shotgun on his back, as well as all the ammo he could carry. He pulled the shotgun, conscience screaming at him not to kill again. But the Splicer was after his Jasper. Thinking strategically, he released a swarm, noticing how natural it seemed to do it. They shot to the ceiling and the Splicer fell to the ground. She started running around, swatting at the insects. When the swarm was gone, she noticed Jasper. She looked from him to Carlisle and snickered.
"This Big Daddy is rather small," she laughed.
"My Papa can kick your ass."
"Jasper!" Carlisle snapped, keeping his eyes on the Splicer, who was slowly inching toward him. "Language! And you are a child now. Children aren't supposed to curse. Do that one more time and you get a spanking when you get home."
"Aw, the little child is going to be punished," she cooed mockingly. "Let me speed that up!"
She lunged forward and Carlisle pulled the trigger. The boom from the gun was loud and her chest looked like it had exploded. She dropped to the ground, clearly dead. Carlisle swallowed and put another shell into the shotgun. He felt bad.
"Papa, you killed the bitch!" Jasper said gleefully.
Carlisle grabbed the Little Brother's arm and swatted his rear end three times. Jasper yelped.
"What did I just say?" Carlisle said sternly.
"N-not to curse!" Jasper moaned, trying to wriggle out of the vampire's grip.
"That's right. Now don't do it again. Come on. Let's go find some angels."
When they got home, they went straight to Tenenbaum. She stood from where she was helping one of the little ones dress.
"Did you find some angels?"
"And a Splicer! Papa kicked her ass!"
"Jasper!" Carlisle roared and the Little Sisters ran away from him. "Excuse us a moment, Angela."
Carlisle dragged Jasper to his own bed and stripped his pants off. Jasper wriggled away and stood a short distance away, cowering. Carlisle pointed to the floor next to him and the boy walked over slowly. He was pulled over the vampire's lap.
"Why are you about to get this spanking?"
"B-because I c-cursed," Jasper whimpered fearfully.
"Don't be afraid, Jasper," Carlisle said softly. "You're going to get a spanking, but I would never permanently harm you."
"Yes Papa."
The spanking was done quickly, Carlisle giving him fifteen swats, which was plenty for the little boy. Jasper was sobbing by the end of it and the vampire cuddled him, kissing his head. Jasper pressed his nose into Carlisle's neck, sniffing.
"Now, are you ready to give me some Adam?" Carlisle asked after five minutes.
"Yes Papa."
Jasper put his pants on and they were about to go to Tenenbaum when she cleared her throat. She and the Little Sisters had watched, gathered together.
"You are a very good father, Carlisle," she said softly.
"Thank you. Sometimes I wonder," Carlisle admitted. "Now, how do we transfer the Adam from him to me?"
"There are two ways to do it. He processes Adam and throws it up into a vat. You could simply drink it from there. But to skip that step, you can place your mouth against his and he can throw up directly in your mouth."
Carlisle looked disgusted. "Why would I choose that?"
"You might not have a choice. Out in the field, Jasper will probably have to do this, so you might as well get used to it now."
Carlisle wrinkled his nose as he thought about it. She was right.
"Very well. Come here Jasper."
The vampire thought about the situation as his son walked over to him. He had an idea of how to do it. If they did it where Jasper pressed his mouth against his, it would end in a mess and Carlisle wouldn't get very much Adam. But if he lifted Jasper over his head, he could chug the Adam as it was—Carlisle shuddered—thrown up into his mouth.
He placed his hands under Jasper's arm and lifted him above his head. Opening his mouth, Carlisle lowered Jasper down. The boy opened his own mouth and pressed it against Carlisle's. The vampire felt Jasper shudder and suddenly Adam was being poured into his mouth. All the disgust that he felt before vanished as the delicious taste of raw Adam hit his tongue. He gulped it down until he felt full then shook Jasper, who swallowed the Adam he had left in his mouth and stopped throwing up.
Carlisle wiped his mouth and smacked his lips. "Why is that stuff so tasty?"
"It just is. Especially to a Big Daddy. Did you feel the bond?"
"Not really. I sense something, but I haven't gone berserk like you said I would."
"Did Jasper scream?"
"No," Carlisle admitted.
"Then you won't have felt it yet. Did you find a plasmid?" she asked.
"Yes," Carlisle said, bringing forth the plasmid on his hand.
"Ah, Insect Swarm. I find that one to be most useful."
"Yes. It's especially good with Spider Splicers, I think. At least, it worked on the one that attacked us."
"Good, very good. Now, it is the children's bed time."
"Come along Jasper," Carlisle said, pulling him over to his bed.
Carlisle lay down and Jasper climbed on top of him. The Halfling sighed and snuggled close. He felt extremely safe with Carlisle.
"I love you, Papa."
The vampire felt his face soften. He loved hearing that from his children, and this was the first time Jasper had ever said it.
"I love you, too, my little soldier."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Carlisle was sprinting through the rooms. One second Jasper had been beside him, the next he was gone. And now, he heard his little boy screaming. He saw red, literally, and now he was sprinting toward the screams. He burst into the room and saw five Splicers around his boy. Carlisle shouted at them and told them, with several harsh curses, to get away from Jasper. They laughed at him and two of them ran toward him.
Carlisle threw fire at one and ice at another then slammed his fist into the second one. The ice shattered, scattering frozen bits of Splicer everywhere. Two of the others lunged at him, and he pulled his pistol and shot one of them in the head. The other one reached him before he could fire and he slipped the pistol into his pants again then grabbed the Splicer wrestling him to the ground. Carlisle pinned him with one hand and pulled out a pipe with the other. He violently beat the Splicer's head in then stood and put the pipe back in its holder. He faced the last Splicer, who was using Jasper as a shield.
"Put my son down," Carlisle hissed.
"No. Our leader wants him. He will produce much Adam for us."
Carlisle lunged forward and punched the Splicer in the head. The Splicer flew back, releasing Jasper. The vampire had enough strength to pull the Splicer to pieces. He only stopped when the screaming did. He stood there panting, surveying what he'd just done. He felt sick and began to cry in earnest. Jasper touched him.
"You saved me Papa," he said gently. "I'm okay. Don't cry."
Carlisle picked up Jasper. "No more angels for today, Jasper."
"Okay. Does Papa need Adam?"
"Yes please."
Once the transfer was over, they headed home. As they walked, Carlisle analyzed his actions. He realized with growing horror what he'd gotten himself into in agreeing to become a Big Daddy. What he'd just done screamed against what he believed. But he wasn't going to go back on it now. Jasper needed him. And like he'd told Caius, he would do anything for his children. And he meant anything.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tenenbaum told him one day that she had found her grandmother's papers on how to change Jasper and Caius back into their old selves. It would take time, she said, but she was sure she could make the machine. So time passed and she built prototype after prototype, but none of them seemed to work.
There was also the fact that Carlisle was changing. He was getting more violent with the Splicers, and he didn't feel as bad for killing them as he used to. When his Jasper would scream, he flew into a blind rage, killing everything he deemed hostile. His eyes would be fully red, as Jasper's were fully yellow, and he wouldn't calm down until he got home.
"Papa look! A pretty angel!" Jasper cried out.
Carlisle broke free from his thoughts and watched as his son rushed over to suck the blood and Adam out of the corpse. They were currently in Olympus Heights, trekking through the wreckage. He saw a group of ragged looking people. They weren't trying to attack him, so he stayed back, growling threateningly, and standing between them and his son. It was people like that that kept Rapture in order. They were actually cleaning up as best they could. He sighed and turned to Jasper…Jasper?!
"Jasper!" Carlisle bellowed. "Jasper, where are you?!"
There was no reply.
Jasper wandered through the halls, looking around. He sniffed around, smelling something familiar. He followed his nose to a room. He peeked inside, looking around. Suddenly hands grabbed him around his waist and lifted him up. He automatically let out a wail.
"Hey, calm down kid!" one of the males said.
"Papa!" Jasper shouted again.
He the people were around him and they were going to take him away from his Papa. He just knew it! He was delighted to hear the chk chk of a shotgun.
"Put him down now," came a dark voice.
"Dad?" Emmett asked, turning around and smiling. All of them were smiling…for about three seconds.
Carlisle's eyes had a pink glow around them. The glow faded and he stared at them as they stared at him.
To his family, Carlisle's appearance was sickening. He was disheveled, his clothes looking tattered. His hair was unkempt and every inch of him was filthy. But what they were horrified to see was the doctor's coat stained with blood. In fact, his clothes all had bloodstains on them. They didn't know what to think.
"What are you doing down here?" Carlisle demanded, sounding upset. He felt embarrassed by their staring.
"Looking for you and Jasper," Edward said. "Did you find him?"
Carlisle put the shotgun in the sling on his back and reached for the little boy in Emmett's hands. He shushed him gently, rocking him.
"No. There's no way that that's Jasper," Emmett said. "Jasper's nineteen. That boy can't be more than six."
"Carlisle, dear, what's going on?" Esme asked.
"It's…complicated."
"We've got time."
"Angels Papa," Jasper suddenly said, his tears gone. "I want more angels!"
"Very well, child of mine. Let's go find some angels."
"Angels? What are angels?" Rosalie asked.
Carlisle cringed. "You'll find out when we find one. We'll definitely find some. The Splicers in this area seem to be constantly killing each other."
"Splicers?" Emmett asked.
"Angel!" Jasper cried out, wriggling out of Carlisle's hands. He ran for…
"That's a corpse," Esme said, sounding disgusted.
"It's an angel," Carlisle said, walking over to Jasper and standing guard.
"It's clearly a corpse."
"He, Caius, and the Little Sisters don't see a corpse. They see an angel with golden blood."
"Just like in the poem!" Emmett exclaimed. "You know the one I told you about when Jasper disapp—"
"Quiet!" Carlisle barked, crouching down. Cracking plaster. He heard cracking plaster.
He pulled his shotgun, staring at the dark ceiling. He held out his left hand, which turned into the insects nest and he heard his family cry out in horror. He threw a swarm and they rushed up and split into two groups. Two Spider Splicers fell down and Carlisle rushed them. He blasted a hole in the nearest one's chest, but as he turned the gun to the second one, she knocked it from his hands. Carlisle changed his hand into Winter Blast, turning it blue with sharp icicles sticking out. He threw it, but missed and she sliced into his face with one of her hooks. He stumbled back, setting his hand on fire and, when he threw it, he finally hit her. He jerked the pipe out and bludgeoned her to death. He was breathing heavily when it was over.
"Um, Dad?" Edward asked in a small voice.
"Yes Edward?" Carlisle asked, not turning around.
"Your hand is on fire."
"Yes, it is."
"How are you doing that?"
"It's…complicated."
"You said that before," Esme said. "Are you just saying that or is it really complicated?"
"Fine. You want to know why my hand is on fire?" Carlisle asked. They nodded, and he took a deep breath. "My hand is on fire because I drank a plasmid. Plasmids cost Adam and are fueled by Eve. There are lots of different plasmids. Adam is the lifeblood of this crazy hellhole. Those creatures," he said, gesturing at the dead bodies. "Are Splicers. They're addicted to Adam, which caused their mental and physical deformity from excessive use, and will do anything to get it. Jasper is a Little Brother. His body produces Adam and he sucks the blood of angels to get it as well. Jasper will not defend himself, so I am his Big Daddy, or at least the equivalent of it. I protect him from Splicers. Clear enough for you?"
They were just staring at him. They looked flabbergasted. Jasper was happily sucking the blood from the new corpse that wasn't burned to a crisp.
"Um, Mom? It is that complicated," Emmett said softly.
"I can see that, honey."
Carlisle shifted uncomfortably under their gazes.
"Papa needs Adam?" Jasper asked.
Oh hell no, Carlisle thought. I am not going to tell the rest of my family that Jasper throws up in my mouth. Or that I enjoy it.
"No thank you, Jasper. More angels?"
"Too full, Papa," the little boy said, rubbing his belly. "Time to go home to Momma."
"Excuse me?" Esme demanded. "I'm right here. There is no reason to go home to see me."
"Not you, Esme. Angela."
"Who's Angela?"
"She takes care of the Little Children."
"Why is Jasper calling her Momma?" she asked, looking hurt. "He won't even call me that."
"He's mentally conditioned to call a female Tenenbaum Momma. It's nothing against you, love of my life. I promise. Now let's go before more Splicers show up."
As Jasper skipped ahead of them, the Cullens walked at a rapid pace. Esme sped up to walk beside her husband.
"Carlisle, you killed those people," she said softly. "Are you alright?"
"I've killed over three hundred of them, Esme. I'm fine."
She stopped short, and so did the rest of his family. He kept walking and stopped in front of a door. There was a child sized tunnel beside it and Jasper crawled through. A few seconds later, the door opened and they hurried through it. When he entered the children's sanctuary several doors later, Tenenbaum held a pistol in her hands, but she wasn't pointing it at him.
"Move Carlisle," she said, her German accent thick.
"They're my family, Angela. They would never hurt the children," Carlisle said.
"Do you swear it?"
"Yes. Upon my life."
She put the gun away and walked up to them. "Hello. I am Angela Tenenbaum."
His family introduced themselves while he snuck around the corner of a wall. He pulled Jasper up and held him above his head. They locked mouths and Jasper spit up Adam. Carlisle drank it down greedily. He was getting full when Edward spoke.
"What. In the hell. Are you doing?"
Carlisle jolted and pulled Jasper away, but he forgot to shake him, so Adam spilled all over the vampire's face. Carlisle shook him hard and Jasper swallowed then giggled.
"Papa has Adam everywhere."
"Yes, Jasper. Thank you for the observation," Carlisle muttered, feeling embarrassed.
"Was he just throwing up in your mouth?!" Rosalie asked in disgust.
"Um, yes."
"Why?"
Carlisle was handed a towel by a little sister, and he wiped his face thoroughly, stalling. He finally had to speak though.
"Well…it's Adam. I need the stuff to function with my plasmids. Jasper is my Little Brother. Ergo, I get most of my Adam from him. The best way to transfer it is for him to…do what he was doing. But don't worry. The Adam is in its raw form, so it tastes extremely good."
"So…you like his vomit?" Emmett said. They all looked disgusted.
"Yes, okay?" Carlisle shouted, his face hot.
He grabbed Jasper and walked over to his bed. He set Jasper down and stripped off his coat, tossing it on the headboard. He curled up next to Jasper, holding the boy close to his chest. Carlisle honestly felt humiliated. The throwing up thing had become so natural to him that he didn't think of it as gross anymore. Not only that, but they now knew his approximate kill count. But he knew his exact kill count. He fought back tears. He heard somebody approach him.
"Carlisle?" It was Esme. He didn't answer. "Carlisle please, I've never seen you like this."
"So what?" he asked, knowing he sounded like Edward.
"Dad, seriously, what's wrong?" Emmett asked.
Carlisle bit his bottom lip. "I promised I would do anything for any of my children. Jasper's anything isn't what I expected. It's changing me, Esme. I'm doing things I never thought I'd ever do. I've killed more than I knew I could."
He began to cry and Esme sat him up and pulled him close. Jasper pushed against her.
"My Papa," he said sharply.
"Hush Jasper," Carlisle whispered.
Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie didn't know what to think. They had never seen Carlisle cry before. To them, he was a rock. And now? They didn't know. Edward moved first, hugging his dad. Emmett and Rosalie joined him. Jasper was pressed in between them and jealousy threatened to strangle him. He screamed and the Little Sisters scattered, expecting danger. Caius didn't move. He was clear headed again.
"Jasper!" Carlisle exclaimed. "What are you shouting about?"
"You're my Papa!"
"I'm their father, too. You have to share me."
Jasper slammed his little fist into Carlisle's chest. The vampire gasped, jerking back. He could already feel a bruise forming.
"Jasper! Hit me again and you get a spanking."
Jasper jumped out of his lap and walked over to Caius."Stupid son of a bitch," he grumbled and Caius giggled.
"What was that, young man?"
"Nothing Papa," he said in a sickly sweet voice then mumbled a word that started with F and ended with ER.
"Come here."
"No!" Jasper spat. Carlisle leaped up, his tears gone. Jasper leaped into one of the vents and crawled backward far enough so that Carlisle couldn't get him. Carlisle stood peering into the vent.
"Come here, Jasper. You're just making it worse for yourself."
"No!"
Carlisle crossed his arms. "You have to the count of three. I will retrieve you if you don't and you will get thirty licks."
"No!"
"One." Jasper didn't move. "Two." The boy crawled further back. "Three."
Carlisle equipped Telekinesis and held his hand up. Since Jasper was so large, it took an extreme amount of Eve, but he finally pulled Jasper close enough to grab. The boy screamed and struggled as Carlisle dragged him out.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he shouted.
"I have gotten on to you three times this week for cursing! You will learn your lesson."
"No, no!" Jasper wailed.
"Yes, yes," Carlisle said, sitting down on his bed.
He tugged Jasper's pants off and put him over his knee. Thirty swats later, Jasper was whimpering. His howls had died out around the twentieth smack. Carlisle attempted to hold him, but Jasper leaped down and grabbed his pants, hurrying away to hide behind Caius.
"I can't say you didn't deserve that, Jazz," Caius said solemnly, turning his head to gaze at his friend.
"Shut up you stupid…" Jasper looked up at Carlisle then said something in a language that sounded ancient.
Caius laughed. "Funny, Jazz."
"What is funny?" Carlisle asked.
"He called me a donkey," Caius lied, saving his friend's bottom from another spanking.
"Oh…Rude, but not cursing."
"You look better," Edward said, smiling. "Ironically," he added.
"Time for bed, little ones!" Tenenbaum said, coming in and clapping her hands.
The little girls all crowded around for kisses. Caius received one, but when Tenenbaum went to give Jasper a kiss, he snarled and snapped at her face.
"Jasper," Carlisle said in warning.
Said person crossed his arms and followed Caius to his bed. Once they were out of sight, Carlisle let out a breath, flopping back on the bed. Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie were escorted to beds on the other side of the wall, near where Caius and Jasper slept. Esme touched Carlisle gently.
"Carlisle?"
"I don't know which Jasper I prefer, Esme. The quiet, kindhearted boy who practically ignores me, or the troublemaking monstrosity who calls me Papa and showers me with affection."
"They're both the same Jasper, dear."
Carlisle smiled and kissed his wife tenderly. "Good night, dear."
"Will you explain why we're suddenly like humans tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Then good night."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Jasper?!" Carlisle shouted, waking everybody up. "Jasper!" he called louder.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
He spun to Esme, his eyes wild. "My Jasper! My Little Brother! My son! He's missing!"
Tenenbaum came out of her room, looking around wildly. "What is wrong?"
"Jasper!" he said, throwing his coat on and grabbing his weapons.
"Mayhap he went out with Caius," she said soothingly.
"Who went out with me?" Caius asked, coming around the corner with a yawn.
Carlisle wailed rushing for the door. "Caius! Help me!"
Caius ran over and crawled through the tunnel, opening the door on the other side. They hurried through the doors, his family following. When they got outside, he went to the nearest vent and sniffed. He caught his Jasper's scent and sprinted through the rooms, looking everywhere. There was a scream ahead of him and he ran for it then slid to a stop in a doorway. Jasper was being held by the throat, and he was kicking and choking.
Carlisle's eyes turned red and he roared. Less than a minute later, the Leadhead Splicers were all dead, ripped to shreds from Carlisle's bare hands. Blood was everywhere, but Jasper, it would seem, was nowhere to be found. Carlisle began to panic again when Esme cleared her throat and pointed over to the dark area behind the bar. Carlisle stormed over and was about to spank Jasper right there—he had warned him several times not to go out on his own—when he noticed that the boy was shaking and crying. He became soft and gentle, and his eyes changed from red to green, the glowing orbs lighting up the dark.
"Hey, hey now. What's wrong, son?" he asked tenderly.
"Y-you hate me."
"Hate you? I don't hate you. I love you."
"You don't want me anymore."
"What makes you say that?"
"You have them now."
"What?" Carlisle turned to look at the others; they yelled and jumped back when they saw his eyes. "Them?"
Jasper nodded. "You love them more than you love me. You always have."
"No! I love you, too," Carlisle said gently.
"You never spend time with me. You take them to ballgames, you take them hunting, you just spend time talking. You never did that with me."
"Jasper, I didn't know you wanted to do those things. You never seemed like you wanted to."
"I wanted you to ask. I waited for you to ask. But you never did."
"Oh, Jazz," Carlisle cooed, embracing him lovingly. He picked him up and put the boy on his hip.
"Papa," Jasper sobbed, burying his face in the smooth neck.
"Shh. It's alright. Let's go home."
He began walking home, the other trailing him. While they were walking, Jasper feel asleep and hung limply in Carlisle's arms.
"He's cute…" Esme said, but her face grimaced.
"Are you kidding?" Edward asked softly. "He looked like death warmed over."
"No joke," Emmett said.
"He's adorable," Carlisle said, smiling tenderly at his son.
They didn't answer that. He believed that, and they could all tell. They got back to the safehouse and Carlisle put Jasper in his own bed, tucking him in.
"Carlisle," Tenenbaum said, coming over to him. "I finished the other prototype."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jasper sat beside the ocean, holding his necklace, staring at the green liquid inside the ball. It had been a month since they had surfaced. He had avoided Carlisle since then. But said person came forward and sat beside him.
"Hey, Jasper."
Jasper mumbled a response. There was silence for a long while, broken only by their breathing. Carlisle finally sighed and placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
"Why have you been avoiding me, Jazz?"
"You don't want to see me," Jasper muttered, keeping his eyes on his necklace.
"Of course I do."
"No you don't. I'm a monster. You said so yourself."
"Monster?"
"In Rapture. You called me a monster to Esme."
Carlisle felt guilty. "I didn't mean your physical state, Jazz. I meant your behavior. You were cursing up a storm."
"I was a bad mouthed child," Jasper admitted, smiling slightly. It disappeared as he looked up at Carlisle. "What did you really think of being in Rapture?"
Carlisle rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, don't tell the rest of the family, but a part of me loved it. I'm not a violent man, but I have violent inclinations occasionally. It was nice to live those out. Being your Big Daddy was nice. I got really close to you, which didn't happen before…or after. You don't seem to want to be my son again."
"You aren't disgusted with me?" Jasper asked. "After all you've seen me do: sucking the blood and Adam out of angels, ripping Splicers to shreds when they attacked a Little Sister, throwing up in your mouth…you're not disgusted?"
"No. I'm not. I still have the Big Daddy instincts inside of me. I feel very protective of you. I understand that to a certain extent you cannot control what you do as a Little Brother. And may I tell you a secret?" Jasper nodded. "I really didn't mind you throwing up in my mouth, except that first time. Adam tastes delicious."
Jasper smiled. "Thanks." He paused then said hesitantly. "May I still call you Papa?"
"I would love nothing more, but there's one condition."
"I have to call Esme mama," Jasper said, putting a southern drawl on the last word.
"Yes."
"Okay. And Papa?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks for everything."
"I love you, little soldier.
Jasper looked shy suddenly. "I love you, too, Papa."