The Twilight universe and everything in it belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
The song used in this one-shot is Try A Little Tenderness and it belongs to writers "Irving King" and Harry M. Woods. I also have to give credit to Michael Bublé, because it was his version of Try A Little Tenderness that provided the inspiration for this one-shot (and yes... it is his version that is playing in the boutique).
-Tenderness-
I was almost finished getting ready for school and in the process of pulling a black sweater over my head when Alice stomped out of the closet with a murderous look on her face.
"I can't believe she did that!" She had thrown the shirt she was going to wear viciously on our bed.
"What? Who?" Seeing her abuse clothing was never a good sign.
"Ugh! Bella refused to go shopping with me tonight! She literally had a temper tantrum!" She was pacing back and forth throwing her arms in the air. "She stomped her foot at me Jasper!" She had whirled to face me, her small hands fisted on either side of her body.
She was adorable when she didn't get her way. Her face was contorted into a grimace and her glare was so murderous it was hysterically. I just couldn't help myself, I laughed.
Bad idea. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "Fine, Bella may not go with me but you will!"
"What? No Alice, I already have plans… I'm… I'm going hunting with Emmett tonight." I was grasping at straws, trying to find a way out of shopping… again.
"No you don't." The smile that crept across her face was eerily similar to the smile the Grinch has when he formulates his plan to steal Christmas. This couldn't be good.
"You'll go if you love me."
There, she did it. That one little sentence and I couldn't say no. I loved her too much to refuse her. And that's exactly how I ended up in this position, sitting outside the dressing room in an expensive boutique inside the mall. Alice was at the moment trying on dress number thirty.
I sighed and leaned farther into the large chair I was sitting in. I would undoubtedly be occupying it for quite some time.
There had been music playing softly in the boutique and a new song started, the words drifting towards me.
She may be weary
Women do get weary
Wearing the same shabby dress
And when she's weary
Try a little tenderness
I couldn't help but laugh; Alice would never be caught in a shabby dress.
She may be waiting
Just anticipating
Things she may never possess
And while she's without them
Try a little tenderness
I couldn't think of anything Alice couldn't possess. Nothing stood in her way if she wanted something… especially if it was clothing… or worse, shoes.
It's not just sentimental
She has her grief
And her cares
But a word
Soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
The word grief snapped me out of my playful thinking and made my body go rigid in the comfortable chair. I had felt Alice suffer from grief. I would never forget the emotions that had hit me when she had the vision of Bella jumping off the cliff, or the way her eyes had refocused on me wide with terror and overwhelming anguish.
You won't regret it
Women don't forget it
Love's got a whole
A whole happiness
And it's all so easy
Just to try a little tenderness
My muscles relaxed as the vivid memory began to fade and happier ones took its place. I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face as I thought of all the happiness that Alice brought into my life just by loving me.
You've gotta try…
You've gotta hold 'er
You've got ta squeeze her
You have to try
You've got ta try
And always please her
You won't regret it
You won't regret it
Oh
Try a little tender-ness
As the final strains of the music floated through the air, Alice emerged from the dressing room wearing a burgundy dress.
"What do you think?" She twirled around in a circle to give me a full view.
Normally I would have just given a typical response, like "it's nice", but the last words of the song were still lingering in my mind. I stood and walked slowly toward her, a smirk forming on my lips.
"I think…" I wrapped my arm around her waist and brought her small body against mine. "That if it makes you happy we could buy all the dresses." Because it was true, if it made her happy I'd do it for her.
She giggled. "What about shoes?"
Tenderness, I reminded myself as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Sure, you can never have enough shoes."
Hope you all enjoyed Jasper showing some tenderness (and a lot of patience since we all know Alice's obsession with shopping!). Like I said at the top, Michael Bublé sings the version playing in the boutique. If you haven't heard the song... please, please go online and listen to it! It's absolutely beautiful.
This is my first posted fanfiction. I've been writing for awhile now and finally decided to publish and see what people think. So... if you enjoyed it, please review (I'd love some feedback!). Then click over to the next chapter to read something from a different perspective and on a completely different emotional level.
Thanks for reading!
Fannye