A/N: This is set post-Eclipse. Bella is a young vampire, and is at times left behind while Edward goes to school or otherwise departs without her. I've had this image of Bella and Jasper walking through the forest together in my head for who-knows how long. I think they'd be good friends, if he weren't so afraid of the threat she posed to him. And I love Jasper. That's all that needs to be said. Oh, and this fic was named for a song. :) Guess the artist and I'll give you a prize.
Grace.
The forest air was silent and sweet - the animals that naturally avoided us out of instinct remained curled in their respective homes and boroughs, cuddling their young and sleeping contentedly in the glow from the early morning sun. The dew from the thunderstorms that passed last night still clung tightly to the leaves of the trees, refusing to drop until a breeze dislodged them and sent them spiraling towards the ground.
Jasper was serene as we walked, slowly and comfortably, through the tall, ancient trees and waving ferns. The cold air was pleasant and not at all uncomfortable to our typically icy flesh. We strolled at a comparatively deliberate pace, picking our way gently through the undulating green.
Jasper had eventually become a true friend to me without the barrier of my encroaching mortality between us. He was a companion that I could rely on when Edward was away and I wanted peace from the constant, uninterrupted life of our shared home. I was calm and tranquil in his presence, without the need for his subtle power and with no sticky residue of control left in its wake.
It was really refreshing, in a way. He had an interesting combination of traits from the other three men in our household - he was understanding and compassionate, like our father, had a brilliant sense of humor, like our raucous brother, and was incredibly perceptive, like my husband. He never asked me what he could do to help, to make me less anxious while Edward was gone, as his own wife sometimes did. He comprehended that more often than not, all I needed was a friend - a quiet friend.
Suddenly, I was ripped from my musings as I caught my toe on a rotting, rangy shrub root, nearly falling flat on my face, but catching myself on a nearby elm trunk in time - there is a hole in the side of that tree, now. I was embarrassed - the one thing I had not inherited from the impressive laundry list of vampiric skills and attributes was grace; It seemed as though I was doomed to forever be a klutz. Literally. Forever.
Jasper stared at me, his eyes wide and startled by my actions, now that my movements were just as quick and abrupt as his were. He seemed surprised at me, that even after months of living as one of the walking dead, that my movements had yet to blossom into the dance-like gait that the rest of them possessed. His brief confusion melted into a wide grin at my expense, lighting up his leonine features with amusement.
He snorted and laughed loudly at me, as I was still slightly bent at the waist, rather startled myself, and then continued walking. I glared at his retreating back with chagrin, and followed.
fin.
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I couldn't decide if it was more unrealistic to have Bella be miraculously graceful or still clumsy, so I flipped a coin and wrote a fic. :)