Date : 09.11.2012
Title : Twilight : Sunshine and Shadow
Author :
Chapter : 4 of ?
Rating : M
Pairings : Jasper Whitlock-Hale / Molly Atherton
Warnings : Some Sexual Content, Romance, Angst, Maybe Some Strong Language.
Spoilers : Possible references to Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn - do not read if you have not read all the books!
Disclaimer : I do not own anything to do with the Twilight franchise. This plot, Molly and any other O/C's are mine.
Summary : AU set two years after Breaking Dawn. With Alice mysteriously gone, Jasper wonders what his future will hold until he meets Molly, a mortal who has troubles of her own. Can Jasper save her from an untimely death or will he spend eternity regretting his decision to let her go?
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Aro looked to Jane, displeasure clear in his milky red eyes.
"The book?" he said and Jane lowered her eyes.
"No matter," Aro proceeded in his usual optimistic tone. "We now know where she is at least, although I was alarmed to hear that a newborn was the one to find her. How did this come to be Jane, hmm?"
He sat on his throne-like chair and clasped his hands together, making a steeple with his index fingers as he stared, waiting for the right kind of answer.
Jane swallowed, nervous beyond measure despite all her power.
"Forgive me Master," she said, "Such an error will not happen again. The newborn was merely meant to be an information gatherer…"
Aro narrowed his eyes at her as he considered her words. Jane had always been his favourite. Sighing almost wistfully he stood and smiled, but behind the action his words were cold.
"I want the book Jane…the book or her, alive, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Master," Jane replied, bowing her head, careful to keep her annoyance from her thoughts and her tone. "It shall be done."
OoOoOoOoO
Early December
Molly growled in frustration as the fairy lights above her counter fell down for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. It was almost closing time and she had been trying to decorate the shop and serve for most of the day on and off.
She snatched at the twinkling lights and thrust them onto the counter-top leaving them still plugged into the wall.
"Why can't you just stay put?!" she grumbled at them as they continued to flash on and off merrily at her.
"Would you like some help?" a now familiar drawl said from behind her and Molly turned to face Jasper, his sudden appearances no longer such a surprise to her. Since she had run into him, Esme and Carlisle the month before, Jasper seemed to always be around whenever she needed help with anything and although she knew it seemed to happen a little too often to be coincidental, she wasn't above accepting a hand when she knew she needed one, especially from him.
On that front, Molly was also trying desperately to ignore the fact that she was falling for Jasper, the knowledge that he seemed to be less than interested in her in that way was helping the matter greatly though. Truth be told, it was only because he never showed it that she was certain that he was only hanging around her so much because he felt sorry for her.
"Sure…" she eventually said in answer to his question, shrugging lightly. "If you can get them to stay up there you're a better person than I."
Jasper raised an eyebrow at her.
"I doubt that…" he replied, his words having a deeper meaning, one he knew she couldn't even begin to guess at. Moving forward and taking a hold of the lights, which immediately seemed to become one mass of tangles he said, "How hard can this be…"
Molly laughed as Jasper scowled.
"Here…let me," she said, reaching out to help, her fingers touching his accidentally and she looked up at him, surprise in her eyes.
"You're freezing," she stated as Jasper pulled his hands away and stuffed them into his jacket pockets.
"It is December," he replied as calmly as he could, moving away from her, the fairy lights forgotten as he swallowed the venom that had flooded his mouth at her touch, a bitter tasting reminder of why he couldn't allow himself to get too close to her...of why he shouldn't even be entertaining the idea of even being in her company for a moment longer than what was necessary. His eyes darkened as he fought for control of his own emotions. He couldn't explain why he felt the need to be around her. She still reminded him of things that he wasn't overly keen on remembering and she was a human and a fragile one at that, easy prey.
It made no sense to him…none at all.
Molly frowned, trying to not be hurt by the fact he had moved away just because she'd touched him by accident. Surely physical contact with her wasn't that revolting…was it?
"Um…I can manage with these, I'll do them later…" she said, shoving the lights to one side.
Jasper felt her hurt and cursed inwardly as she began to move back behind the counter.
"Molly…" he began, only to be interrupted by the jangling of the shop doorbell and he glared at the two girls who came in wanting hot chocolates to take out.
As Molly busied herself making the two drinks for the girls, Jasper got on with re-hanging the lights and by the time the customers had left, they were glittering away once more, but securely this time, above the counter.
"Thanks…" Molly said to him, avoiding his eyes and Jasper watched as she began to dismantle the coffee machines, a task she never seemed to get weary of doing.
"So…" he said, trailing off awkwardly and Molly risked a glance at him.
"So…" she repeated, their eyes meeting and she sighed as Jasper looked away.
Deciding to move on to more neutral ground since he didn't seem to be able to, she added, "What do you guys have planned for the holidays…anything nice?"
Jasper looked back at her, detecting a hint of loneliness in her voice and he guessed that she had no plans.
"My brother Edward and his wife Bella and my sister Rosalie and her husband Emmett are home from college soon…" he offered and Molly smiled.
"That'll be nice, I bet Esme is excited about having the house full again."
"She is," Jasper replied, thinking that if Esme were here she would probably have invited Molly over by now…but he wasn't so sure that would be a good idea. He remembered all too well what had happened at the fateful gathering for Bella's birthday and he didn't want that to happen again, not to Molly.
"What about you?" he asked, resisting the urge that still lingered to invite her.
Molly's smile faltered a little before she replastered it to her face.
"Oh I'm ah…I'm looking forward to a quiet one," she replied as cheerfully as she could, nodding her head as she began to wipe down the counter, "Gets kinda busy in here in the lead up to Christmas so some peace and quiet is just what the doctor ordered…"
Jasper nodded, eyeing her, knowing full well that a quiet Christmas was [I]not[/I] something that she was relishing the prospect of.
"So I couldn't tempt you to spend some time with us?" he said, the words out before he had a chance to even think about them, let alone stop them.
Molly stopped wiping the counter and looked at him, blinking at him in surprise.
"I…" she paused, unsure what to say, convinced he was only asking her because yet again he felt sorry for her…pitied her because he knew she lived alone.
"You don't have to…" Jasper said hastily after sensing her worry, "…it's just, well…all those couples, you'd be doing me a favour really if you agreed to be my guest; might stop me from feeling like such a gooseberry…" he stopped himself suddenly and Molly was certain that she saw him blush as he quickly added, "…not that you'd be my date…or anything…or…well…" he stopped again and Molly couldn't help but smile.
"You should check that it's alright with Esme first," she said, "But if it is then, okay, I'd be honoured to be your…guest…thank you…"
Jasper felt relief flood him and for what seemed like the first time in a very long time, he actually returned her smile despite his own misgivings at extending the invitation to her.
"How come you don't have a date already though?" the question was out before Molly could stop it and then it was her turn to blush almost the same colour as her hair.
"I'm so sorry," she blustered, "You really don't have to answer that…"
She began to wipe the counter again, avoiding Jasper's gaze and cursing herself inwardly for asking such a question…she didn't want to sound [I]too[/I] interested in him after all.
Jasper thought he would have been angry at such a question, but to his surprise he actually felt quite calm.
"I'm divorced…not really in a rush to date again anytime soon…" he said, then closed his eyes when he realised that he'd actually spoken the truth.
Molly paused in her wiping again, her eyes widening as she looked at him.
"Divorced? Really? Wow, you must have married young…" she said and Jasper nodded before opening his eyes.
Running a hand around the back of his neck he sighed,
"Yeah…look, I should get back next door…"
Molly held a hand up, "'Course…sorry…I shouldn't have kept you…" Inside she was cussing up a storm at herself for asking another inappropriate question, certain that Jasper would now just pretend that Esme had said there wasn't room to fit her in at the Cullen's Christmas celebrations.
"I'll let you know what Esme says," Jasper said, beginning to back away and Molly nodded, sure she wouldn't see him again.
"Sure…and thanks for the lights," she replied, indicating to the twinkling Christmas lights that still hung securely above her head.
Jasper waved and then was gone and Molly groaned loudly and rested her head on the counter…
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Next door Esme was grinning like a fool at Jasper.
"Of course Molly can come to us for Christmas…" she said, wrapping her arms around her son and squeezing him tightly.
"You don't think anyone will mind?" he asked and Esme shook her head and released him.
"I hardly think so…it's not like we haven't had practice for this kind of thing," she replied and Jasper shook his head.
"Bella and Edward were different…Molly isn't…I mean Molly and I aren't…" he trailed off as Esme's grin widened. "Esme, it's not like that…really…she's gonna be on her own and well, I felt bad for her…"
Esme regarded Jasper lovingly and reached out a hand to cup his cheek.
"You are a wonderful young man…" she began, "…both your father and I, we were so shocked when Alice left…" she stopped when she saw Jasper's eyes darken.
"I don't want to talk about it…" he said and Esme nodded, removing her hand from his cheek.
"Of course and, well, it will be so wonderful to have a human in the house again, I mean as much as it is nice to have Bella as one of us now, I do miss her human quirks…"
Jasper raised an eyebrow at her and folded his arms across his chest, knowing that Esme would delight in preparing a huge Christmas lunch that none of them, aside from Molly, would eat and he hated the fact that her mind would have to be altered so that she thought the rest of them had eaten too.
"I'll let her know tomorrow that it's ok then," he said eventually and Esme nodded.
"You do that…and whilst you're at it, tell her to pack a bag for a few days…I won't have that girl alone for the entire holiday and we have plenty of room."
Jasper nodded, but groaned inwardly. His invitation was turning into much more than he had planned and he wasn't sure he could handle so much time with Molly…
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As Molly locked up for the day and turned off the lights she was unaware that a red pair of eyes watched her through the coffee shop window and as she headed upstairs to her flat she didn't hear the shop door handle turn, nor the lock snap…
End of Chapter Four
