Later that night, Jasper came across his father descending down the stair case, purposefully strolling with a slow step, or, at least slow for one of their kind, in order to cross with his son's path. He did that, knowing that Jasper would want to avoid him at that time.
"You will have to confront her, sooner or later," he advised in his fatherly fashion, blocking Jasper's path toward the living area. He looked up to his father sadly. "I have nothing to say to her, nothing," he replied, a line he repeated each time he was told. The frequency lessened over the last few months, until only Carlisle said it. He was the only on in the house other than Esme who would even register her existence.
He looked down, shaking his head in that way, knowing by now when to give up. "I do think that is what will help her," he sighed, and stood straight to eye the other man fully.
"I think she deserves to know about her," he stated, the faint pity back in his eyes. Jasper shook his head again. "If anything does more bad than good, it's that. Besides, it's none of her business now. She cut away that right."
He began to walk away.
"Jasper, how can you be so cold about her?" His father whispered. His voice was as broken as his could get, a sign that he knew part of the answer, and understood, but wished to hear it said out-loud.
"Imagine if Esme attacked a random bystander for no apparent reason, after years of belittling your own control. Your own wife becoming nothing more than a stranger, and you become so disconnected, you begin to wonder whether you ever loved her in the first place."
With that he walked away, wishing he hadn't promised Emmett that game of chess. At these times, emotions ran so high they were difficult to differentiate and control, and slowly they became his to bare.
Emmett was already at the coffee table, the board set out atop the glass surface. If he lost, he pitied the poor defenceless coffee table under Emmett's fist. They had already replaced it 3 times in the last week.
"7-4 to you, right?"
Jasper sat opposite his bear of a brother, and made his first move instantly. "Ready for a thrashing?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. Emmett flashed his teeth. "You'd better be."
As the game continued, the rain outside became heavier, and Jasper's mind wondered to the day previous. Wow, he had only known her a day. Why did that surprise him, disappoint him, and excite him all at once?
He wondered what she was doing right now, if not asleep. The clock read half past 1, questionable.
7 hours until he saw her, nervousness bubbled in his stomach in a relatively unfamiliar way...
She couldn't sleep. Typical. Absolutely typical.
Alenia checked her bed side table, on which her alarm clock rested.
"Quarter to two," she groaned, her heavy eyes closing In irritation. On one hand she was nervous about the morning, on one she was excited, and on another, third hand she knew she needed sleep. Each cancelled each other out harmoniously, and try as she might, her mind would not be occupied or switched off.
Sighing loudly, Alenia sat up and climbed from her bed, the cool air hitting her legs. She made her way to the large window to feel a draft, and opened the curtains to close the window.
Her keen eyes caught a movement in the almost complete darkness, hidden among the shadows of trees below. Rustling, and a snap.
A small, sharp whimper escaped her lips, and goosebumps rose along her arms, and she could feel...eyes.
She thought about saying hello, but who would reply if they didn't want to be seen? Concealed in the masses of trees, in the dark shadow of night, they obviously have no wish to be known.
Oh, you're being ridiculous, she told herself, snapping the window shut and closing the curtains, but those words of wisdom didn't help her unease.
