"Damage Control"
The sun winked down on the forest as grey bellied clouds drifted by.
Edward was allowed to sleep in and miss the family's morning hunt. His head clear after his long talk with Esme, Carlisle could now see he had asked too much too soon of his firstborn. Between his happiness for Alice's gain and keeping Jasper well fed, the father had simply neglected to give serious consideration to how this would all effect the sixteen year old. That and he was so accustomed to Edward's bad moods, he tended to disregard them.
Of course, none of this excused his son's atrocious behavior. Edward very well knew better and Carlisle was still ticked off about the whole ordeal. Damage control wouldn't be easy. There was a good chance he would need to extend his vacation a third time.
Once everyone's thirst was quenched, Carlisle sat Alice and Jasper down in a shady spot to discuss the events of last night. Neither teen had been in the mood to talk much yesterday, but the ever sweet and understanding Alice was unsurprisingly forgiving in the daylight.
Jasper was not so inclined.
"Like I said before, I ain't gonna start nothin', but if he goes after mah Alice again I won't be responsible fer whut happens."
"Jazzy…" Alice laid a little hand on his thigh, her expression softly disapproving. Stony-faced, he kept his eyes on Carlisle.
"I understand where you're coming from, Jasper." replied the patriarch, his arms folded atop his crossed legs. "Vampires have a strong instinct to protect their mates and this instinct is even stronger for us guys. Sometimes there is just no helping it." he smiled and looked over to his wife. She rolled her eyes humorously. Carlisle's overprotectiveness had been downright maddening in their early years.
"However, with that said, I assure you Edward is of no threat to Alice." Carlisle returned his focus to Jasper. "He adores her as his little sister and would never let any harm come to her."
"That ain't whut I saw yesterday."
Again Carlisle smiled. "What you saw yesterday was a jealous boy lashing out. While I in no way condone such behavior, I am certain you can understand his feelings. It's been just him and Alice for many years now, but all of sudden you enter the picture and he feels himself being pushed out of the frame. I imagine we have all experienced something similar at one point or another."
Alice nodded thoughtfully. Jasper's hard expression was unchanging, yet Carlisle caught the subtle twitch of the southerner's mouth. The man had to resist rolling his own eyes.
Jasper was undoubtedly going to be quite the stubborn one.
"I know it won't be easy, but I ask you to keep this in mind in the future." Carlisle continued. "I will see to it that what happened last night doesn't reoccur, but I will need everyone to be a bit more sensitive of Edward. He just needs time to adjust."
"It's really all my fault, Daddy." said Alice, her gaze downcast. "I've been terrible to him."
"You've been nothing of the sort. You only just found your mate and you want to spend time with him. That is entirely natural."
She shook her head in disagreement. "I pretty much forgot he existed…" pursing her lips, she absentmindedly fiddled with the short, browning grass. A rather strong wind blew, whipping about her already messy bob cut.
The fashion conscious fifteen year old had neglected her usual make-up and hair spray for once. Somehow she seemed tinier without soft spikes framing her face and wearing only an old red hoodie and blue skinny jeans with holes in the knees. Carlisle couldn't recall the last time he had seen her so...natural. If not for her current despondency, he would have said she never looked prettier.
He reached over and gently grabbed her hand. "Baby, look at me."
Reluctantly, she obeyed, her big eyes glassy.
"You haven't done anything wrong." her father assured her. "Sometimes life just gets a little complicated, but that doesn't mean it's anyone's fault."
"You don't know what I've seen." she whispered.
He held back a look of concern, maintaining his calm exterior. "It doesn't matter. We've had trying times before and always made it out alright. This will be no different. Edward will be fine."
"But-"
Carlisle squeezed her hand and smiled. "He will be fine. Believe me, Alice. We'll make the future right."
She pursed her mouth again, unconvinced. Carlisle lightly pulled at her hair until she swatted him away, trying and failing to hide a tiny smile. Both missed Jasper narrowing his eyes.
Before the events of yesterday, he really hadn't thought much of Alice's relationship with Edward. Jasper was content to disregard the other male's presence, though the negative vibes the Cullen boy continually sent out made it difficult at times. Why Alice had such affection for this loser was beyond the empath's understanding. What was there to like about a mopey little weirdo who went around creeping in everyone's heads?
Jasper tensed his jaw. Unlike the rest of the Cullen family, he couldn't simply smile away Edward's aggressive behavior. He may not have had any intention to harm Alice, but his challenge towards Jasper was clear. And Jasper never backed down from a challenge.
