Jasper

"Let me guess, you want to know all about Ariella?" Jasper asked as Charlie entered the room. Jasper had known that questions were coming, he just wasn't sure he was willing to answer.

"Well, yeah. You disappeared for hours into the practice room and can't seem to decide how you are going to be towards Ariella. Jasper, you never seem to care about how girls are toward you so why do you care about how Ariella is toward you?" Jasper just stared at Charlie. He hated how well Charlie knew him; Jasper was never able to hide anything from him.

"Charlie, I really don't want to share. It's in the past okay?" Jasper said as he got up from his seat. He was going to try and get out of this room as fast as he could.

"Jasper, I am not going to let you leave. Ariella isn't going to share, but I know you well enough to figure stuff out even if you don't say anything. I don't want to cross any lines with her and the only way I will know what to do or say is if you tell me something." Charlie said.

"Dammit Charlie. Why do you care so much about her?" Jasper was annoyed, Charlie never seemed to care about much of anything, much less other people.

"Well, Jasper in case you hadn't realized it, Ariella will be our newest resident so I thought I would try and be nice." Charlie said. His tone was that of an impatient older brother lecturing his oblivious younger sibling.

"Yes, Charlie I noticed. You really aren't going to leave this alone are you?"

"What do you think?" Was Charlie's reply.

Jasper let out a sigh, equal parts frustration, annoyance, and exhaustion and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Charlie, you don't get to tell her I told you. She hates me enough as it is. I knew her for a number of years, we were best friends for a long time."

"Jasper, you were more than that. Even an idiot can tell. You only came here a couple of years ago so how long were you two best friends?"

"I meant it, we were best friends for a long time." Jasper said, choosing to ignore Charlie's implication that they had been more than friends. "We met when we were both eight. We were friends immediately, couldn't separate us, as much as it pissed her mother off. Lacie, Ariella's mother, had left this world and the Nephilim behind and was trying to keep Ariella from it. Having a Nephilim as a best friend kinda defeats the purpose…" Jasper took a deep breath and trailed off. "There you go, now you know all about our relationship. So leave it alone."

"So you were best friends, and only best friends, until you came to the institute? I am just trying to figure it out. She reacted a bit different than someone would if they found their long lost best friend. It seemed like she was more hurt and pissed off than overjoyed about seeing you again. What did you do to her?" Charlie asked.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Jasper snapped. He didn't see why Charlie really needed all the details. Charlie knew enough as far as Jasper was concerned, he really didn't understand why Charlie was pushing so hard for more details.

"Exactly what I said idiot. So tell what really happened." Charlie said.

"Fine!" Jasper snapped. He really didn't want to share all of this. Jasper always tried to leave the past in the past and Charlie knew it. "We started dating when we were thirteen, puppy love is what her mother and everyone else called it. We kept dating for two years, until we were fifteen. I came here, as you know, when I was fourteen. I didn't tell Ariella what was going on, her mother made me promise that I wouldn't bring Ariella into this world. For a year I tried to balance training and outside life with Ariella. After a year I decided to breakup with her, I didn't tell her why, I couldn't. Enough information for you?" Jasper asked, putting as much sarcasm as he could into the question as he stormed out of the living area and headed to his room.

Dammit, Charlie really knew how to get under his skin. Jasper once again walked on autopilot, his mind going back to the past. Jasper hadn't thought about those years with Ariella in a long time, he hadn't wanted to but now he couldn't help himself. He remembered when he first met Ariella, she had been running around outside, oblivious to where she was going she had run into the street. Jasper had been passing by and saw her run into the road right in front of a car. He ran over without thinking and pulled her back onto the sidewalk. Jasper immediately began yelling at her and calling her things like idiot, oblivious, and reckless. He couldn't believe this little red headed girl would do something so stupid. Ariella had just stood there and taken the lecture, no tears or fighting on her end. She had just stood there, waited until he was done, and then insteaded that Jasper go to meet her mother. She had grabbed his hand and ran across the street to her yellow two story house. Ariella continued to boss Jasper around afterwards, saying that they were best friends, never giving him a chance to say otherwise.