To Love What One Fears—Chapter Seven: Partners
I own nothing about the Twilight Saga or the cars mentioned in this chapter
-Japer-
We worked on the project for a few hours, deciding to go ahead with the report, but adding a few of our own touches. Lucille really is good at writing reports. I've been doing it for centuries and I was never that good, and I lived through most of the topics.
Around five, Renesmee burst through the door claiming we were working too hard and needed to hang out for a while.
She grabbed Lucille's wrist, "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone." Renesmee pulled the poor human down the stairs; I followed close behind. They slowed down by the piano and stopped in the living room area of the open floor plan.
The entire family was trying to look normal and completely human. Rosalie and Emmett were quietly talking to each other, Bella and Edward were doing homework, Carlisle was working on something on his personal laptop, Esme could be seen through the window-wall watering some plants on the back patio, and Jacob was leaned up against the wall playing with the apps on his phone.
"I know you know everyone from school, but I'll just formally introduce you to them," Renesmee told Lucille. She went down the line and told Lucille each person's name. She then sat herself and our guest on the last little sofa and began talking to her about some movie that was out that she really wanted to see.
Jacob walked over to the sofa and stood next to Renesmee, "Renesmee, I told you that I was going to take you this weekend."
"I know," she responded.
At that moment, Esme walked into the room. "Oh, Jasper, I didn't realize that you and Lucille were done working," she falsely commented, keeping up the charade.
"Um," Lucille started and stopped when she saw most of the eyes in the room turn toward her. Great guys, freak her out why don't you? "You all have a lovely home. It's incredibly clean."
Esme smiled softly, "Thank you. I try to keep the house clean."
"I try to keep my house clean, but there's nothing to be done about pet fur. You just can't get rid of it."
"So you like animals?" Renesmee asked excitedly.
"Uh, yeah," Lucille replied, "my horse, that I really miss, is in Texas at my grandparents' ranch and my adorable little cat is here in Forks with me."
"Cat, huh? I'm more of a dog lover myself."
God, I hope Lucille missed how Jake just smirked at that comment!
-Lucille-
Well, if I wasn't sure what Jacob was before, I know now. Werewolf. It makes sense, but then again it doesn't. But neither does the existence of vampires.
So I'll say this: I don't want to know what kind of "dog lover" Renesmee is…
Can't believe I just thought that!
After that Renesmee and I talked for a while, with the random interjection from Jacob or Bella. I glanced at the digital watch on my wrist. "Seven!" I exclaimed as I quickly stood up.
"Something wrong?" Jasper asked.
"Yeah, I need to get home. It's dinner time and I haven't even started cooking yet."
"Can't you stay a little longer?" Renesmee whined. "We have to have dinner too."
I looked back at her. What should I say? Sorry, the idea of staying "for dinner" at a house full of vampires doesn't really appeal to my. Maybe not that.
"Sorry, Renesmee, I have my mom to cook for too." The still truthful, yet diplomatic and non-angering answer.
"We understand," Carlisle said as he gave a pointed look to Renesmee.
"It was nice to meet you," Esme added.
"I'll drive you home," Jasper said. I waved goodbye to everyone and then turned and followed Jasper out into the garage.
I took a moment to take it all in. The garage was large and filled with many expensive cars. There was Rosalie's red convertible (which was completely impractical seeing as it rains 99.9% of the time here in Forks), a new, dark green Jeep (which, although I still saw some dirt stuck in the crevices of the tires, was spotless and shiny), a vintage Corvette (I didn't think they still made those), a few other expansive vehicles, and even a few motorcycles were tucked neatly into one corner.
"Which one are we taking?" I asked as he pulled a set of keys out of a drawer.
"That one," he replied pointing at a sleek, black car that looked like it could disappear into the darkness.
"Cool." I stepped closer to the vehicle and he opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in and sank into the leather seat. I took a look around inside the car and noted all the details and gadgets it had. Yep, of course it's fully loaded.
He got in, started the car and pulled out of the show room, sorry, garage. When we were out of the long drive way he said, "I apologize for Renesmee. She can be a bit immature sometimes."
"It's not a problem, my best friend's Lorna. You haven't seen immature," I responded and added a small chuckled at the end.
"What?"
"The way you talk! And act. Actually the way your family acts. You're all so formal."
"It's just the way we were raised," he said defensively.
"Well, then, when were you raised?" I didn't mean to say that. The words just slipped from between my lips.
He paused, but then replied calmly and yet still sarcastically, "The same time as you, when else?"
I looked, no, stared at him. I wanted to say, "I think you mean the Civil War," but I held my tongue. That just made my thoughts return to the journals at home.
Could Jasper really be… Jasper? It made sense in a way, I guess. His mother's journal said that they received news that their son had been lost during battle, but the body wasn't found. Maybe the wording was in lost and not dead? Maybe some vampire had tricked him into being turned? Maybe this was a chance to…
What was I thinking? Here I was, alone in a car with a possible vampire. I should be worrying that I might not make it home tonight. That my mom would be told that I was attacked by some animal, just like they said about my dad. That my brother would know the truth and figure it out about the Cullens and get himself killed trying to avenge me!
Okay, I admit, that's reading too much into the situation. But still, those are the kind of thoughts I should be having. But, no! Here I was, fantasizing about being able to be with my Civil War love! Unacceptable, but unchangeable.
"Is something wrong?" Jasper asked, snapping me back into reality. "You've been staring at me for a while."
"No I wasn't, I was staring off into space, you just happened to be in the way."
"Were you thinking?"
"Yeah."
"What about?"
"Random stuff, not like it's any of your business. I mean, were not really friends, we're just working on a project together, right?"
"Right. Now, where do you live?"
"What?"
"I'm driving you home, so where do you live?"
"Uh, oh, right," I stuttered as I told him my address.
-Jasper-
After I dropped off my reluctant partner, I headed for home at a speed I hadn't driven on the way to her house. It wasn't long before I was home, the car was parked in the garage, and I was back inside the house. I was replaying the conversation in the car in my head. This was a bad idea considering it attracted the attention of Edward. "She asked you what?"
"Nothing," I replied. I don't know if it's possible or not, but I think I'm getting a headache.
"What is this about?" Carlisle asked.
I sighed. "Excuse my disrespectfulness, but just ask Edward, he knows everything I'm thinking," I uttered bitterly as I hurried up the stairs to my room.
I threw myself into my chair and leaned onto my desk. I covered my face with one of my hands, sighed again, and tried to collect my thoughts. I opened one eye and, through my fingers, stared for a moment at the pile of journals that lay on the wooded surface. I grabbed the one on top and opened it to a blank page. I pulled a pen out of a drawer and poised it above the paper, but I hesitated, not sure of what exactly I wanted to write. I didn't want to write down what happed today like I used to, lately I just wrote random scribbles of the sensations of being a vampire, or little tidbits about Alice and depression.
Without dating the page, I etched a single word at the top and underlined it, followed by some of my thoughts that went with the word.
Lucille
Intelligent
Passionate about history
Strange
Knows a lot about vampires
Loves art
Has intense feelings
Lots of fear
Good at writhing reports
Kind-hearted toward animals
Not too bad lo
I scratched out the last line, surprised at what I was writing. That wasn't what I thought, was it? I don't think that she's not too bad looking. I mean, she's defiantly not ugly, but..! What was I thinking? I mentally slapped myself in the face as I tore the page out of the book, crumpled it up, and threw it on the floor. I stood up, grabbed a book off a shelf, and plopped down on my lounger chair to read.
I refuse to think that Lucille is good-looking. There is only one girl I'll ever think that about, post vampirism, and that is, or was, Alice.
-End Chapter-
I know this chapter took a while, sorry I was dealing with a case of writer's block and school finals so... Just to let you know, the next chapter will be called Confessions, but I think I'm going to post something in between these two chapters, an extra little dream of Lucille's, and trust me, it's interesting. R&R please!
