'Normal People' Things

I'm awoken the following morning by someone poking me on the cheek; the finger I feel is frigid, and in my sleep drunk state my instincts kick in full force. My sight and speed marks are aflame as I clumsily pitch myself off the opposite end of the bed, landing right on my ass on the cold wood floor. I'm up the next instant, muscles tense and ready for a fight.

It's the Cullen brood, of course, but my eyes are drawn – like a moth to flame – to Jasper. Yesterday it had only been to my training as a hunter that I'd been able to discern a few of his scars; now I see he's out marked me at least tenfold. Annoyingly enough, it just makes him more attractive.

Then I hear a wolf-whistle. "So you do have those tattoos everywhere. Told ya, Jazz-man."

Everything comes back to me at once; yesterday's events and the fact that all I currently have on is a tank top and underwear.

"What the f-"

Alice has a sheet drawn around me instantly, effectively cutting me off while she glares at Emmett, who is being pulled out of my house - forcibly - by Rosalie. Edward must've already booked it outside, and Jasper looks like he's thinking about doing the same – with our strange connection, his current flustered state feels like intense curiosity…And a little lust.

"What the hell is going on?" My voice is thick with sleep.

"I totally forgot yesterday; I need your phone number!"

I deadpan, "You seriously came to give me the most embarrassing wake-up call of my life because you want my number?"

She looks dolefully at me, "Well, that and to tell you that you should try to make yourself scarce here today. The decorators will be here soon."

"This morning is in the running for worst morning ever, of all time."

"I'm sorry; I tried to tell her to wait, but…" Jasper trails off from his post near the doorway, eyes still looking anywhere but at me.

"It's alright – just, if there is a next time, please knock." I say pointedly to Alice. I toss my phone to her so she can swap our info, and I shuffle over to my duffle bag to get my last change of clothes.

Bright neon letters glare at me from the kitchen, "Seven thirty? Really? It's going to be a long day." I retreat, slightly annoyed, into my bathroom. After rinsing off in the shower, I throw on a cut up Led Zepplin shirt, tight jeans, and socks. My bangs get pushed back with a pin and I throw on the barest minimum of makeup.

It takes all of ten minutes, and Alice clucks her tongue disapprovingly when she sees my efforts, "Looks like we're also going to need to go shopping later."

"You're a terror." I start, pulling on my trademark boots, "But not matter how much I hate shopping, you're right; that fight the other night thrashed one of my already thrashed three existing outfits. Text me when you're done with class, don't go skipping school on my account." I grin, still finding the whole 'vampire high' thing hilarious.

"Oh no!" Alice's already large eyes get even wider, "We're going to be late!" She darts out the door much like last night, and Jasper and I are close to follow. I bump into him as I turn to close my front door, and the electric shock it sends through me has me struggling with my key for just a moment before I finally jam it in the lock.

I go through the motions of lighting a smoke and take a drag before I turn to look at him, "So, what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"My tattoos," I gesture at the ones he can see, "they meet your expectations? Or do you want to ogle me some more?" If he hadn't been embarrassed earlier seeing me in a state of undress earlier, he sure is now.

"I wouldn't mind," he says, ducking towards the shiny silver Volvo parked in my driveway. For the first time, I actually try to broadcast a feeling: want. Stopping a few feet from the car, he glances over his shoulder and I watch his eyes roam over my frame before I catch the faintest of smirks. I don't have to be an emotion-reader to know when someone is giving me a good eye fuck, but if I did I can still feel that lust from earlier.

We both walk to our respective cars, and I think about how weird it is to talk with emotions instead of words – Enjoyable, but weird all the same.

When I pull away from my house, I wonder just how wild Alice is going with this; I gave her carte blanche, but I hope she's taking my funds into consideration – not like I don't have a ton of money for the time being, but I need enough to live on until…And I'd hate to call Bryn for more money. Maybe I should feel a little strange about letting someone I just met call people to outfit my new house, but as long as I don't have to do it I'm happy. I've reached a new epitome of laziness.

I need a job, a legitimate job. Another normal thing I've never actually done, but I'll think about that more when I'm better acquainted with Forks.

Grabbing coffee and breakfast at a nearby diner, I jot down a trail around town on the map I picked up while I eat. I'll drive around trying to familiarize myself with the small town; it wont't take me too long, but I still find myself smiling contentedly at the prospect wandering down the quiet streets – it's perfect here, at least to me. My curiosity is sated a half hour in, so I park and inspect the main drag of town. I spot the high school and while I still feel like laughing at the vampire high school ridiculousness, I can't help but feel a little worried as well. If anything were to go wrong, it'd be my responsibility to deal with it.

I already like the Olympic coven too much – the thought of having to neutralize a problem like that has my heart flip-flopping uncomfortably.

I spend the next few hours going from store to store, making small, unneeded purchases here and there – I usually don't like killing time like this, but it helps take my mind off the sudden influx of thoughts I'm facing.

My phone begins to vibrate in my pocket, startling me out of my mind. It's Alice, of course.

Where are you? I'll have Ed drop me off!

I tell her the name of the thrift shop - The Use it or Lose It - knowing she knows where it's at. In the meantime I sift through more old junk. As soon as my hand clasps a shiny silver cigarette holder, filigreed and old-fashioned, I know I've made my second great find for the day. After making my purchases, I leave so I can wait outside; it's a nice overcast day. Walking out of the door, I take my carefully rolled cigarettes out of the old Marlboro box I had them in and line them neatly in their new home.

"What's that?" Jasper's smooth voice, underscored by that slight accent, surprises me so much I drop the case. His hand shoots out to grab it, just slightly faster than normal speed. Slightly embarrassed at having been so easily caught off guard I flash a sheepish grin. Maybe I'm taking to civilian life more easily than I thought I would.

I playfully smack him in the shoulder, ignoring the light shock that lights my body as we touch, "Don't make sneaking up on me a habit; my heart can't take it. This is an old cigarette case, figured its better than keeping around some old cardboard box." I take the proffered case and finally look up into his eyes. My heart skips a beat, and he knows it; I open my mouth to tell him to stop being so him, but suddenly Al's face takes up my whole field of vision, bright with anticipation.

"Let's go! Port Angeles is an hour away, and I don't want to waste any time! I think we'll start…"

As I listen to her start to rattle off store names, I turn to Rosalie who smiles faintly at me, gesturing at yet another flashy car – this one an apple red convertible, "We'll take my car there and I'll drop you off back here later."

I place my new case into my holster, and peer up at Jasper again, willing my heart to beat normally, "We still got plans tonight?"

"The way Alice and Rose shop, you'll be worn out." I pout as a way of argument; Jesus Christ, I'm twenty-seven and pouting. Tawny eyes peer down at me in contemplation, "…Call me when you get back." He's all anticipation and excitement. I want this day trip over, even though I am grateful for the help. Climbing into Rosalie's car, it strikes me how much I've gained to lose by coming here; I'm going to have to leave all of it behind – quite the mood killer.

Despite the dip in my emotions, we chat happily about pretty standard topics on the way to Port Angeles; the weather for the week (because sun is bad), what kind of things I should buy, and how Al is dealing with her Swan situation.

"We're becoming friends, but I'm second guessing myself. My vision changes every time I rethink things, and I just…Don't know what to do."

"Just do what you're doing. They still have stupid school dances, right? Make a move then." Rosalie looks at me in the rear view mirror, clearly exasperated, "What?"

"Are you going to encourage this?"

I stare back at her, despite the way her gold eyes are flashing in challenge, "Why not? She says she's seen it happen. You don't believe her visions, do you?"

"Not that particular one, no. You believe she was meant to be with Swan?"

"I don't know…The future seems like an awfully big place. Getting the future right seems like hitting the lottery to me."

"Why do you think I'm having such a hard time with this?!" Alice exclaims from the passenger seat, slinging her arms dramatically over her head.

"Shouldn't you be against this, Rory?" the blond continues with the topic, undaunted.

I shrug, "Entirely dependent on the situation."

"So, when would you intervene?"

"When it's part of my life?" I fold my arms across my chest, "I mean, if Swan wants to be a vampire, that's her choice. As long as no one goes biting everyone all haphazardly, draining towns dry or making newborn armies or whatever, what do I care? "

"That's kind of irresponsible," Rosalie argues, and I can't tell if she likes me less or more.

"Have I struck you as a very responsible person up to this point?" We pull up to an outdoor mall of sorts, and that line of conversation ends on that rhetorical question.

I spend the next four hours being thrust into what I believe to be every piece of clothing for sale in a mile radius. Nothing seems to be off limits, either – even undergarments, and I never thought I'd be at Victoria's Secret with a couple of vampire babes, but this is Washington; apparently it's part of the twilight zone. Al's protests my style to try to get me into something more 'feminine', but I assure her I can't live in skirts and dresses. Frugality, something I've always had to live by until now, also seems to be thrown out the window. I spend too much; way too much.

Okay, so I guess a few hundred dollars out of fifty grand isn't much, but it's a big deal to me.

We arrive back in Forks around nine, and just as that handsome blond predicted I'm so beat I doze the entire way home. Alice and Rosalie are slave-drivers when it comes to shopping; I've never had to try on so many things. How did we manage to fit all these bags into this convertible?

When did my life reach this level of ridiculousness?

I'm shaken awake lightly when we get back to the lot I parked in, and we transfer all my things to my car – I wasn't the only one who bought way too much stuff; there's still a gaggle of bags in the trunk. Alice finally gives me a hug because she can't contain it anymore, and I even get a smile from Rosalie when she says goodbye. As I sink down into my seat, I scan through my phone. When I hit call, it barely rings once.

"Rory?"

"Hey Jazz," I start up my car, "I'm on my way home now, if you still wanted to stop by."

"I'll see you there." Excited and suddenly much more pepped up, I hang up quickly so I can concentrate on driving. It takes me all of five minutes to get back to my house, and when I finally do pull into my driveway, I have a horrific realization.

All the damn bags.

"Curse you and Rosalie, Alice." I say, struggling with said shopping bags and the lock on my front door, "And screw you, shoddy lock, I swear –"

When my door finally opens, I stare in awe. Everything is…beautiful. The once barren house is now homey, and I can tell everything here was done with great care despite the swiftness. After closing the door and dropping everything off on one of my new couches, I wander around the house in amazement. The kitchen is now decked out with every appliance known to man, my bathrooms are serene, and the master bedroom is gorgeous. Everything is a shade of gray, with other bright colors interspersed. She even honored my request to leave the spare room empty.

I pull out my phone and text my pixie friend, bouncing in place.

Al, what are you, a fairy godmother? This is awesome! Send me the bill; I have a feeling you're going to bankrupt me ha. (Tell me you didn't, though. Please.)

After I press send, I dial William's number.

"Amory, are you alright?" Since I'm in the process of shuffling around my kitchen trying to get myself a late dinner together, I put him on speaker and set my phone on the counter.

"Everything is fine; well, I guess that depends on how you define fine. I'm in Forks." The chill from the fridge feels excellent against my hot skin, and I take my time choosing what to eat.

"How is it? What happened?"

"I lost them, again. I fainted. The coven of vampires I was telling you about, they are indeed friendlies; it's going…Good? Too good." I hear a knock at the door and feel my heart stutter, knowing exactly who it is, "Come in!"

"You sound surprised, mon petite chat," Jasper walks in at the tail end of Liam's statement, eyes crinkling handsomely in mirth, "it was just a matter of time before your luck turned around."

Pouring myself a glass of red wine as the blond takes a seat on the bar across from me, I end the conversation hurriedly, "Just wanted to let you know I was alive and kicking; I'll call and give you more details later."

"…Rory, who's there?"

"Gotta go!"

My undivided attention falls on Jasper and he shys away from me at the last second, instead looking around the room appraisingly, "Alice does work fast."

I take a swig from my wine glass and shake my head as I look around the room, "That she does. This is…Pretty incredible." Watching the dark red liquid swirl inside my glass before flicking my eyes up to meet his, I tilt my head nonchalantly, "Want the grand tour?"

He nods, and, in the most endearing display I've seen from him yet, he offers me his arm. Like a real gentleman – not the type of guy I'm used to at all. I pull him along as I show him the few tiny rooms off the open main room, blushing furiously as I glaze over the bedroom. Even the thought of merely showing him my bed starts my mind pumping out entirely welcome but still highly questionable fantasies.

In an attempt to duck out of those thoughts, I lead him back out into the living room. When I try to pull away from him, he places a hand over mine and glances at the mess of beat-up Lord of the Rings figurines piled on the coffee table, "Is that –"

"The nerdiest chess set ever? Yeah - I found it at the thrift shop earlier." It's one of the only things I found enjoyable about childhood.

"You wanna play?" I add, shifting on the soft leather couch when I notice how close he is.

"I can't promise I won't beat you too badly," he teases, and I narrow my eyes in mock indignation.

"Oh, I've got a wonderful idea," I say, mouth twisting into a smirk, "You win and we don't spar, and I never bring it up again. If I win, though…"

"Deal," his eyes assess mine, confidence shining clearly in their golden depths, "you're on."

It was a grueling match, but I held my own considering I haven't played in years.

I won; I think he let me, but it means I get to actually fight instead of just setting up a small training area in my empty spare room, so I'm not too salty about it. Plus, it was nice to sit and joke around without thinking of anything weightier than my growing feelings for a bloodsucker.

Quickly growing feelings. For a vampire. And I'm dying. I've never really done this romantic relationship thing before, but so far I'm batting a thousand.

"So we have a date sometime tomorrow, then?" Smugly triumphant, I stand on the step above him on my small porch with a grin on my face. I don't even care about the connotation of the sentence – okay, maybe a little. I throw a furtive glance at the darkened house across the street. It's a little past midnight, and I don't doubt the Chief will have another cow if he sees Jasper over this late.

"We'll clear it with your physician first."

Being a few inches up doesn't help me at all, I still have to tilt my head back a bit to look Jasper in the eye, "Oh, don't try to get out of this now Jazz. Deal's a deal."

He smirks at me, eyes all honey, "I wouldn't dream of it, ma'am."

I laugh lightly, "Such a proper southern gentleman."

Meow.

We both look down between us, and standing there is a charming little black cat; its eyes are gold, because that's the story of my life these days. As it rubs itself against my leg, I abandon the conversation in favor of petting the adorable little ball of fluff. I run my hand along its side, and the little cat is all skin and bone under the fur. "You poor baby," I pick up the cat, who is complacent as can be in my arms, even nuzzling its face against my free hand.

"Kitten."

I look at Jasper in confusion, head tilted to the side. He rubs at the back of his neck, and his expression spells blushing even though he can't, "Ink is too obvious, and everyone gets to call you Rory…"

"Are you flirting with me Jasper Whitlock?"

In response to my laugh accompanying the question, he decides to be evasive, "Maybe. What are you going to do with your new housemate?"

The cat in question mewls at if recognizing we're talking about it, and I shrug, "Gonna feed it and make sure it's alright, leave a window cracked if it wants out. If it's someone's pet, they're doing a piss poor job taking care of it and – why are you making that face?"

He stops the expression, some warm, longing smile that makes my stomach flip flop, and shakes his head. "You're...Very unexpected. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you around."

At the bottom of the stairs he turns to look at me once more, "You won't be gone soon."

"Al and her damn visions – go home, Trouble. The last thing I need is the Chief on my back. Again." Taking my own advice, I retreat into my house with a possible new addition.

The next morning, way too early, I have two more hungry cats meowing at my front door, all skin and bone like the last one. One is a calico, and the other is a barely three month old dark tabby.

I guess I ordered a crazy cat lady starter pack without realizing it.

I call the animal shelter and local vet clinic to make sure there are no reported missing cats; I really would feel scummy for taking a pet, even if they obviously weren't doing a good job. There aren't, so after setting the cats up with a little water and the last half of the can of tuna I'd bought, I strike out into town after freshening up. My first stop is the local supermarket open at this hour, where I purchase every cat related accoutrement known to man. I've never had the chance to have a pet before, so I'm going to do this right.

Speaking of which, it's time to find a job. I buy a newspaper from the machine in the small strip mall I'm in, and I toss it into the passenger seat as I climb back in the good ol' Geo. I'll look through the help wanted section after me and the furry kids eat.

My arrival – more specifically, the arrival of food – is a big hit with said new crowd. I watch the three cats munch happily away as I situate the rest of the cat stuff throughout my house. As soon as the kitten is done eating, the other two decide they are, as well. When I open the door from them, it's like a comical gang with Hulk the tiny terror in the front, flanked by Widow and Marvel – his main ladies.

Settling down on my couch with a pen after I let them out, I start to scan through the paper. The first thing glaring at me as my eyes fall on the column is an ad from Forks high; apparently they need a part time office aide. I laugh; I don't think a high school would hire a high school dropout, and the last thing I need is more awkwardness in my life.

There are few other promising employment opportunities for me, until my eyes land on an ad from the thrift shop from yesterday; I vaguely remember seeing the sign in the window, but it was a crazy day. The woman behind the counter had been friendly, and I do love old junk; I decide to head there after eating breakfast while pouring over the few books I have on hunter practices. I figure the events of the past few days warrant a revisiting of my impending doom. Two of them are versions of old texts I hand copied, and the third is John's journal.

When my fingers touch the worn brown leather cover of my grandfather's journal, I feel like a kid again, scared and weak and little more than a puppet for his designs.

The thoughts are unwelcome and make my stomach turn, so I get back to work deciding that business is more important than my feelings on the matter. It ends up just being a once over of all of the books again; none of them have any more information than the last time I cracked them open, but it gives me the faintest flicker of hope. Maybe I'll get in touch with Bryn, this time for books instead of money. It might not be so foolish to try again; what do I have to lose? I blame half of my newly found motivation to save myself on the cats. The other half is all on a coven of vamps, with one in particular.

Making sure I have a window cracked for my new friends, I head back into town, hoping I'm not dressed too…Me. My shirt isn't cropped or torn, and my jeans are…mostly intact. Like most 'normal people' things, I don't do this a lot. When the bell above me jingles as I walk in the shop, though, I paste a confident smile on my face; I may not to this often, but that doesn't mean I can't act like it. I swipe the help wanted sign out of the window before approaching the counter. The woman at the till is the same woman from yesterday; her long silver hair cascades around her bony shoulders, and she's dressed very bohemian – it suits her well.

"Ah, the young woman from yesterday; what can I do for you?" She smiles when she sees me, and it widens to a grin when I slide the sign across the counter to her.

"I'm interested in a job, actually. I'm Amory Belmont, and I –"

"Oh! Let me grab you a form, my dear." Her familiar tone makes me smile instantly; all I can think is she's an American version of William, kind and slightly scatterbrained when it comes to work. I take the form she slides me with a pen, and raise my brow at the woman across from me.

"I think you grabbed the wrong form, this looks like employee contact information."

"You're hired as long as you can start tomorrow," the woman across from me beams.

"Of course, no problem. I…Uh, what's your name?"

She looks befuddled for a moment before bursting into laughter, "Oh! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. I'm just excited to finally have some help in here. I'm Evelin Woods, but you can call me Evie."

I shake the hand she extends me over the counter, still stunned this is going this well, "When should I be here?" Forks is so goddamn strange.

"Seeing as how I just opened and it's eight, I'm guessing that's not too early for you?"

"Not at all, Evie. I'll be here at eight; thanks for the job."

"You'll fit in just fine here with me, Rory. I know it." She smiles again before I leave the store, and as I glance at my phone I notice it's barely eight fifteen. I glance at the school and see students trickling into the parking lot. A shiny, expensive looking Volvo is parked in the lot, and I don't need to see a familiar group of 'teenagers' standing around it to know it's the Cullens and Hales. I even see Swans beat up truck; I'd recognize that piece of shit anywh –

Oh, fuck; that van is headed right for her, isn't it?

In the flash second it takes for me to decide whether to save a girl and expose myself, or let her die and take the chance of all the vampires assembled to resist the scent of blood, Alice has already acted.

"Couldn't have just pulled her out of the way, could you Al?" I grumble as I speed walk to the school parking lot, "You had to go and put a dent in the side of a van. Fantastic." An ambulance whizzes by and I groan; this doesn't look good.

When the familiar gang comes into view, I project as much calm to Jasper as I can; all of these frantic heartbeats can't be good for thirst. His shoulders fall in relief, and I can see his guarded expression soften ever so slightly.

"What's the damage?" I direct my question at everyone, but it's a livid, icy blonde who answers.

"I won't be surprised if they run us out of town tomorrow; Alice is being so selfish and reckless because of that girl!"

Resisting the urge to pull out a cigarette on school grounds, I watch as the pixie hops in the back of an ambulance with Swan, "We should really go discuss this somewhere else. Later though; it'll look a little suspicious if you guys play hooky now, yeah?"

Rosalie looks like she's going to spit fire any second, but nods curtly at me and allows Emmett to lead her into the building.

"See ya, Ink!" Colossus' booming voice draws the attention of nearby students, who shift their focus from the accident to me. Great, fantastic.

"Goodbye Rory." Ed leaves as well, leaving me alone with Jasper; not totally alone, though. Most people are trickling back into the school after the excitement, but I think I just got spotted by staff.

"Well, I think that's my cue; I'll see you later, Jazz."

He doesn't look happy to see me go, so I send him one last burst of serenity – everything is fine.

However, as I'm walking back to my car I can't help but wonder about the repercussions of Al saving Swan so publicly.

(A/N: This might seem like a ton of filler, because it is and that's what I do best, but I live for this kind of garbage. This chapter was the bane of my existence. I hope it's at least decent for taking so much of my damn time. As always, thanks for reading!)

(Disclaimer: I only own my original characters and my own plot, everything else belongs to Stephanie Meyer.)