-5 months until due date-
Jasper's two week suspension is over too fast, and it's time again for him to go back to school. Carlisle and Esme watch from afar as Jasper eats breakfast in the kitchen.
"I don't have a good feeling about this, Carlisle," Esme sighs. "Those boys aren't going to leave him alone."
"He has to try, though." Carlisle tells his wife. Esme sighs, but she knows he's right. "And remember what we talked about. We won't allow him to be terrorized at school, but he needs to try one more time."
Jasper, Edward, and Rosalie leave the house to catch the school bus. Jasper sits in the back with Alice and doesn't think much about seeing Wicker and Smith. He threw the first punch in the first fight, and they threw the first punch in the most recent fight, so now they're even. He repeated his promise to avoid trouble to Esme this morning, even though the night before Carlisle pulled him aside and told him to not hold back if those boys hit him again. Do no harm, but take no shit was how Carlisle described it to him.
The whispers between the other kids seems to have died down. He's no longer getting sideways glances as he walks through the halls. Even the biggest gossips in the school pay him no mind when he walks by. He goes to his locker, gets his things for his first class, and meets Alice at her locker down the hall. She smiles when she hears the sound of his boots against the schools tiled floor.
"Hey there," Jasper smiles and leans against the lockers next to hers. Alice gives him a flirty smile back.
"Hey,"
"Can I walk you to class?"
Alice smiles, holds her books under her arm, and grasps Jasper's hand. The young couple walks happily, chatting about potential afterschool plans and how they would try to convince Carlisle to let them follow through with those plans even though Jasper's still grounded.
When they reach Alice's class, Jasper gives her a quick kiss before she goes in and takes her seat.
Jasper quietly makes his way to his own classroom. This isn't too bad. Going to school is definitely better than upsetting Esme, and now that everything that happened between Jasper and Maria is old news to his classmates, getting through the day will be even easier. He might actually enjoy today.
That is, until he hears those annoying voices.
"Hey, redneck!" Dennis calls.
Ugh.
Jasper rolls his eyes as he walks past the two boys that have caused such headaches for him. He's going to stick to the promise he made Esme, though. He won't start anything. He'll be good and follow the school's rules and get through the day without disappointing her.
"Where you going, redneck?" Henry asks. It's like a repeat of the last day of school. Jasper hopes to lose them in the crowd of students, but they're able to stay hot on his heels.
"Boys," A new voice calls. All three of the teens look up to see the principal Mr. Welsh walking towards them. He only slows slightly to speak to them. "We're not going to have any trouble today, are we?"
"No sir." Jasper answers quickly.
"No problems here," Dennis states.
"Yeah, no problems here," Henry echoes his friend.
Mr. Welsh walks away, but glances over his shoulder with every couple of steps that he takes. Jasper keeps walking. He can see the door to his classroom. Just fifty more feet until he can step into the room and not have to listen to Tweedledee and Tweedledum anymore.
"Where you going so fast?" Henry questions.
"I don't want any trouble. You leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone," Jasper says with only forty more feet to the classroom.
"We just have a little question for ya," Dennis says with a smirk. He walks up to Jasper and shoves his shoulder. "Are you fucking the doctor's wife too?"
"What the hell did you just say?" Jasper's body tenses as he speaks, and he sets his jaw. His hands ball into fists.
"He said, are you fucking the doctor's wife too?" Henry says.
It takes everything Jasper has to keep walking forward. Only thirty more feet until he can escape these assholes. He promised he wouldn't start anything. He owes it Esme to get through the day.
"Didn't you hear us?" Henry asks.
"He won't answer because he doesn't want everyone to know he's fucking another old lady," Dennis laughs.
"Leave me alone," Jasper grumbles with all the restraint his body can muster.
"Or what?" Dennis smirks and gives Jasper's shoulder a harsh shove.
Jasper stops in his tracks. He did all he could. He walked away, he told them to buzz off, he focused on anything other than their taunts. But is one little shove what Carlisle was referring to when he told Jasper to not hold back if they touched him?
Before he can decide on whether or not that shove qualifies as a reason to kick their asses, Dennis shoves him harder. Jasper's back hits the wall.
"What's wrong? You too afraid to do anything? You can't fight unless you got that little midget girl with you?" Dennis laughs and gives a punch to Jasper's arm.
Jasper smirks. Stupid Dennis has no idea that he just gave Jasper all the permission he needed to give them the fight they so desperately want from him.
-JWiD-
"You were in the hall and saw them taunting Jasper!" Esme lectures the principal, who sits at his desk with his head in his hands.
"This is outrageous!" Carlisle adds on.
Jasper crosses his arms over his chest and smirks. It feels good to be on the winning side. He watches as Carlisle and Esme fiercely defend him.
"We've discussed the zero tolerance policy before," Mr. Welsh sighs. "Unfortunately, we have to suspend Jasper for two weeks."
"No. Absolutely not." Esme shakes her head. "How are you going to keep punishing him for fights that he didn't start?"
"Mrs. Cullen, as we've explained before, it isn't about who starts the fights."
"He hasn't been able to finish a full day of school since his first suspension because of those boys! Jasper has done everything in his power to avoid any fighting, yet somehow, he is still being punished. This is an obstruction of his education!" Carlisle adds on.
"Unfortunately, it is out of my hands," Mr. Welsh admits defeatedly.
"This is absolutely asinine. This is an embarrassment to public education!" Carlisle continues, but is cut off by Esme.
"I think it's time, Carlisle," She sighs. "He can't keep coming here. He isn't safe from bullying in the halls, and if they're going to suspend him every time those other boys put their hands on him, he will never be successful here."
"You're right." Carlisle agrees and turns to the teenager. "Jasper, go get your things. Clean out your locker. Do you have any items in your classes that are your personal items?"
"No. Everything's in my locker." Jasper explains.
"Good. Get it all. You won't be coming back."
Jasper hesitates, but then jumps to his feet with an even bigger smile as the words register. He hurries out of the office, gets his things from his locker, and is back to the office as quickly as possible.
"Mr. Cullen—" Mr. Welsh starts to say.
"Doctor," Carlisle corrects him harshly.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Cullen, we can find a way to correct this without pulling Jasper from the school. We can look at his schedule and adjust it so he and the students he is having issues with aren't in the same area of the school at the same time."
"You've had plenty of time to figure out a solution." Carlisle says.
"What if we allowed Jasper to leave his classes five minutes early? If he did that, then it would give him time to get to his next class without having to worry about other students."
"No. He's done here. Those boys have been harassing the kids in my house for years and we have brought it to your attention countless times. I'm not allowing him to be in a school where he is not protected." Carlisle speaks strongly and clearly, leaving Mr. Welsh with nothing more to say. He pats Jasper's shoulder. "Let's go. We're done here."
Jasper follows close behind Carlisle and Esme as they leave the office with his backpack in hand. They leave the school and go towards Carlisle's vehicle.
"I don't have to come to school anymore?" Jasper asks.
"Not this one," Esme says.
"You don't have to worry about those two assholes anymore," Carlisle grumbles as he walks to the car.
"I always knew you were a pretentious ass," Jasper says to Carlisle, nudging his foster father's side playfully. "But I didn't realize how helpful it is to have a pretentious ass on your side."
Carlisle shoots Jasper an offended glare, but the smile on Jasper's face lets him know that he is just trying to lighten the mood. He rolls his eyes and returns the smirk to Jasper.
"Yeah, well, that's what I have to do to defend a disrespectful brat."
Esme watches Carlisle and Jasper, and her heartrate quickens. She doesn't want the two hot heads to explode in the car. She holds her breath until the two finally laugh together.
She smiles along but shakes her head. Those two may confuse the hell out of her, but at least they're happy.
-JWiD-
"But you said I didn't have to go to school anymore!"
"Did you honestly think you wouldn't have to go to school?"
"You said I didn't have to go anymore!"
"You don't have to go to that school anymore! You still have to go to school!"
Rosalie sighs as she rubs her temples. She looks over the table at Esme, who looks just as frustrated with the breakfast conversation.
"Jazz," Rosalie says and gives her brother's knee a quick swat under the table to grab his attention. "Stop yelling."
"You need to stop yelling too, Carlisle," Esme scolds her husband.
"Asshole," Jasper grumbles under his breath.
"Brat," Carlisle mutters back.
"Jasper, you still need to go to school. I think online school is the best option for you right now." Esme continues their conversation.
"Why?" Jasper sighs.
"Because you can work at your own pace. The online school offers a larger variety of classes than the public school as well. I'll show you the catalog with all the classes." Esme explains. "I think it will make it easier for you to complete high school once the baby comes, too."
At the mention of the baby, Jasper's expression hardens. He can't argue with Esme, though. If she thinks it's a good idea, then he'll suck it up and do it.
"Fine." He sighs.
Carlisle shakes his head. He was telling him the same thing, but the damn kid just refuses to listen to him. He glances over to his wife. She could tell Jasper to walk on the ceiling and he would figure out a way to do it. Carlisle could tell him to have a good day and Jasper would make himself miserable just so he isn't following Carlisle's instructions.
"Where is the baby going to sleep?" Edward asks.
"Probably in my room," Jasper gripes. Just what he needs, a screaming baby sleeping in his bedroom. He's never going to get any sleep ever again. All he will ever hear anymore is crying.
"What are we supposed to do with a baby?" Edward huffs. "I'm not taking care of it!"
"You don't have to, Edward," Carlisle says.
"When do I have to start online school?" Jasper asks.
"Next week." Esme answers.
The family continues to eat, and soon it's time for Rosalie and Edward to catch the bus for school. Jasper passes a folded piece of paper to Rosalie with the instructions to give it to Alice. It's nothing special, just a little note asking her to come over after school. Jasper helps Esme clear the table when he catches her rubbing her temple.
"Mom, are you okay?" He asks.
"Yes, dear," Esme forces out. Carlisle rejoins them in the kitchen and notices the same discomfort in Esme that Jasper had seen.
"Esme," He sighs. "Be honest with yourself. Are you okay?"
Esme takes in a deep breath before finally giving in.
"I think it's going to be a tough day," She admits.
"Come lay down," Carlisle responds quickly and walks to Esme's side. He wraps his right arm around her waist and guides her to the living room. Jasper tilts his head to the side before following the couple.
"Carlisle," Esme squeezes her husband's arm. "I can feel it coming on."
"Okay. Let's go to our bedroom then. It's going to be okay."
Jasper stays a few feet behind the couple. Carlisle bypasses the couch and goes into his and Esme's room and holds her hand as she carefully sits on the edge of the bed. Jasper stands in the doorway.
"Lay down, dear." Carlisle speaks kindly and softly. Esme complies and lays in the middle of the bed. Carlisle sits next to her. "Try to relax."
"I'll be okay. I'm sure it will pass soon."
"I don't have to go into work today. I'll take care of everything; you just focus on relaxing."
"But you and Jasper—"
"We will be just fine, love."
Jasper observes silently. Carlisle caresses Esme's hand and speaks softly and kindly. He promises to her that he will take care of her. He strokes her hair, and just as Jasper is about to turn away, Esme's body stiffens. Carlisle looks down to his watch.
"Is she-" Jasper starts to say, but cuts himself off when Esme's body starts convulsing. His eyes widen, and he's engulfed with panic. "She's having a seizure!"
"She is," Carlisle confirms.
"Carlisle, what do I do?" Jasper questions rapidly. "Should I call an ambulance?"
"No. She's okay."
"But Carlisle, she-"
"Shh," Carlisle cuts him off by holding his finger to his lips, all while still keeping his eyes on the watch on his other wrist.
Jasper is sure his heart is going to beat right out of his chest. The seconds feel like eternities as he watches, feeling helpless.
Finally, Esme's body relaxes. Carlisle stops watching the time and turns Esme to her side. He keeps his hand on her arm, gently rubbing from her elbow to her shoulder. Esme starts to become more aware and lets out a tired groan.
"Carlisle," She mutters.
"You're okay, love." Carlisle promises.
Jasper watches as Carlisle comforts her, tells her that she's safe and okay. He thinks back to that horrible day when Esme had a seizure, and he was the only one home. He was so scared and didn't know what to do. He needs to talk to Carlisle again about what he's supposed to do in a situation like that.
"Lay down, dear. You need to relax. I know you're tired," Carlisle says as Esme starts to sit up.
"No, I'm fine."
"Esme, you know these exhausts you. Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take care of everything today."
"You and Jasper—"
"We will be just fine," Carlisle tells her.
"Yeah, Mom. We'll be okay," Jasper reassures. Esme smiles, then sighs as she turns to face her husband.
"Don't yell at him."
"I promise, my love."
Esme finally agrees, and Jasper shuts the bedroom door before going to the living room. Esme changes into pajamas and gets under the blankets. Carlisle kisses her forehead.
"Sleep tight, dear." Carlisle tells her.
"Wake me up in an hour or so."
"You don't need to get up."
"You and Jasper don't get along," She sighs. "I can't leave you two alone all day."
"We will be just fine. I promise I won't lose my temper, and I won't yell at him."
"He's going through a tough time, Carlisle. You have to be extra patient with him."
"I know, and I will be."
"Okay. I love you." She says.
"I love you, too,"
Carlisle turns the light off and slides out of the door to see Jasper watching him intensely.
"What am I supposed to do when that happens?" Jasper asks quickly.
"Come with me to the kitchen. I'll tell you as we clean up breakfast."
Jasper follows Carlisle and cleans without protest. He listens carefully but catches himself staring at the corner of the stove where Esme hit her head last time she had a seizure. When he finishes his lecture, Carlisle follows Jasper's line of view.
As much as the kid works his last nerve, Carlisle can't help but appreciate the love Jasper has for Esme.
"It usually happens like it did today. She typically feels it coming on and can get to a safe place. They never last long." He explains. "What you experienced when it was just you and her home was a rare occurrence."
"So, it's not always going to be an emergency?"
"Exactly."
"She took her medicine this morning. I saw her do it," Jasper says. "Why does she have seizures even when she takes her medicine?"
"Sometimes the triggers for the seizures are stronger than the medication. It can be different for every case of epilepsy. With Esme, she has a higher chance of having a seizure if she's had a lot of caffeine, or hasn't slept well, or is facing a lot of stress."
"A lot of stress," Jasper mumbles. "So, I caused this?"
Jasper lifts his head to make eye contact with Carlisle, who pierces his lips together and searches for the right words. He knows not to admit this out loud, but Jasper is right. He's put Esme through a lot of stress lately. Between the fighting at school, the arguing at home, the baby drama, the meetings with the lawyers, her whole life has been consumed with figuring out how to get Jasper through this tough time. Jasper's chin trembles.
"It's not your fault, Jasper," Carlisle sighs.
"Yes, it is," Jasper huffs. He looks to the ground and kicks at the floor with the ball of his foot.
Carlisle doesn't know what he's supposed to say. If Esme were awake, she would be able to comfort Jasper. If Rosalie were here instead of at school, she would be able to talk him through this guilt. Carlisle is complete lost on his own.
"Let's go watch television. You can pick a show." He offers. Jasper shrugs but turns and drags his feet to the living room. Carlisle follows him to the couch. Jasper flops down on one end, and Carlisle sits on the other. Carlisle takes his laptop from the end table and powers it on.
Jasper mindlessly flips through the channels. His mind is still stuck on Carlisle's words. Esme probably hasn't been sleeping very well because of him either. The stress is probably keeping her from sleeping, so she's probably drinking more caffeine to try to stay awake. He's sure he's been checking every box on her seizure trigger list.
A flash of an old western movie on the TV screen is the only thing that pulls his attention from Esme. He stops on that channel and quickly recognizes the actors.
"My Daddy loved this movie." He sighs.
"Yeah?" Carlisle glances up to the television.
"I used to play cowboys with him in the front yard because of this movie."
"That sounds like a great memory, Jasper."
They watch the movie quietly, until Carlisle gets an idea.
"Do you remember your Texas address?" He asks.
"Kinda," Jasper sighs. "We were on Jackson street. I don't remember the house number."
"Oh. What was your house like?"
Jasper keeps his eyes on the television, but Carlisle sees how he perks up just a little.
"It was a tan colored house. There was a big red oak tree in the front yard. We had a split rail fence on the front portion of the property near the road." Jasper describes happily. Nodding, Carlisle types notes in his computer. "My bedroom was painted blue. Rosalie's was purple. We were out in the country, so we didn't have neighbors that were right next to us. My Daddy's best friend lived just two or three miles down the road from us. His name was Beau, and Rosie and I called him Uncle Beau. He didn't have kids, but we spent a lot of time over there too. He had a pool."
Jasper loses himself in his memories as he recalls what it was like growing up. He watches the main character of the movie jump onto a horse and gallop through the desert and starts telling Carlisle about how Avery taught him to swim. Once he had that skill mastered, Uncle Beau would throw him in the pool, even if he still had all his clothes on. He can't help but laugh as he remembers how funny it was to him as a young boy to be tossed into the pool with his jeans and tee-shirt on.
"God, I miss that," Jasper sighs, and his smile slowly faulters to a frown. "I miss my Daddy so much."
Jasper fades into a daydream of life in Texas. Carlisle keeps typing and clicking on his laptop. He finds a map, zooms into Jasper's hometown, and examines the road names until he finds Jackson street. He clicks down the street and looks at the houses lining the road. It's a long road, so he spends lots of time searching for the tan house with the red oak tree.
Carlisle starts to worry that maybe the house is no longer there. It's been years since Jasper and Rosalie lived in Texas. Even if the house is still there, maybe it's been painted, or maybe the tree has been cut down. Maybe he can ask the casework, Mrs. Valerie, for the exact address.
Jasper loses himself in the movie, ignoring the tearfulness that is threatening to show through. Between the baby, the worry of what he's putting Esme through, and now the memories of Avery, it's been a rough day and the movie is giving him a much-needed break from all of these emotions.
As the movie ends and the credits roll up the screen, Carlisle gasps as he finds exactly what he's been looking for. The house is isolated, and just like Jasper described. The red oak is still standing proudly in the front yard, and even the split rail fence is still up. The gasp grabs Jasper's attention and makes him look over towards Carlisle, who turns his laptop screen so Jasper can see the house.
Jasper's jaw drops as he moves closer to Carlisle. He leans forward and he can't help but smile.
"That's my house!" He declares happily.
"Does it look like you remember?" Jasper asks.
"Just like I remember," He sighs happily. "How'd you find it?"
"I used a satellite map."
"Can you screenshot this and print a copy of it for me?"
"Sure."
Carlisle saves the picture, and Jasper points towards the right of the screen.
"I remember we always turned right out of our driveway to go to Uncle Beau's house. Can you try to find that?"
"Sure."
Jasper scoots closer to Carlisle, who clicks down the road until Jasper jolts in his seat and points at the screen again.
"That's it!" He declares. "That's Uncle Beau's house!"
"Tell me about when you'd visit him." Carlisle requests with a smile.
"Daddy would take us there, and we would work on four-wheelers and dirt bikes and stuff. I didn't really help much, but Rosalie helped them a lot. I had a bicycle there, and a whole shelf of toys like soccer balls and sidewalk chalk and toy trucks and stuff, so I would play while they worked on whatever needed fixed." Jasper explains with his eyes glued to the screen.
Jasper continues to share his memories with Carlisle, who sits back and just enjoys the moment. If nothing else, at least he can make good on his promise to Esme. Soon, Jasper is going to legally be Carlisle's son. Once the baby is born, Jasper is going to need even more support than ever. Carlisle has to figure out how to make this relationship with Jasper a good one.
-JWiD—
"Look! This was our house, and this was our Uncle Beau's house, and this is the bar my Daddy use to take us to for dinner, and this is where we went to school, and this is the park my Daddy would take us to," Jasper says as he clicks through all of the open tabs on Carlisle's laptop. Edward watches the screen with a smile. Carlisle watches the two teens who have been at each other's throats in the past interact happily at the kitchen counter. When Edward got off the school bus at home and said Emmett picked Rosalie up from school, Carlisle worried that Jasper's mood would plummet without her. He was so excited to share the pictures with his sister, but he seems more than happy to show them to Edward. Maybe all of this will work out and they can all be happy together. "And this is where Rosalie took dance classes, and this is where my Daddy would take us shopping."
"Why do you call him Daddy and not Dad?" Edward asks simply. Carlisle sucks in a sharp breath and worries that the comment may end the good day.
Jasper clicks over to the next tab. The webpage shows Avery's smiling picture to the right of his obituary. He can't pull his eyes from the picture as he speaks.
"I was just little when he died." He explains sadly. "I still called him Daddy. I guess it just doesn't feel right to call him Dad because I never called him Dad when he was alive."
"Oh." Edward mutters. "Sorry."
"It's alright," Jasper whispers back. The air in the room grows heavy, and Jasper points to Avery's picture. "This is a good picture of him. I don't have any good pictures of my Daddy."
Edward looks over to Carlisle, who glances between Edward and Jasper. Jasper sighs, and slowly backs away from the laptop with his eyes to the ground. He drags his feet over to Carlisle and sniffles. He tries to hide the emotions with a cough.
"Can I have my phone? I want to call Rosalie." He murmurs.
"You can use mine," Carlisle says and pulls his phone from his pocket. Jasper takes it and quickly leaves the kitchen and goes up the stairs. Carlisle grabs two cans of soda from the refrigerator before walking towards Edward and patting him on his shoulder. They sit at the table. Carlisle pushes the laptop to the side and nudges one of the cans of soda to Edward. "Thanks for listening to him talk about Texas. It really means a lot to him."
"No problem," Edward sighs. "It kinda makes things make sense."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you died, and then Mom made us move from everything we've know, and then she died, and I had to go through everything Jasper has in foster care, then I'd be pretty pissy all the time too."
"His mother didn't just die, either. She shot herself in the head while Jasper was still home. He heard the gunshot." Carlisle explains woefully.
"Jesus."
"Between his parents, and all the bullshit he's gone through with foster care, its easier to understand why he acts the way he does." Carlisle sighs. "He's had it rough."
"It's gonna be even more rough when the baby comes." Edward grumbles.
"Yeah, it is."
"You promise I don't have to take care of the baby, right?"
"Right. The baby isn't your responsibility."
The two sits quietly and enjoy the cold sodas, trying to make sense of the chaos that has engulfed their family. Carlisle watches Edward and remembers the stress he felt when he first found out his sister was pregnant. He and Esme worried day in and day out, just like they're worrying now.
"Hey," Carlisle says and reach over to pat Edward's hand. "It's been too long since you and I did something together. I have to meet with the lawyer tomorrow after work, but the next day we can go to the batting cages. How does that sound?"
"I have therapy that day," Edward grumbles.
"Hmm," Carlisle mulls over a solution. "What about Friday?"
"I have plans with Bella on Friday."
"Okay. Well, maybe next week." He sighs defeatedly.
"Yeah, maybe."
Edward finishes his drink before telling Carlisle he has to finish his homework and leaving the table. Carlisle sighs to himself as a pit of worry grows in his stomach. Life is just going to get crazier, and he's not sure how he's going to get through it.
-JWiD—
"I don't want to do this," Jasper sighs as Carlisle straightens the teenager's tie.
"I know. I don't want to do this either." Carlisle admits gravely.
"Carlisle!" Esme shoots him a harsh look from across the kitchen. Carlisle doesn't have to turn to his wife to know she has a scowl plastered on her face.
"It's the truth," Carlisle huffs. "He doesn't want to do this anymore than I do."
Esme clenches her jaw as she tries to find the appropriate words to tell Carlisle to shut up. Carlisle just shakes his head. For once he and Jasper finally agree on something. This adoption isn't a joyous occasion. This isn't a big celebration. Jasper doesn't want it. Carlisle knows this is more for the baby than for Jasper. If Jasper hates him now for acting as a father role, how much worse is it going to get when Carlisle is legally Jasper's father?
Jasper watches Carlisle and scowls. This is such bullshit.
Rosalie stands at side of the room. She's ready to go in her burgundy dress and her hair and makeup done perfectly.
"Are you sure you don't want anyone else to come?" Rosalie asks him. "Emmett and Edward said they'll come if you want the extra support.
"No." Jasper tells her for the thousandth time, then looks back to Carlisle. "My name isn't changing, right?"
"No. You'll still be a Whitlock."
"Good."
When the tie is secure properly, Carlisle walks away from the disgruntled teen boy. When he approaches Esme, he isn't surprised by the whispered scolding he gets from her for saying he doesn't want to go through with the adoption. Rosalie can hear, but she's more focused on the wellbeing of her brother. Jasper looks pale and his shoulders are tense. She can see the anxiousness in his eyes.
"We need to head to the courthouse now." Carlisle says with a dullness to his tone.
Esme and Carlisle walk hand in hand, and Rosalie and Jasper follow a few feet away. Jasper tries to whisper to his sister, but Carlisle and Esme can still hear it.
"I feel like I'm betraying Daddy."
"You're not betraying him, Jasper. He would be proud of you for doing this. You're making sure your baby will have a secure home." Rosalie explains.
The car ride is silent, but the courthouse is buzzing with excitement. It's all white noise to Jasper. He keeps his eyes on the heels of Esme's shoes so he doesn't get lost in all the turns they take in the halls to finally find the right room. The lawyer meets them outside of the courtroom. Jasper keeps his eyes to the floor. Avery would like the new cowboy boots Carlisle bought him, even though they pinch his toes and blister his heels. He can hear his father's voice in his head. You just gotta break 'em in, Jazzy boy. He didn't want new boots anyways, but Carlisle told him he couldn't wear his old boots. It was either new boots or dress shoes. The black, rounded toe is too clean, too pristine. He gently knocks the toe against the wall in hopes of scuffing the leather. He's so distracted that he doesn't realize it's time to enter the courtroom until Rosalie grabs his arm and pulls him with her.
The judge speaks about the importance of adoption, how it's a wonderful gift for both parents and child, and blah blah blah. Jasper tunes out for most of it. At one point Carlisle gives his foot a light kick to get his attention, and the judge repeats his question to Jasper.
"Are you ready to officially join the Cullen family?"
Esme smiles and rests her hand on Jasper's. Carlisle watches Jasper from the corner of his eye. Rosalie holds her breath from her seat. Jasper forces out one word that burns his throat and sends his stomach into a guilty knot.
"Yes."
The judge smiles, and Jasper tunes out until Esme pats his shoulder. Everyone else is standing now, and the judge walks to the front of his bench. Jasper follows Esme's lead, and they stand together with the judge and a forced smile on his face as their picture is taken.
It's finally over. They leave the courtroom. Jasper feels as if he's going to puke. Carlisle hurries them out of the courthouse. Esme walks on Jasper's left side, and Rosalie stays on his right. He doesn't speak and keeps his eyes on the ground. They finally get to the car where he and Rosalie climbs in the backseat. His hands balls into fists. His jaw clenches.
"What would you like for dinner, Jasper?" Esme asks.
"Nothing." He mumbles.
"There's nothing that sounds good?" Carlisle double checks as he glances at the sibling set in the backseat. He tries his best to lighten the mood. "Let's pick up something from that steakhouse restaurant we went to last month. You really liked that."
Jasper's blood boils as Carlisle speaks. It's just going to get worse from here. He wants to talk about Jasper's favorite restaurant as if he really knows anything about him. This whole thing is bullshit!
"Shut up!" Jasper shouts his response. "You don't know shit about me! You don't get to talk about me!"
"Talk about you? Jasper, I just made a suggestion6*!" Carlisle defends himself.
"Don't say shit about me! You're such an asshole!"
"Jasper," Rosalie scolds her brother with a harsh tone. He turns his attention to her and when she sees the fire in his eyes, she knows she won't be able to talk him out of this attitude.
"Don't you see it, Rose? He's a control piece of shit! He wants to tell me what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and now he even wants to tell me what my favorite restaurant is? It's bullshit, Rosalie! It's bullshit!"
"I don't think he meant it like that," Rose still tries to calm her brother.
"I fucking hate him!" Jasper continues to yell and looks back at Carlisle. "I hate you! You're such a pretentious asshole! I would have just gave you the baby! You didn't have to adopt me!"
"For fucks sake," Carlisle grumbles as he clenches the steering wheel as tightly as he can. His foot presses harder on the accelerator.
"You're not my Dad!"
"And you're not my son!" Carlisle finally shouts back. "But this is where we're at, Jasper! All I'm trying to do is help you, but you're so fucking bullheaded that you can't even recognize that!"
"You're not trying to help! You don't give a shit about me!"
"You wouldn't still be in my house if I didn't give a shit about you!"
"I hate you!"
Esme closes her teary eyes and tilts her head up towards the roof of the car. This isn't how she wanted the day to go.
The air stays tense inside the vehicle. Jasper folds forward with his head near his knees and hides the side of his face with his arms. Rosalie reaches over to rub his shoulder as he cries. Carlisle pushes the vehicle to go even faster, and soon they are turning into the driveway and parking in that garage. Carlisle cuts the engine before speaking.
"Rosalie, Esme, go inside. Jasper and I need to talk." He forces his voice to stay calm and even.
"Carlisle," Esme sighs and wipes her eyes.
"I'm not going to yell." He promises.
Rosalie leans down towards Jasper to ask if he's okay with talking to Carlisle. Jasper sniffles and lets out a weak yes. She shoots a harsh look to Carlisle and he returns it with a slight nod, acknowledging that he knows he will catch hell from her if he's too hard on Jasper. Esme and Rose leave the car and slowly enter the house. Jasper sits up, crosses his arms, and looks out the window at the wall of the garage.
"Get it all out, Jasper." He says with a defeated sigh. "Go ahead. Yell, scream, call me names. Get it out of your system."
Jasper slowly turns his head to watch Carlisle from the corner of his eye. This has to be a trick of kind…
"You obviously have a lot to say. Let me hear it." Carlisle encourages.
"What?" Jasper mutters back.
"Get it out. Tell me everything you hate about me, and I'll keep my mouth shut." Carlisle repeats as he looks at Jasper in the rearview mirror. Jasper pierces his lips together tightly. "Or are you done? Have you said all that you need to?"
"I'm…" Jasper hesitates for a moment. "I'm done."
"Get in the front seat," Carlisle sighs.
Jasper moves slowly out of the backseat and into the front, still not completely understanding what Carlisle's plan is. He crosses his arms over his chest again.
"We can't keep doing this, Jasper." Carlisle starts his lecture. His tone is tired and exhausted. He looks over to Jasper, who still refuses to make any eye contact.
"Am I grounded for even longer now?"
"You've gotten into so much trouble lately that I don't even remember when your grounding is supposed to end." Carlisle admits. "I know you feel like I'm trying to replace Avery. I don't know what to do to fix that."
"Stop trying to be my dad, then." Jasper suggests with a huff.
"No matter what I say, you take it as me trying to be your dad. What do I have to do differently?"
Jasper shrugs and looks down to the floorboards. He yanks his new boots off.
"Stop telling me what to do. Stop making me wear new boots. I like my old ones." Jasper complains.
"Fine. You don't ever have to wear those boots again." Carlisle agrees defeatedly.
"And stop talking like a dad when you speak to me." Jasper adds on. He watches Carlisle's body language and becomes more confident in his demands. "You don't get to tell me what to do."
"You still have to follow the house rules," Carlisle says.
"I'll follow the house rules if you promise not to act like my dad."
"Fine. Deal. We can't keep going off on each other, though. It's not healthy for this family." Carlisle says. Jasper rolls his eyes. He and Jasper are not a family. Carlisle sees Jasper's reaction, but he knows what to say to really drive this point home. "It's especially not healthy for Esme. She's trying so hard to keep everyone happy and it really hurts her to hear us fighting."
Jasper's face falls. Carlisle's right. He doesn't know what he would do if he lost Esme.
"Okay." Jasper finally agrees.
"It's going to take time for us to adjust to this. I've spent most of my adult life as a father, and you've spent most of your life dealing with people trying to take over a father role for you. We need to extend grace to each other if we fall back into old patterns." Carlisle says. "I can do that for you. Can you do that for me?"
"I guess." He mutters.
"Good." Carlisle sighs, and the car falls silent for just a few moments until his phone rings. He answers it quickly, but Jasper isn't interested in listening in.
Extend grace. How is he supposed to do that? Carlisle is just a control freak. He can't stop trying to control Jasper. He isn't really going to back off. He's always going to try to act like a dad, and Jasper is always going to buck against it.
"Do you want to go over to Emmett's new apartment?" Carlisle asks Jasper as he hangs up the phone. Jasper shrugs.
"I dunno."
"He said he's got some weed. We can smoke while we're there."
"Okay. I'll come." Jasper says with a quick nod of his head. Carlisle smiles.
"I'll tell Esme that we're going to visit him. Do you want me to grab your other boots?"
"Yeah, please,"
Carlisle nods, leaves the car, and quickly tells his wife that he and Jasper are leaving to see Emmett's new apartment. She smiles when she hears that they've talked about the argument and found common ground to agree on. She kisses Carlisle's cheek before he grabs the boots and returns to the car.
Jasper still isn't convinced that Carlisle's deal will work out, but at least he actually brought out his old boots. He slides them on his feet as Carlisle starts the car again and backs out of the driveway. Neither speak, and the space between them feels awkward and uneasy until Jasper's stomach growls.
"Um, Carlisle? Can we still stop at the steakhouse to pick up some dinner?" He asks timidly.
He partially expects Carlisle to yell again, and partially expects him to start a lecture about respect or something stupid like that. Instead, he's surprised when Carlisle lets out a laugh.
"Of course we can, Jasper."