Ivy

As I parted from Jasper's company once inside the cafeteria, Lisa and Kelly's expressions were ones of sheer astonishment. I took a brief glance around and saw many others gaping at me. I just sat down across from my friends with an innocent look, waiting for the questions I knew were coming.

"What did you do to Jasper?" Lisa whispered, "He looks like he was hit by a Mac truck."

"I was just practicing in the auditorium and he was there. He liked what he heard and asked if he could come again tomorrow," I told them in a rush, not able to hide my smile.

"Oh my god!" Kelly said quietly. "I've never seen them talk to anyone other than their family!"

Lisa gasped. "Don't look now but Jasper is staring at you!"

I bit my lip and forced myself not to turn around, trying to calm my racing heart. I felt like I was vibrating like a violin string. That man could play me any day!

"Brace yourself ladies, but get this," I paused for dramatic effect, "He has a southern accent. He's from Texas."

The pair squealed as silently as possible.

"That explains the cowboy boots," Lisa said. I nodded.

"I guess three years of pining has paid off," Kelly suggested.

I propped up my head in my hand and replayed the whole encounter in my mind.

"He's still staring," Lisa informed me.

I couldn't help it. I turned around to look and Jasper was indeed staring at me. I gave him a small grin and he gave me one back. My heart skipped a beat and my breath caught. Sorry Heavenly Father, I thought, you've been replaced by another god. One with an accent who wears cowboy boots.

After an appropriate amount of giggling, the topic turned to the new girl. Isabella Swan. She was a year below us. Anyone new around here was a big deal so naturally, everyone was talking about her. She seemed incredibly reserved and I guessed she was intimidated. A new school full of new people must have been nerve-wracking. She was at a table full of people so she seemed to be making friends.

She was staring at the Cullens. Hands off, Isabella, I thought, the blonde one is mine.

But he wasn't really mine. Looking back once again, I saw Jasper put his arm around Alice and I felt a twinge of envy. Who was I kidding? It was a deluge of envy. I put down my sandwich. I wasn't very hungry anymore. Just then Alice shook off his arm. She seemed irritated by something. A spark of hope filled me.

"Well, well!" Lisa remarked, "Looks like Edward is staring at the new girl."

"He looks like he's angry so I don't think it's love," Kelly giggled. "Not like Jasper and Ivy," she gave me a sly look.

"You know he's with Alice. There might as well be a billboard over his head that says 'taken'," I told them.

"Well, I think he's taken with you," Lisa said.

I smiled despite myself and rolled my eyes. "Why, because he spoke to me?"

"No. Because he's still stealing glances."

"What?!" I hissed. "He is not!"

"He is. But it's probably only revenge for three years of you staring at the back of his head," Lisa laughed and I kicked her under the table.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I picked up Lily from school and let ourselves in the house. My dad had left a note saying he'd be in Seattle until late but mom would be home in time to make dinner.

Lily went to her room to do her homework and I practiced the violin until my mom got home from work.

"How was your first day back, sweetie?" she asked, heating some oil in a skillet.

As I chopped garlic and she chopped onions, I told her everything I knew about the new girl and what had transpired between me and Jasper.

"That's so exciting!" she enthused about Jasper.

"Mom, he's taken," I told her. I had told her this a thousand times.

"You're only in high school. These relationships aren't necessarily serious."

"Yours was," I reminded her.

"Your dad and I were off and on throughout college," she told me. I raised my eyebrows at her. This was the first I'd heard of that.

"Really? What made you get together in the end?" I asked, putting the garlic and onions in the skillet with a sizzle.

"I had put an ad in the campus paper's personals column anonymously and he answered it," she laughed.

"Seriously? That sounds made up," I laughed.

"It's true. I swear!" she said as she saw my incredulous expression.

"Maybe I should put a personal ad in the Forks High newsletter," I stroked my chin theatrically knowing I'd never do it. "It doesn't matter," I added, "He's talked to me once."

"Well, at least being single beats being with that Troy kid. What an asshat," she said, referring to my last boyfriend.

That comment was not what I was expecting and I just burst out laughing and couldn't stop. My mom joined in. Lily came down the stairs and asked what was so funny. I just looked at my mom and we burst into laughter again.

"You guys are so weird," Lily muttered and stalked back upstairs.

My mom was just the greatest. We finished making dinner, called Lily down to eat and chatted about our respective days.

I finished my homework and went to bed, deciding what to play for Jasper tomorrow.

Jasper

I stood in the shower for at least twenty minutes, not wanting to go to the family meeting that had been called. I knew it would mostly be about Isabella but I'm sure Ivy was going to come up too. But really, Ivy wasn't a threat. Isabella was. Edward's control had been sorely tested when he smelt her and now he was trying to decide what to do. Ivy was nowhere near as appetising to me as the Swan girl was to Edward. I smiled to myself. Finally, Edward's precious control was wavering. I didn't feel so bad about my own control problems.

I sighed, towelled off and went down to the dinner table. Family meetings were the only time we used the dining room. Everyone was already there.

"Took you long enough!" Emmett boomed, "Do I even want to know what you were doing?" He laughed and made a vague but rude hand gesture.

"Really Em? There are ladies present," I told him.

"Jazz, we've seen much worse," Rosalie said. I knew that but still, Civil War era manners died hard.

"Alright everyone, let's get down to business," Carlisle called us to order. "We're here to discuss Isabella Swan. Edward, would you take us through this?"

Edward described what had happened in his science class from when Isabella walked into the room up until he had left the main office, unable to switch classes.

"She just smells so incredible. So much more that anyone I've ever come across," Edward was whining.

I tried so hard not to roll my eyes. He had no idea how hard it was for me every single day.

"What do I do, Carlisle?" he asked.

Carlisle contemplated this for a moment. "I think, if you feel that it's too dangerous for you to stay, you should head up to the Denali coven for a while. Take all the time you need."

Edward nodded thoughtfully.

"Alice?" Carlisle asked.

Alice slipped into a vision. "You're going to go to Denali, Edward. It'll work out better this way."

"I'm sure Tanya won't mind," Rose smirked. We all knew she was sweet on Edward. Edward, inexplicably, was not of the same mind. I was a married man, but if I wasn't… Well, Tanya wouldn't have to try very hard to get me into her bed. There were worse ways to spend an evening.

Edward gave me a look. I didn't care. I also made sure he heard me think I didn't care.

Edward sighed. "I'll call the Denali's to let them know I'll be coming."

I wouldn't use the word 'coming' if you speak to Tanya, I thought loudly and sniggered.

"Jasper," Edward huffed in an exasperated fashion and stormed off. God, he's such a girl, I thought.

"Cut it out!" I heard him yell from the far reaches of the house. I smirked.

"You shouldn't tease him so much," Carlisle admonished me, "He's having a very hard time."

"And I haven't?" I asked aggressively.

"This isn't a pissing contest," Emmett chimed in, "Edward's just not used to losing his cool. You, Jazz, fight hard every day and we all think you're doing a great job. Just because we're talking about Edward doesn't mean we don't acknowledge your struggle."

Every head turned to look at Emmett.

"What? I occasionally have insight," he shrugged.

"Emmett's right," Esme spoke up, looking at me, "You're doing so well, Jasper. Alice has been telling us about Ivy. While we're all here, we'd like to hear about her."

"What about her? She isn't a threat."

"She might be," Alice said and left it at that.

"What do you mean? She and I have a spare at the same time. I went to the auditorium to get away from the emotions, she was there playing the violin. We just talked. I don't see how she's a possible threat," I glowered. I wasn't quite sure why I was defending a girl I barely knew but I felt she didn't need to be involved.

"And that's another thing," I continued, asking Alice, "Why did you say I shouldn't have gone to the auditorium? She smelled delicious but I didn't drain her."

"You're not going to drain her." I felt proud but my stomach dropped at her next statement. "You're going to fall in love with her," Alice said very quietly.

What the hell? I thought. I was definitely not expecting that answer.

"That's absurd. I love you, Alice. You. We're married. How could I fall in love with anybody else? You complete me." How had this conversation happened?

"I don't know how it happens or when but it will if you keep spending time with her," Alice said, radiating hurt.

"So you tried to manipulate me into not meeting her? Do you think so little of my love for you?" I was incredibly hurt by her lack of confidence in me.

"I've seen it, Jazz! It's going to happen!" Alice lost her temper, "Why would you do this to me?!"

"I haven't even done anything to you! What the hell is happening here? You're going to trust your visions over me? Is that how it is?" I was angry and trying very hard not to project it but it was difficult. What a ridiculous notion! If Alice was trying to push me away, she was doing a marvelous job of it.

"Jasper," Esme placed a hand on my arm, but I brushed her off.

"I need to hunt," I said and took off for the forest. I could hear Rose behind me. I didn't mind her company so I ran beside her in silence. I stopped at the Washington/Oregon border. I spotted a herd of elk and caught a few and drained them all quickly. I didn't feel much better. I never got over how disgusting they tasted. Rose caught a couple and finished them too.

"How could Alice not believe in me?" I asked her.

"She relies too heavily on her visions," Rose simply said.

"Do you think I would ever cheat on her?"

"No. You two are in love. Alice knows this. I don't know why she would think otherwise," Rosalie shrugged.

"Do you think I should stop seeing Ivy?" I asked. I really didn't want to. Her happy emotions helped my near constant anxiety, well, minus the lust. But if it meant keeping Alice, I would do it.

"Alice did say if you kept seeing her, you'd fall in love so I guess if you stopped, you wouldn't fall in love," Rose reasoned.

"Ivy's going to be upset but she'll get over it," I said, more to myself. "I just don't want her to think I didn't enjoy her music because I really did. It means everything to her."

"What if you found a way to let her down gently?" Rose suggested.

I looked at her, somewhat surprised to hear her thinking kindly towards a human.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, "I have a heart, you know."

"I know you do, and I love you for it," I gave her a side hug as we ran back to Forks.

All of us, minus Edward, drove to school the next morning. Home room was first. I saw Ivy. She smiled at me and said hello. My blood-filled stomach did a somersault. I greeted her and smiled back. I still hadn't figured out how to break things to her gently.

All too soon, we both had our spare. I headed to the auditorium, dragging my feet. Ivy was already there, tuning her instrument and playing some scales. When she heard me enter, she turned to face me, smiling her radiant smile.

She really was quite pretty. Her hazel eyes had a sparkle to them. One I hoped I wouldn't snuff out once I'd left. Her thick, wavy hair had a relaxed, disheveled sort of charm. Her clear skin was pale, as were most people who lived in Forks. She had long legs, displayed by her skinny jeans. She already had a woman's physique with curves in all the right places though the oversized sweater she was wearing disguised it. I knew she'd find someone to love her properly, the way I would never be allowed to.

I shook my head mentally. What was I thinking? I have absolutely no claim on her. I don't even want her! It was Alice's fault that I was even thinking of her in a romantic sense. The thought would have never crossed my mind otherwise.

When she saw that I hadn't smiled in return, hers disappeared. She seemed unsure now.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to spend any time together." I cursed myself for leading off with this.

Ivy was stunned. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

What should I tell her? I have a jealous wife? I'm starting to care about you? I think you're absolutely lovely and I don't want to hurt your feelings?

"I just don't think it can lead to anything good." There. That was somewhat neutral.

Ivy was silent for a moment, mulling over my words. Then, "Did I do something wrong?"

I felt like a horrible person. I mean, I was a horrible person, I knew this already. But hurting her felt awful.

"You did absolutely nothing wrong. This is all on me. I-"

"It's okay. I understand. I really do. I don't want you to feel bad for not wanting to be around me. I'll be fine." She gave me a bright but fake smile.

I turned to leave, but stopped with my hand on the door handle.

"I just want you to know that your music brought me to another place emotionally. I will always treasure the music you shared with me."

"Thank you," Ivy said quietly. I pushed the door open and exited.

After a moment, I heard her play an achingly sad pavane and felt her hurt radiating out to me. I was such a bad person. I blamed Alice for this. Ivy didn't deserve this.

This was like being with Maria all over again. Hurting people for a woman. Thankfully Alice hadn't asked me to kill Ivy but still. It was so very close to what I had done as the Major.

I told Alice that I wouldn't be seeing Ivy anymore. Alice seemed pleased. That made one of us. I never spoke a single word to Ivy since that day in the auditorium and never allowed my gaze to travel to her. It shouldn't have mattered to me but it did and I couldn't understand it.

One week later, Edward came back to Forks and started back at school. Apparently, his self control was back. He had told us he couldn't stay away. That Bella (that was what she preferred to be called) was drawing him to her. It was intriguing that he couldn't read her mind. Then Alice told Edward that she and Bella were going to be best friends. That set me off.

"So you're going to be best friends with one human and forbid me from being friends with another?" I had yelled at her one night.

"I never told you to stop seeing her. That was your decision!" Alice yelled back.

"You're such a hypocrite! I did this for you! I hurt a wonderful girl's feelings to make you happy."

"As you should! I'm your wife, Jasper." Alice stood with her hands on her hips. A chilling memory surfaced of Maria standing just so saying 'I'm your sire, Jasper' while commanding me to kill newborns. I backed away from Alice in disgust. I couldn't understand what was happening between Alice and I.

Alice had never been so heartless, had she? I hadn't spoken to Ivy in many weeks. In the meantime, Edward was getting closer to Bella.

In the following weeks, I felt that anything between Alice and I was over. I didn't feel attracted to her in the slightest. We hadn't made love in…well it had been so long I couldn't even recall when we were last alone together. I was sure Alice felt the same and yet she never came to me to talk about it, or to try and patch things up. We both just sort of gave up on each other.

Not long after, Edward had forgotten himself and saved Bella from a van careening towards her on a patch of ice. He had been standing next to us across the lot from Bella and when he saw what was about to happen, he raced at vampire speed to Bella's side and took the impact of the van, crushing the van's door in the process.

He was at the hospital, trying to convince Bella that she had imagined things. Bella wasn't stupid and she was starting to figure things out. She was a threat now.

When Edward had come home, I confronted him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked calmly, "One way or another, Bella will figure this out. She's a risk. She'll expose us either willingly or accidentally and this will all be your fault."

"She won't," Edward sounded very sure of himself.

"She won't," Alice chimed in. I just glared at her. To her credit, she stood her ground.

"If you don't have the guts to do what needs to be done, I'll do it. I'll kill Bella to save this family." I meant it too.

"If you touch her, I will kill you," Edward said with as much conviction as I'd ever seen in him.

I'd like to see you try, I thought, not caring that he heard.

So we were at odds. I wanted to kill Bella, Edward and Alice wanted to kill me and Rose wanted to kill Edward for his stupidity.

A/N: That bit about Ivy's mom putting an add in the personals is a nod to the song Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes. It just seemed to fit.

Sorry to all the Alice fans out there. I liked her in the first book but found she became an overbearing bitch after that.

Just out of curiosity, who do you think would win in a no-holds-barred fight to the death: Edward or Jasper? Edward can read minds but Jasper could paralyze someone with fear so…

A huge thank you to all who followed and favourited! You're all awesome!