Ivy

It had been months since I'd last talked to Jasper. I was so angry at myself for the way I had handled the end of our acquaintance. It was totally ridiculous how sad I was that our pitiful one conversation was the end of things. We weren't even friends anyway! He said I hadn't done anything wrong and I believed him because all I did was play him some music and chat about innocuous things. It had to have been something going on with him and I was okay with that.

What I didn't understand was why I had been so broken up about it. It felt like a breakup with a boyfriend. As best as I could tell, it must have been because I'd had a crush on him for three years so I felt like I was in a sort of relationship with him. I realized later how unhealthy that was and put an end to the pining I had done for him.

My friends had been so supportive about it. They allowed me to mope for a week. Then they took me out to a karaoke bar and forced me to sing I Will Survive. Obviously, anyone underaged would get hammered beforehand. My friends had served me copious amounts of rum and Coke. Kelly said I had gotten a standing ovation for my efforts though I didn't remember. Lisa had filmed it and I saw later that I really had put some gusto into it. I had felt better after that night.

My parents were also great about it. They never made a big deal about it, which I appreciated because it really wasn't a big deal. I kept at my violin practicing, mostly at home but sometimes in the gym after class hours. The acoustics were great. Admittedly, I avoided the auditorium to steer clear of Jasper and to give him his space.

All in all, I was doing great. I tried to keep my lust for him under control. I cursed my habit of sitting behind him because it was hard not to look at him when he was right in front of me. I had gotten to a point where I still admired his physical beauty because, come on, he was undeniably gorgeous but nothing more than that. And really, what did I know about him? Nothing.

Then the Bella Incident happened. I saw everything from my vantage point outside the gym. Edward had been standing with the Cullens. Then he was a blur. Then he was standing next to Bella who was at the other end of the parking lot after having stopped a van from crushing her.

What the actual fuck.

The next day, I had to talk to Jasper. I just had to. After home room, I raced to the door to block his exit.

"I need to talk to you," I told him. "Meet me in the gym after class please."

Christ, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful he was.

He looked pretty surprised. Good.

I paced back and forth in the darkened gym, sure he wouldn't show up. Just as the thought crossed my mind, there he stood in the doorway. He slowly walked towards me. I pushed all the anxiety I inexplicably felt towards him away.

I should have turned on more lights, I lamented internally.

"What happened in the parking lot yesterday?" I shook off my uneasiness and got straight to the point.

"Hello to you too," he grinned but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Don't play games with me," I warned him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered back with frustrating calmness.

"I saw everything that happened in that lot. Edward didn't conform to the laws of physics and dynamics. He disappeared into a blur and went from one end of the lot to the other."

"What about it?" he asked lazily.

I gaped at him. "You're not going to deny it?"

Jasper sighed. "I'm not going to insult your intelligence by telling you you didn't see what you did. Edward tried that with Bella but I respect you more than that," he said, casually shoving his hands in the pockets of his incredibly well-fitting jeans. The pair that made his backside look especially great. I nearly groaned in frustration at my hormonally-driven thoughts. This was serious.

And he said he respected me. I was touched. And still angry.

"So you're saying that everything I just described really happened?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

It was such a simple reply that raised more questions than it answered. So, Edward really had done something impossible. When had the world stopped making sense? What was going on? I only had one possible, and ridiculous, question for Jasper.

"You're not human, are you?"

Jasper drew a deep breath and seemed to weigh his options. After a very long silence, he spoke.

"No."

I tried to keep my face neutral and I knew I wasn't succeeding. I don't think I really expected him to tell me the truth but I knew it was. There was no way around it. It made sense really: the otherworldly beauty, the strange eyes, the fact they never ate their lunch, the inhuman poise and grace they possessed, the discomfort I felt when I was around them.

I tried valiantly to keep my hyperventilation in check. I thought I did until Jasper looked concerned and told me to breath slowly.

"In," Jasper coached, breathing in deeply, "And out," he exhaled. I followed his instruction and it helped.

"Thanks," I told him sheepishly. This conversation was just so absurd.

"Do you think you'll be alright?" he seemed concerned. "You looked like you were going to pass out."

"Sorry," I continued the slow breathing. "I just expected you to deny everything."

Jasper just shrugged with his hands still in his pockets.

"So, if you're not human, what are you?" I asked again, this time keeping my breathing normal.

"I can't tell you," he told me though he looked like he wanted to.

"Why can't you?" We were standing closer than we'd ever stood before.

"If I told you, I'd either have to make you one of us or I'd have to kill you," he said, looking into my eyes.

I laughed but it died on my lips when I saw he was serious.

"Oh my god. You're serious, aren't you?" I stared at him, wide eyed.

He only nodded. He seemed to take a steadying breath as he reached out a hand to take my own. He placed my hand against his cheek. I flinched away when I felt the firm smoothness and the unnatural chill of it. What should have been soft and warm was instead cold and hard. It was like marble. I started to back away.

"Ivy, don't be afraid of me. Please. I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly. I stopped.

"I need you to understand that you can't let anyone know about this," he pleaded. "I can't tell you what we are without putting your life in danger but please know that we mean no harm to anyone, ever."

I believed him. Regardless of what he was, I didn't think he was dangerous. Neither he nor his family had harmed anyone, to my knowledge.

"I understand, and I won't tell a soul," I promised.

"Thank you," Jasper said softly. He looked relieved.

"Does this have anything to do with why we couldn't be around each other?" I asked after a moment.

"Indirectly, but yes," he said simply. I felt vindicated. So it really was him and not me.

He gave me a few minutes to process everything. I already knew I was in for a sleepless night, going over everything that had happened in the last two days. I looked up at Jasper. He seemed to be steeling himself for something.

Suddenly, he was in front of me, even closer than he was a few seconds ago. He was giving off an insane amount of intensity as he stared into my eyes. I couldn't look away.

"I can't explain this, and I can't ask you to accept this, but I feel that there's something between us," he said. This was something straight out of my fantasies. Including the intense, panty-dropping gaze he gave me.

"Wow," I breathed. I raised my hand as if to touch him a second time but decided against it, snatching my hand away, remembering how weird it felt to touch him the first time.

"Please don't be afraid of me," he said again and held my eyes with his searing gaze. Holy shit, his eyes are black now, I noticed. How is that even possible?!

He held out his hand in an invitation to take mine once more. I hesitated but ultimately yielded and saw my hand was shaking. He raised it to his lips and I had the insane urge to tear my hand away but forced myself to breath and stay calm. He wouldn't hurt me on school property, would he? He kissed my knuckles and my legs felt like Jell-O.

"Should you be doing that? You've got Alice," I felt I needed to remind him. My voice shook with nervousness, both at his foreignness and his incredibly forward behaviour. It seemed so at odds with how he had always been while in class but I felt incredibly turned on by this Intense Jasper.

"Alice and I aren't together anymore," he told me, voice deliciously low.

"You broke up?" I clarified. Why was he telling me this? Did he mean what I thought he meant?

"Mmhmm," he hummed and massaged my hand between his own.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus.

"I'm sorry," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"It just wasn't meant to be," he shrugged.

He was getting closer. Oh god, he's going to kiss me. He's going to kiss me! He's going to…

Nope. He pulled the lapels of my jacket closer together.

"Keep warm, sweet Ivy," he whispered and left with a lift of the corners of his mouth. That smile…That smile was the sexiest thing I'd ever had the pleasure of receiving. He'd never smiled at me that way before.

I noticed he had this way of speaking out of the corner of his mouth while the other side quirked up in a smirk. I loved it and it shocked me by how very much it charmed me. I replayed the whole conversation in my head over and over until I fell asleep that night.

The next day he surprised me yet again by asking me to sit with him at lunch. Obviously, I agreed.

The looks I got were mixed. I saw envy, astonishment from many, and to my surprise, disbelief and anger from my friends. I saw Lisa shake her head and mouth 'don't' through clenched teeth.

Jasper saw the exchange and maneuvered me towards the table where my friends were sitting.

"May we sit with you?" he asked, politely.

Kelly moved over to make room but Lisa just looked at him coldly.

"Why should we let you? You hurt my best friend." Despite her hostility, I felt a rush of warmth for her. She was protecting me, bless her.

"And it hurt me to hurt her," he told Lisa. She didn't buy it.

"Has he begged you for forgiveness?" Lisa asked me. She wasn't going to let this go easily.

"Uhm. No," I told her. I turned to Jasper, knowing what Lisa was going to make him do, "I'm sorry."

He looked at me questioningly. I pointed at Lisa. She stared at him for a moment then said, "Go on. Beg." Jasper turned to me and quirked one side of his lips into a naughty grin.

He got down on one knee, drawing every eye in the cafeteria to us. He took my hands in his and I managed not to flinch at how cold and hard they were.

"Ivy Donovan, I have hurt you deeply and I beg for your forgiveness. Please, accept my apology and my promise to never wound you again." He spoke loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear him.

"Please get up," I told him, trying not to laugh.

"Not until you've forgiven me," he told me melodramatically. Despite the theatrics, I knew he meant it.

"Yes. Yes! I forgive you! Now please get up," I pulled on his arms.

He got up and looked expectantly to Lisa.

"You may sit," she said, waving a hand regally to a chair. I gave her a smile and shook my head fondly. She smiled back, satisfied.

"Just so that you're aware: if you ever hurt Ivy again, I will castrate you with a fork," she waved her utensil at him.

Jasper's eyes widened. "Duly noted."

Have I mentioned that my friends were the best?

Jasper

I stared at the wall of my study. Well, it was my bedroom now too. Alice and I had decided we were over. She was always going to be suspicious of me, though I had done nothing to deserve it. In return, I would never forgive her for making me her puppet. She didn't see it that way but that's how it felt. Using her visions to manipulate me into doing what she wanted me to do. Moving me like a pawn.

We had filed for divorce and J. Jenks was going to make this a fast one. It was because of Carlisle that we got married in the first place. I guess his puritanical upbringing thought living as common law spouses was not a valid option. Either way, it was over.

I thought back to earlier when Ivy had confronted me about the parking lot incident. She was as tenacious as her name suggested. The plant could claw its way into brick. The woman could claw her way into marble. Me, specifically.

I don't know how or when it had happened. She had been totally insignificant. Just a girl in my classes for three years, throwing her lust at me. Lust I didn't want directed my way. Now, I found I craved it. I was doing almost everything in my power to get her to feel it; feeding the fire inside her. A smile was usually all it took. Sometimes I'd exaggerate my accent. Sometimes I'd wear a tighter shirt. Her desire surged at all of it. It was more than a little gratifying to know how much she wanted me.

I wanted her too. Not in the vampire way either. The scent of her blood still appealed to me but I never felt like draining her. She was beautiful, talented, kind. I didn't know if she would even want to be with me. Yes, she was incredibly attracted to me, but she knew we weren't human. I was surprised how both Ivy and Bella seemed okay with our being inhuman. Bella knew we were vampires. Ivy only knew we weren't human. But they stayed.

I was sitting on a bench in the overcast sky of early spring with Edward beside me. We were both watching our ladies talking about going to First Beach over in La Push next to Bella's beast of a truck. Bella wasn't planning on going but Ivy was. Lisa and Kelly were going too which made me feel better. They would never let anything happen to Ivy. The wolves hadn't been seen in many years but Carlisle asked us to respect the treaty all the same so I couldn't keep an eye on her myself.

"What is she thinking about?" I asked Edward.

"You know I can't read her mind," Edward sounded irritated.

"Not Bella, Ivy," I clarified. What did I care about Bella's thoughts? Edward should just be happy I no longer wanted to kill her. When he said that if I killed Bella, he'd kill Ivy, I had relented. I knew Edward probably wouldn't be able to kill an innocent in cold blood but losing your love could push you to do crazy things.

"She's excited about the surfing," Edward told me. The thought of Ivy in a wetsuit was a tempting one.

She glanced over at me, smiling a bright smile and gave me a wink. I felt an odd fluttering in my gut.

"What about now?" I asked.

Edward was silent for a moment, "I'm not repeating what she's thinking."

That caught my interest. "Now you have to tell me."

"No way."

"Oh, c'mon, Edward!"

"She's imagining all the naughty things she wants to do to you," Edward's face remained stoic but I could feel how uncomfortable he was. I had never wanted his gift as bad as I did now.

"Is it kinky?" I ventured.

"Yes," Edward cringed. I felt a shiver run down my spine. A naughty Ivy excited me beyond reason.

"What else?" I asked.

"I told you I'm not repeating it," he said through clenched teeth. Just then his discomfort rose another few notches.

"Please Edward. What's she thinking?" I pleaded with him.

Edward closed his eyes with a sigh. "She wants to tie you to a bed and lick every inch of you," he said looking like he wanted the ground to open and swallow him whole.

If vampires could go into shock, I probably would have. I could picture it in vivid detail… I'm not entirely sure why but I was picturing her in leather with a whip.

Oh fuck me, that is so hot.

And the idea that Ivy wanted to do the licking was even more of a turn-on. Alice and I had never been into kink but hot damn, I was definitely into it now.

"Am I going to have to watch that in your head for a long time?" Edward asked.

"For a very long time," I choked out, still reeling at the mental image I had in my head.

I waited a moment to calm the reaction my body had to that revelation. When I was sure I was no longer standing at attention, I made my way over to them. Ivy smiled sweetly at me, belying the dominatrix within. I gave her a winning smile back, noticing how she eyed me up and down discreetly. I felt another shiver rack my body.

"What's up?" I asked the girls when Edward joined us.

"The girls and I are going to First Beach this weekend," Ivy told me, "I'm trying to convince Bella to come."

"Beaches aren't really my thing," Bella said. Thank god I ended up with the fun one, I thought. Edward's irritation was loud and clear.

"Are you boys coming?" Ivy asked.

"We would but we're going hiking as a family on the weekend," Edward lied.

"Oh, that's a shame," Ivy said. "Some other time, maybe?" she asked hopefully.

"Some other time," I lied.

Ivy looked at her watch. "Shoot. I've got to get going," she headed to her car with me in tow. "Bye, guys!" she called to Bella and Edward.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I have to get to work," she told me, rifling though her bag for her car keys.

"Where do you work?" I asked, intrigued.

"At Mercury Vinyl. I'm trying to save some money for EAMS in case I don't get a full scholarship."

"Makes sense," I replied. I would make sure she never wanted for money. If, by some catastrophe, she didn't get a full ride scholarship, I'd pay her way as an anonymous patron. I would make sure she got into EAMS.

"Gotcha!" She pulled out her keys victoriously and unlocked her car. I smiled fondly at her actions. She was adorable.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" she tilted her head at me.

"It's a date," I told her, just to enjoy the blush that suffused her cheeks. I took her hand quickly, lifted it to my lips and kissed the back. I felt both pleasure and revulsion war within her. A brighter tinge of pink graced her face as pleasure won out.

"Farewell, fair lady," I smirked.

"Farewell, knave," she retorted with a smirk of her own.

I watched long after her car disappeared around the bend into town and felt a broad smile on my face. Ivy brought out the romantic in me and I didn't care who saw it.

"Edward, what the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded an answer.

"Back off, Jazz," Edward warned, pulling on a jacket, getting ready to leave the house.

"What you're doing is so far beyond wrong I don't even know where to start," I told him. "Carlisle, back me up here."

Carlisle walked over. "What's the problem boys?"

"Edward is going to sneak into Bella's room and watch her sleep. If that's not messed up, I don't know what is." Clearly, Edward needed therapy.

"Really?" Carlisle seemed surprised, "Are you sure that's wise, son?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "I need to make sure she's safe," he explained.

"By stalking her?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "I know you followed her to Port Angeles."

"And it's a good thing I did! She almost got attacked!"

"She wouldn't have been attacked if she had an ounce of good sense not to wander around in the dark," I retorted.

"Boys, that's enough," Carlisle interrupted firmly.

Edward kept going. "Do you think I don't know that you go out at night too? I'm sure it's not just to take an evening stroll," he had a look on his face as if he had triumphed.

"I go to hear her play the violin outside her house. I don't creep inside like some sick pervert," I argued.

"I'm not a pervert," Edward asserted, "I told you it's for her safety."

"And you couldn't do that from outside?" I asked skeptically.

"Enough!" Carlisle said loudly.

We both stopped, chastised.

"Edward, I think your behaviour is extremely risky. I understand your need to protect Bella, but please do so only with her knowledge and consent."

Edward just bowed his head in agreement and left into the night. It was still relatively early. Edward was probably going to go lie in wait. Creep.

Carlisle and I headed to the living room and took seats on the sofa.

"How are things with Ivy?" Carlisle asked me.

"They're good. More than good. She's…amazing. I think she really likes me," I told him.

"How is she doing in regards to what we are?"

"She still doesn't know what we are. She's still apprehensive about touching me but she seems to be getting used to it."

"And you haven't felt the urge to drain her?" he asked carefully.

"Not at all. I'm not sure why. She smells delicious but not in a food source way," I shrugged, hoping that made sense. "At first I felt like feeding on her but I don't any more. I like her too much to kill her."

"I feel I need to ask this so please forgive me if this is too personal," Carlisle began. "Are you sure Ivy is not a rebound from Alice?"

I had thought about this before.

"I didn't break it off for Ivy," I told him, "I feel like Alice and I were both starting to drift apart already. We weren't mates, you know. I did love her and I know she loved me. I just feel like Ivy is the right person at the right time and I don't want to waste that chance. She means a great deal to me."

Carlisle nodded and then grinned, "So when do we get to meet her?"

"Come on, Dad, we haven't even been on a date yet!"

"Well, she's welcome here any time," he told me.

"Thanks," I said, sincerely touched that he was not only allowing my human near us but also encouraging it.

"Alice said Bella will be over some time this week," Carlisle informed me.

I knew he told me that to prepare myself. I would keep my distance. I checked my watch; I was sure Ivy had started to play her violin.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'd best be off," I grinned at Carlisle and left to head to Ivy's house.

The run to her house took only a few minutes. It was in a cookie cutter residential neighborhood. Her house was a cute two-story brick dwelling with a well-tended garden of lilies and tendrils of ivy crawling up the wall. I saw her car parked out front. I crept around to the backyard to her bedroom window on the second floor, keeping to the shadows. The night air was cool and she kept her window closed but I would still be able to hear the instrument as clearly as if she were standing beside me. I sank to the grass and sat cross-legged, waiting to hear and feel her. Oddly, all I could hear were hushed voices.

Irresistibly curious, I got up and crept closer, feeling as creepy as Edward. I climbed the drainpipe that was bolted just outside Ivy's window. I could make out Ivy, Lisa and Kelly's voices. They were having a girl's night. I felt irrationally disappointed. Surely, Ivy deserved a night off but I could have listened to her play for years and never tire of it.

"Have you kissed him yet?" I heard Lisa ask.

"No! I've only just started talking to him and we haven't been on a date yet," Ivy sighed.

"I bet it won't take long. He seems really into you," Kelly assured Ivy. She was right on that count.

I heard someone's hand reach into a bowl of M&Ms, or maybe Skittles.

"I just have a hard time believing he likes me," Ivy told them. "I mean, he's a total 10 and I'm like, a 7?"

"Oh come on! You're at least a 9!" Kelly told her. Bless her.

"Really?" I felt Ivy's incredulousness.

"Absolutely," Lisa said, "With a rack like yours, you can't be less than that." Peels of laughter sounded.

"So it's all about tits, is it?" Ivy laughed.

"It always about tits with guys," Lisa confirmed. I wasn't sure if I should have felt offended on behalf of the male gender. Though, to be fair, from what I had seen of Ivy's figure on the days she wore tighter shirts, she did have great breasts. I couldn't bring myself to think of them as 'tits'. It was too crass to describe Ivy.

"Changing subjects," Lisa began, "You know how I'm doing an internship at the hospital?" I heard the other girls hum in the positive. "Have either of you ever seen Dr. Cullen?"

"No. Why?" Kelly asked.

There was no answer, only quick typing on a keyboard and a few clicks of a mouse.

"Oh my god!" Kelly shouted. I had never heard anything above a speaking voice from her before.

"Keep it down up there!" I could hear Ivy's mom shout from the downstairs living room without any real irritation.

"Sorry Mom!" Ivy yelled back.

"Holy shit, he's almost as gorgeous as Jasper!" Ivy said at a normal level. I was both gratified and disturbed. I peeked into the window and saw that they had pulled up Carlisle's profile on the hospital website.

"I know, right? He's even more beautiful in person," Lisa sighed.

"Lucky bitch," Ivy laughed. "Do you get to see him often?"

"It depends on which rotation I'm on. He's usually in emergency so I don't get to see him unless I'm there too. But damn, he's one fine piece of ass," Lisa sighed.

"Paging Dr. Cullen to Lisa's room," Ivy joked.

I was starting to regret listening in. Hearing teenage girls drooling over my adoptive father was highly distressing. True, Carlisle was only 23 when he was changed but he should have registered as old enough to be their father.

"What's he like?" Kelly asked.

"Apart from being a golden god?" Lisa chuckled, "He's super kind and helpful to all us little underlings. He talks to us, remembers our names. Stuff like that. He's also a registered surgeon so he's uber smart."

"Christ, is there anything wrong with him?" I could feel Kelly's awe.

"If there is, I haven't seen it," Lisa told her. "Maybe he's into really kinky bondage or torture porn or something."

"Oooh, into kinky bondage, eh?" Ivy said. "Maybe his son is too?" she laughed.

"But hopefully not together," Kelly said to another round of laughter.

"Just because you're into it doesn't mean the rest of us are," Lisa laughed. I froze. Was Lisa being serious? Was Ivy really into bondage? She had fantasized about tying me to a bed so maybe there was some truth to it. Sweet Jesus, I was so hard.

"How about Edward and Bella, though. He's pretty much the only person she hangs out with. That's not healthy," Kelly remarked.

"I agree," Ivy said, "If I ever ditch you two for Jasper, come and slap some sense into me."

"Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you, you kinky minx?" Lisa joked to laughter.

"She'd probably like it better if Jasper slapped her," Kelly giggled.

"Probably," Ivy agreed and I nearly fell off the drainpipe I still clung to. How embarrassing would that be for a vampire gifted with athleticism?

"But speaking of kinks, how much you want to bet that Dr. Cullen has a daddy kink?" Lisa said. "He seems the type."

Interesting, I thought. I wasn't sure if Carlisle had a daddy kink but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he did.

There was silence but I felt embarrassment from Kelly.

"Oh god, Kelly, you have a daddy fetish, don't you?" Lisa crowed.

"I can't help it! You brought it up. Don't tell me that being Dr. Cullen's 'good little girl' and calling him 'daddy' doesn't turn you on?"

"I'm more into playing doctor with him than the daddy thing, but hey, whatever does it for you," Lisa said nonchalantly.

Good god, is this what girl's nights were like? The sexual innuendos just didn't stop. Not to mention it was all about me and Carlisle.

I had heard enough to last me for a long time. Serves me right for eavesdropping. I leapt silently to the ground and ran home, taking refuge in my room as fast as possible.

I paced my room for the rest of the night. Despite what Ivy might want from a relationship with me, I would never be able to completely satisfy her carnal desires. I would likely lose control and kill her. The only way we could be together in every way was if she were to become a vampire. But if she didn't know about us, how could she choose? If I were to tell her, she could choose to join us and all would be well, or she could refuse and be killed by the Volturi as an exposure risk. We would be able to hide it for a while but the Volturi always found out in the end.

I was getting ahead of myself. Things weren't that serious between me and Ivy. Yet.

A/N: Finally! Some action between Ivy and Jasper, or at least the start of something.

Reviews are passive-aggressively expected (OK, not really but they are truly appreciated).