I know I said there will be 60 chapter but I've decided to combine some so there will be less. However it also means chapters will be longer but all the same stuff I planned is in this story

Thanks to everyone who has read this so far. Almost at my first goal of 1k!

Stay Beautiful x

Chapter 9

Over the next few days Lily found herself becoming increasingly annoyed with Jasper, and a little of his father Carlisle, with his shift in behaviour. She was surprised he hadn't picked up on it but he had informed her sometimes she felt a lot of emotions at once which made it hard to decipher sometimes.

Lily hadn't wanted her past to change the way Jasper treated her, but it had. She was fine the first day or two, because how do you react to hearing something like that from someone but she would have figured Jasper would have dealt with it better. The other reason she hadn't said anything was due to the knowledge his change in behaviour came from a good place. At least she hoped.

He seemed to have turned her into his pet project, something to fix up and she didn't appreciate it. At times she no longer felt like his friend but his subject. Carlisle she could understand, he was a doctor and it was in his nature to help people. What was Jasper's excuse?

She had tried speaking to Alice about it but hadn't managed to get the words out, worried they would come out all wrong and the girl thought she was insulting her brother. Maybe Jasper felt he couldn't, or didn't like, being around her the way she was. Maybe he felt he needed to change her in order to like her? Though she was sure she might feel slightly the same if she were Jasper and could feel her emotions. He must have been breathing a sigh of relief every time he left her.

She had spent more time at the Cullen household on her free time. Rosalie hadnt spoken much to her but she had found the blonde to have relaxed more in her prensence. Emmett loved to tease her however but it all was in good fun. Edward was still weird, but that could be because she simply didn't like to be around him knowing he could read her mind. It made her feel violated.

Currently only Edward and Esme were inside the large house. Carlisle was at work and the rest were hunting. She didn't really want to think about that. "Lily, may I speak with you?" Turning, she found Edward sitting on the chair beside the couch she was situated on. Lily hummed in response. "I know you aren't going to like this, but can I first say sometimes you think rather loud."

"Lovely." Lily complained.

"I'll get right to the point. Talk to Jasper. Just explain how you're feeling. He may be able to sense how you're feeling but that doesn't mean he can work out why." Edward explained. "And instead of reacting about what he is doing, especially when you don't understand why, maybe ask him before you do anything."

"Right. Thank you." Lily replied quietly. Whilst she appreciated the advice she just wasn't pleased with how it came about.

"I can't help it. I do try at times to keep people's thoughts out of my head. I do value peoples need and right for privacy." the teen told her. Lily nodded her head in understanding, feeling marginally bad, but stayed silent.

The brunette didn't take Edward's advice until a few days later. Jasper had once again picked her up from work, though Lily believed he just didn't like the idea of her walking home alone in the dark since he only ever picked her up when she worked nights. It did make her feel safer, she wasn't going to lie.

"Can we talk?" she asked when they had entered her home.

"Please," Jasper replied in a desperate tone but she could hear the mirth beneath. "I've been feeling your anxiety the entire ride home."

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologise." he waved off, coming to sit on her settee and patting the spot beside him. "Talk to me."

"Okay," the woman sighed heavily, falling down beside him before folding her legs under her. "Um, look, I need to know you still see me as Lily, the way you did before I told of my dad because, I don't like the way you seem to see me now."

"What do you mean the way I see you now?"

"I don't know. You act different!" Lily huffed, running her hands through her hair a little frantically. "I just want it to go back to the way it was before you deemed me broken or whatever."

"I don't think you're broken." Jasper told her, voice deeper on the word broken as though he disliked the word. "I just... I just want to help. Maybe I got caught up on that and I'm sorry. I'll try to control myself a little better. I still see you the way I did before, I just want you to be happy."

Glancing at her knees Lily fought to keep the tears from her eyes. Sensing her plummeting mood the gold eyed man wrapped his arms around her, hesitantly at first before relaxing himself. "Don't cry, please."

"I'm sorry. I know you just want to help but, I don't want you to feel obligated to help me. I just want you to be my friend." she sniffed, rubbing her eyes.

"I am your friend, which is why I'm trying to help you. Though I can tone it down and not put it as the main goal, because clearly it's just going to push you away and that's just no good is it? Completely the opposite of what I'm trying to do." Jasper said, voice light. "Just don't be afraid to tell me when it's getting to you. I know I can feel your emotions but I'm no Edward."

"I'm very glad about that, Jasper." Lily responded making the other chuckle. She really did dispise Edward's mind reading ability. "And I promise to talk to you."

"Good, I don't want to upset you again, or make you feel like an obligation. Though can I just say something?"

"Sure."

"You'll never be an obligation to me."

Friday night. The start of the weekend, and the time to relax. Well Alice had decided she wanted a girls night. So she had told the boys to make themselves scarce as herself, Lily, Rosalie and Esme had the house to themselves. Lily felt rude, kicking people out of their own home but Jasper told her it was fine and they were going to go hunting a little further away and to just enjoy herself.

Movie playing on the large TV screen, some snacks and drinks for Lily on the coffee table, Alice had dragged down a bunch of beauty supplies after making them all change into something comfier. Which is how the human found herself in one of Jasper's jumpers and a pair of Alice's shorts that she had flung at her head, face mask currently on and Alice painting her toenails.

Rosalie had been almost kind to her throughout the night, though there was something else in her eyes that Lily couldn't pin point exactly but she felt it was an improvement so she didn't dwell too much on it.

"So, how are things with you and Jasper?" Esme asked her.

"Fine." Lily replied with a smile but ended up blushing when she saw the look on the woman's face. It didn't seem to be a simple question but someone looking for information. Did she believe Lily had a thing for her son? Did she? She didn't think she did, they were just friends. Maybe Alice had got to her.

"Really? You two spend an awful lot of time together."

"We're just friends." she answered, embarrassed. Rosalie snorted but stayed silent and Alice clapped her hands in excitement.

"That could change you know!" she exclaimed. Lily shook her head, she didn't really want to talk about this to his family. Especially when she had never thought about Jasper in that manner. She didn't see the point, if she did allow herself to fall for him he would know the minute she did and it would become extremely awkward because he would never feel the same way.

"Okay. Time for the face mask to come off." Lily changed the subject. After washing her face Alice dragged her back to sit down so she could paint her finger nails next. That was how she spent the night until she fell asleep, once again waking up alone in Jasper's bed. She really hoped this wouldn't become a habit.

December was here and Alice had become a little more than overbearing about Christmas, despite the fact it was a few weeks away. The pixie had let a small piece of information slip that worried Lily. It was Jasper's birthday on the 14th. What did one buy a hundred and something year old vampire? Surely he had everything by now?

It got to her so much she had nearly given Jasper a migraine one day and he had to forcibly calm her down after all her fretting. She hadn't told him the reason why, how could she, but she welcomed the sense of peace whilst it lasted. Which was until he left and she started panicking again. What was she supposed to buy him?

In the end she had decided to go simple, figureing he would appreciate it more but she also felt bad because Rosalie told her they hadn't celebrated any of their birthdays in years. Something she could understand, there was only so many birthdays you could celebrate before it become annoying and a little depressing. So maybe simple was the way to go.

She had ended up buying him an array of things he had claimed he liked over the few months they had known each other. Just to let him know she listened when he talked as much as he did for her.

He was very surprised when she wished him a happy birthday, wondering how she knew but that one was simple enough - Alice. He had appreciated the effort quite frankly, even more so when the simple idea of celebrating his birthday with him cheered her up so much she ended up eating. She was distracted enough to not realise how much she had actually eaten and Jasper certainly wasn't about to interrupt her.

He had taken advatage of her good mood however. Knowing it was for a good cause he decided to ignore the slight guilt her felt when he managed to get her to agree to the counselling sessions and persuaded her to make an appointment there and then.

Maybe he had taken it too far, he mused when he realised for the next few days after that Lily had started to avoid him. She still text and spoke to him over the phone but she made excuses to not be around him. Even telling him she wanted to walk home after work when she did nights despite the fact he knew she hated doing just that.

Alice decided to get to the bottom of it, but she had a pretty good idea what was going on. Knocking on her new human friends front door, Alice rocked on her heels as she listened to the girl heading down the stairs.

"Lily!" she exclaimed when the door opened, throwing herself on the startled girl. Lily huffed but hugged the shorter girl back before inviting her in. "I came to ask you something and I just had to do it in person."

"Okay," she laughed. "Ask away."

"Will you join me and my family for Christmas?" Lily froze at the question, whilst the tiny vampire just watched her and waited patiently. Lily hadn't celebrated Christmas in years, she felt it would be too depressing to do so on her own. Clearing her throat the young woman jerkily nodded her head. "You will?"

"Yes, I'd love to. Thank you." Ignoring the traitourous tears that had sprung to her eyes, Lily hugged the girl back who was now babbling in full on excitement. Great, now she had to do the whole present thing again but for the whole family. Again, what do you get vampries? Especially ones she didn't know as well!

"I now have another question." Alice said, pulling back and dragging the other girl onto the couch with her. "Why are you avoided Jasper?"

"I'm not!" she denied, cringing when Alice gave her a stern look. She groaned. "I blame you and your mother! You opened up stuff that should have been kept well enough alone. I hadn't even thought about it until Esme put it right there in my head."

"Oh my!" Lily visibally cringed when Alice clasped her hands together and her topaz eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "You like Jasper? Oh this is amazing!"

"No it isn't!" she snapped causing the raven haired girls face to drop. "First of all he's my friend and I don't want to ruin that. I just can't spend time with him until these feelings have gone otherwise he'll know immediately. So, hopefully by Christmas-"

"Fat chance." Alice cut her off. She was smiling again. "It wouldn't ruin your friendship, Jasper would never allow it."

"Maybe not, but do you know how humiliating it would be for me? What with him being able to feel my every emotion?" Lily complained. Her friend sighed as she put her arm around her.

"Trust me, It's going to be okay. I know these things." Alice said confidentially as she pointed to her head. Lily laughed but knew Alice couldn't predict everything.