When Jasper came back from his walk it was to find Reneesme, Rosalie and Bella sitting in the living room. There were hundreds of colorful beads scattered all over the coffee table, and the four of them seemed rather immersed in their craft.
Esme was watching them from the couch with a smile that spoke little of the actual happiness exuding off of her. She was knitting a purple scarf that would, without a doubt, end up being a gift for Renesmee.
Carlisle sat alongside her with a book at hand and his lap serving to hold the yarn Esme was using. Emmett and Edward were playing videogames.
He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed as he watched the rather relaxing scene before him.
Alice's smile was bright and she looked as stunning as ever with that dark blue dress she wore. She bled with affection and calm.
Seeing Alice with Reneesme sometimes made him wonder how would a child from his pixie look like. He wasn't particularly interested on having children but he knew that Alice sometimes did wish to have a kid, if he was being honest, even if he wasn't father material, part of him dreamt about a girl who would share Alice's smile. A daughter for Alice to dote on.
And he knew Alice did too. But that wasn't a dream that could ever become real. Renesmee was a miracle in itself.
His train of thoughts derailed as Esme's emotions flickered with a stain of sadness that made him glance at her.
She was still smiling but her gaze was sad.
Ah.
She must be thinking the same as Rosalie. How lucky were Bella and Edward.
He sighed at it. Those were quite the recurrent emotions at times. Depression. Sadness. Desire.
It amazed him how rather than tear them apart Renesmee's birth had strenghtened their bonds with each other. Even strenghtened their bond with the wolves.
His attention was brought back to the present when he felt a little collision on his legs and as he looked down it was to be met with Renesmee's bright smile. Her small arms around him. It didn't matter what Emmett said he knew in his heart of hearts that Reneesme favored him over Emmett even if he didn't particularly interact with her that much.
He could feel her anxious emotions as she stepped back and he knelt for her. She was hiding something behind her and he didn't need to be a genius to know what she may be hiding.
She gathered her confidence and brought her hands forward to reveal a multicolored bracelet.
Renesmee had taken it to make bracelets and collars with the beads Charlie got her and so far she had taken it to make at least one for each person that crossed her path.
Now it seems it was his turn to have one.
Some beads had glitter and other star shapes. Horse head's shapes. Letter beads spelling "Jazz".
-For me?- He asked with a light smile. She nodded with a smile of her own.- Why thank you.- He took the bracelet from her hands and slipped it around his wrist. He gave a dramatic show of admiring her work for a moment before giving her his verdict.- I've to give it to you little lady, you've gotten quite good at these crafts.
She lit up with absolute pride and giddiness at the compliment before running back to a grinning Alice and an amused Bella. Rosalie whispering something to Renesmee that made the girl giggle.
Sometimes moments like these made him feel all warm. The kind of warmness that kept him from leaving this place and the kind of warmness that made him feel less like an outsider and more like an actual member of this odd family.
Like there was still a chance for him to fit among them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Reneesme had left to take a nap upstairs and Esme was now tending to the flowers in the garden with Bella as her helper. Rosalie left to the garage and Emmett had followed after her not long after. Edward was now lazily playing a soft lullaby on the piano and Carlisle had gone upstairs to call Eleazar.
Jasper had at some point claimed the couch as his resting spot after the living room emptied and Alice of course had ended up squeezing herself on the couch with him. She was small so both of them sort of fit there with limbs tangled and all.
Alice's fingers had long ago sneaked under his shirt and were tracing his scars out of habit. Her soft lips pressed against his throat and his hand resting on her waist.
Jasper was half asleep but he could feel each touch rather well. Could feel her kisses traveling up and up until she caught his lips into a mischievous kiss. He kissed her back with a light smirk.
He was aware Edward was in the same room but he was also aware his brother was more focused on watching Bella outside rather than whatever was happening on the couch.
It was nice this kind of peace. Quiet.
He felt more comfortable and relaxed than he had in a while.
Thus. It was no surprise that he fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
-Renesmee, darling, leave him be.- Bella called in a whisper as she caught sight of her daughter hovering over the armchair of the couch where Jasper had been sleeping at for the past hours. Esme had even closed the drapes when the sun began leaking through the window and upon him. Alice had left hunting earlier, or more like Emmett had dragged her with him.
It was strange to see him like that. He spent half of his life looking like he was in pain, or glaring, or looking murderous. So seeing his face so relaxed was odd. He looked almost harmless and she could understand what had led Rosalie and him to fit so well as twins.
To Bella Rosalie was the most beautiful of the Cullens. And Jasper too despite the scars seemed to wield an unnatural beauty even for a vampire, she still remembers when she first saw his scars.
With vampire eyes.
As a human she never noticed that he also had scars on his face and neck. Now she could. His jawline and neck were branded in scars. There was even one on his eyebrow.
It gave him a wild air. Showed that he had been strong enough to survive that place.
Renesmee for her side gave Bella a pout.
-Uncle Jasper promised that he would teach me how to fight. Today.- Her words got Bella raising an eyebrow, the what now? Her daughter was months old with the appearance of a 12 year old, in what world did Jasper think it was a good idea to teach her how to fight?
But thinking better of it that could be helpful too. She did want her daughter to be able to defend herself. And what better teacher than an ex-civil war soldier? Plus. It would aid into getting Jasper to spend some time with her. Bella wasn't stupid. She knew he avoided Renesmee because he was scared of hurting her. He should give himself more credit.
Still.
-He's sleeping now. You shouldn't bother him. I'm sure he will do so another day.- Renesmee made a face at it before sighing in both defeat and disappointment.
-Fine.
Bella watched her daughter leave with an amused smirk. She had to admit she never expected Renesmee would end up favoring Jasper as much as she did. Much less when he hid from her when she began walking and seeking out people.
Still.
Jasper was surprisingly gentle and patient with her.
~~~~~~~~~~
Jasper woke up to an overwhelming pressure in his head that made him bite his tongue and clutch his head. Fingers digging into his skull as he curled on the couch. He felt nauseous and there was a near maddening ache in his mouth that made him tighten his jaw until it felt as if his teeth would shatter.
A bitter taste flooded his mouth and he sprung up in time to save Esme's couch and carpet from the fire that crawled up his throat. He dropped on his knees and threw up in the backyard, fingers digging into the soil and head throbbing with the might of a shockwave. Darn it.
A stab rippled across his skull and he moaned in pain. The fire in his stomach spreading up to his chest and across his ribcage. His bones felt at the verge of exploding and then he could hear the entire forest. He could hear the river. Each footstep. Crickets. Owls. Heavier footsteps.
He could smell the soil. The wood. Dog. Bear. Mountain lion. Deer. It was almost as overwhelming as when his gift first manifested. But just as soon it was muted inter the flaring heat in his blood. The ache in his mouth.
And then there was someone infront of him but he couldn't quite focus. The world was on fire and it was eating at him from the inside out. Peeling his skin off and melting the flesh off his bones.
A shudder wrecked through his entire being and he felt so tight in his own skin he could have tore it apart if that meant some release.
The hand on his back kept him from it. The emotions while all over the place were comforting enough to make him feel less on edge. It took quite a while before he was able to focus back into the real world.
Alice was at his side oozing concern.
-You alright?- She questioned worriedly.
-I've had better moments.- He couldn't help but mumble as he sat back. His throat felt sore and so did his mouth. And he didn't need to be a genius to feel Carlisle's gaze from somewhere in the house.
Surprise stained Alice's features and emotions when he met her gaze. Her brow furrowing as her hand came to rest on his cheek.
-Open.- Her words made confusion seize him but he still did as requested. He wasn't expecting her to frown even more at it.- You got fangs.
-Come again?- He had to have heard wrong, right? Alice glanced behind him for a moment before meeting his gaze once again.
-You got fangs.
Jasper frowned and touched his mouth. And as Alice had said he had fangs. His canines had grown too sharp for it to be normal. Like some kind of human-based vampire.
He heard footsteps and he turned to look at Carlisle over his shoulder. He looked... more serious than Jasper had seen him in a while. Jasper stood up. Stumbling a bit in the act but Alice was there to support him.
-May I?- Carlisle didn't had to elaborate for Jasper knew what he was requesting. He wasn't a particular fan of having people grabbing his face but he guessed that all things considered letting Carlisle take a look was for the best.
Thus. He nodded.
Carlisle for his side made sure to keep his touch to a minimum as he grabbed Jasper's jaw. Seeing him in such distress with his own two eyes had been... upsetting, more so because he couldn't understand what was causing his son so much pain.
Then Alice's words...
And as he confirmed her words he couldn't help but frown. Jasper had fangs. Fangs. Carlisle had never seen such a thing on a vampire. But again. He had never seen a vampire with glowing yellow eyes either.
This mutation was turning out to be a bit more concerning than he had first given it credit.
-How are you feeling?- He questioned as he released him. He couldn't understand a single thing of what was happening to Jasper and it frustrated him to no end.
-My throat feels sore and my stomach still feels funny. I feel funny.- Carlisle frowned and pressed the back of his hand against Jasper's forehead. He had recently found out that Jasper's temperature wasn't quite the same as a vampire's. He seemed to run hotter but not enough for it to be noticeable unless one used a thermometer.
He felt warmer. More than usual.
-You should rest. If you still feel sick tomorrow do please let me know.- Carlisle asked removing his hand. Jasper gave him a short nod and Alice grabbed his hand.
Carlisle watched them leave with uneasiness in his gut. He had a feeling that things would get worse. So much worse.
~~~~~~~~~~
Jasper's fangs had disappeared and that had done nothing but confuse Carlisle even more.
He had taken a few more examples from him and had been surprised to find that the mutation had accelerated quite a lot since he last tested him. Even his heartbeat had grown louder. Still not enough to be caught with an stethoscope but loud enough that it couldn't pass as non-existent.
His pulse had also grown stronger and Carlisle hadn't been sure of what to think about the fact that Jasper had a broken rib. He had checked him after Alice told him about the bruise on Jasper's side.
It had healed within hours but that didn't stop Carlisle from wondering how did Jasper broke a rib. A vampire's bone structure was near impossible to break. So how did he broke a rib? It made no sense.
Also. His hair had gained a few more white highlights which Carlisle couldn't help but find concerning. People's hair didn't just change color. Much less a vampire's. Yeah. When a vampire was turned their hair changed into a richer and healthier version of their human hair. Much like Edward's had turned bronze or Bella's such rich brown.
But Jasper was no newborn. He was the oldest vampire in this family right after Carlisle himself, his hair shouldn't be changing color and much less to such unnatural shade.
Vampires didn't even have white hair unless born with albinism or turned at an old age. It just wasn't possible.
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. This was all so frustratingly confusing and complicated.
He just hoped he could fix it before it was too late.