An Evergreen Tree Chapter 6, a twilight fanfic

Sorry it's been a while. Some things were happening, and you know the rest, so I couldn't actually update 'cos I've been real busy.

There's a kind of lemon in this chapter after the second scene break – y'know the third scene so if you're a little bit … iffy about that, if you just kinda read the first line or two its pretty self explanatory :D

I'll probably be able to update a little bit more often though now because I'm off for summer so … that's good news – I hope :D So here.

There is a point in every person's life when we look at someone we have known for years and wonder what they think of us. They might be a sister, a mother, a father or brother. Maybe they are a life-long friend or a partner. Regardless, we wonder – despite assurances otherwise – if they really love us, despite our flaws? Do they love us as a whole package, or only parts? We wonder if they like us for us – or if we are there as mere distractions, people to pass the time and keep up appearances.

Jasper Hale stood, alone in the bedroom he shared with his wife. There was rose petals leading a treasure trail from the door to the double bed, which had been made expertly in brand new Egyptian cotton sheets – just the way he knew Alice liked it. On the matching white night-stand were two champagne glasses, their pale pink colour doing little to disguise the contents within. But in a room shared by two vampires; quite honestly, what did you expect?

And Jasper Hale, dressed in a crisp black suit from Prada – his wife's favourite shop – held a small bad from Tiffany's in his hand. He paced around the room – quite slowly, considering the fact he was a vampire – muttering to himself. 'Alice, it's been fifty years since I met you, and I've got to say they they were the greatest in my life … no." He shook his head, 'too … cheesy. Alice Cullen, you have made me happy, whole – I love you … no, no … Um …

'Alice, I believe that we can do anything – anything at all – together. We could rule the world if we wanted to. I would worry – about war, and battle tactics – and you'd make everyone laugh. You know, you would pick the soldiers uniforms and they would hate you because they don't want to wear pink … but, then you would do your puppy dog eyes on them and they wouldn't care if they had to wear a matching pink hand-bag.

'I love the way you have the ability to make everyone love you. I love your smile, your face, your personality. I love that you made me whole again. I love you, Alice Brandon Cullen Hale. And I promise now, like I did at our wedding, that I'll love you forever.'

He smiled, thinking of all the brilliant times they had shared together, and as he glanced around the room, he saw the little things that told everyone Alice lived there. The Vogue magazines sitting on the floor beside her bed, the empty Gucci and Ralph Lauren bags sitting in various places around the room, the little tiny bottles of nail polish in every colour possible …

He grinned to himself – while he didn't deserve how brilliant Alice was in every way, he loved her. And he would love her always.

Edward grinned with his sister as they practised the art they had long ago perfected. They locked eyes with each other, their pupils dilating and the topaz of their eyes turning black with hunger and lust.

Edward advanced, a predator in the dark forest, and reached to remove his sister's shirt. In less than a second it was gone, and she looked at him, her eyes dark with lust. In reply, his hands stroked her perfect skin, at the curves in her body he had long ago spent hours studying and memorising.

His lips found her mouth, and they kissed slowly for a few seconds before his tongue met hers. All of a sudden, there was a change in speed, and he ripped of her bra, desperate. She groaned, almost like an animal, as he took her breast in his mouth and sucked, doing the same tot eh other. "God Alice,' he murmured, ' you don't know how long I've been wanting to do this today. I mean, you strut around that school in those teeny-weeny jeans and expect me to play it cool? I had a hard time hiding from Jasper."

Alice grinned at him, her sharp teeth gleaming in the night. 'Well … I can think of a way to repay you.' Her dark eyes mischievous as she tore off his shirt. Her hands slowly, tantalisingly moved to the belt of his trousers and she unbuckled it. She reached for the button and undid it, hearing Edward's groan as she pulled down his trousers unhurriedly, and allowed her hands to stroke every inch of his body, except the one area where he most wanted attention. Alice looked up at Edward, her dark eyes smoky with lust as he growled animalistically. 'What do you say?' She asked him, her voice low and seductive. 'Please, he begged. '

Is that all?' she asked. 'Is that all you want it? Jasper,' she bit out, her voice low and scathing, 'can do better than that. Will I will I go back to him? Would you like Edward?'

His eyes darkened angrily at the mention of Jasper, 'No!' He growled, his voice hateful, beofre his voice grew desperate once more,'Please suck me, Alice. Please. I want you to.'

She grinned, 'I suppose I could do that,' and bent down to do his will.

Pleasure filled moans filled the night as two lovers basked in forbidden love.

'Where were you?' Jasper asked softly as Alice entered the bedroom. Her mouth dropped slightly when she saw the flowers, the champagne classes, the Tiffany's bag. It was. She realised with a shock, her fiftieth anniversary. She wasn't cruel, she wasn't a bad wife; she knew it was coming up – just not … well, now. 'You said you were just going for a quick hunt. It's – it's been hours.'

Jasper looked at her, his topaz eyes so filled with love, but she could hurt mixed in as well. He was frowning, waiting for a reply, but she couldn't help a feeling bubbling in her chest of irritation. How could Jasper love her so much? So trustfully, so loyal, almost – she thought – like a puppy, following her around, year after year. Copying her choices, following her where she went. It was tiresome – she needed a real man, one who was able to love her without losing his personality while doing it. Someone like Edward.

He was frowning down, his thick eyebrows pulled together into one great line, but while Jasper was angry with her, his eyes still burned with love. Puppy dog love. He frowned deeper, and looked at her strangely. Shit. Jasper was waiting for a reply. 'I was hunting,' she assured him. 'There wasn't any good game nearby, so I had to go further into the forest.' She lied smoothly – it was not the first time Alice had done this.

He nodded, accepting the lie, but he kept frowning. The anger in his eyes was still there, and the hurt was becoming more pronounced. 'But it is our anniversary. You always hunt large game. Always go hunting for hours on end. Always. Could you not have settled for a small animal? Just for tonight?'

Fuck, Alice thought, he was getting more observant. She would need a new excuse soon. That was clear. Stealthily, she advanced towards him – glad she had rolled in mud to wipe Edward's scent from her – and placed her hand on her chest. Her dark eyes smouldering, Alice replied, 'I wanted to have lots of energy for tonight …'

But Jasper was backing away, shaking his head as realisation dawning in his topaz eyes, 'When you came in here and you saw this,' he gestured with his hand around the room, 'you felt a cocktail of five emotions. Know what they were?' He asked, his eyes appraising Alice who gulped nervously. You see at first, I wasn't sure I was reading your emotions – I thought maybe it was Rosalie, or Emmet but … it was you. And you're nervous right now – which makes me wonder why.'

'Jasper-' Alice tried to cut in., but he interrupted her with a wave of his hand.

'When you came in here, and saw me, you immediately felt guilt.' He held up one finger. 'Quickly after a gradual realisation. Shock followed.' He held up a second and third. 'And the fourth and fifth came in equal quantities at the same time; you felt touched but you also felt annoyed' With his five fingers up in the air, he came over to her vampire speed, until their noses were almost touching. 'Care to explain?'

Alice was scared. She didn't know what to feel, and she knew she couldn't – shouldn't – feel right now or Jasper would know exactly what she was feeling. But she was scared. She was frightened and worried. She felt guilty and awful, but at the same time she felt no regrets. Jasper didn't love her in the way she wanted to be loved.

But she couldn't answer his question. He had loved her for fifty years, and he had done this incredibly sweet thing to celebrate it, while there she was out was fucking another guy. Not only that, but his brother. Alice couldn't believe she forgot their anniversary. She couldn't believe it, and she was sorry for the hurt it was causing Jasper. But she couldn't explain it – it would only make the situation worse. And it would result in a fight between Jasper and Edward – and who knew what the out-come would be.

He was looking at her, waiting for a response. His expression was torn, searching for answers in her gaze, and he was probably listening to all of her emotions. What was she going to do? She looked up at him, meeting his desperate eyes – and found that even if she had wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to tell him. As she opened her mouth to try to explain something – to spin another lie – she found that there was something obstructing her ability to speak. There was a lump in her throat, and she was sure if she was a human there would be tears threatening to leak form her eyes.

She was sure they were there for hours, just staring at each other and wondering what the other was thinking. Alice hoped it wasn't just her who was resisting the urge to dry sob, or to curl up in a ball and never go outside again. They just stood there, staring at each other – both of them searching for answers in each others eyes. He wanted to know what had happened that night, while she wanted to know if she was still in love with him. She knew, of course, that she would always love him – she had spent fifty years of her life devoting herself to pleasing him and that would never go away – but what she didn't know was whether was still in love with him.

But eventually Jasper must have grown tired of soul searching in eyes she wasn't sure offered answers. Or maybe he was doing the same as her, but searching for something else; the truth perhaps. Maybe he found it and didn't want to spend another second in her company.

In any case, Alice watched as Jasper's face became a cold mask – one she hadn't seen since that fateful day when she met him in the cafe when she asked him what was wrong. Alice watched the change, thinking how it was that on their fiftieth anniversary when they should know each other inside out, and know everything there was to know about the other, that it seemed as if they were two strangers meeting for the first time.

Alice watched the shift in his expression, the tiny minute changes with the knowledge of someone who knows the other person, and she looked for any sign of the Jasper she knew. But the topaz eyes – once warm with what she had scathingly described as puppy-dog love – were cold, distant and empty. The once smiling mouth was pulled into a hard line, giving away no emotion and his once frowning brow was smooth, betraying nothing. She wasn't sure if she loved him, but she didn't want this. She didn't want to not know what he was feeling.

Alice saw as he moved towards their night stand, and picked up the Tiffany's bag he had set there. She thought she heard a single sob as he had his back turned, and when came to face her – still holding the Tiffany's bag – she thought she saw a flicker of emotion in his topaz eyes, but it was gone before she was sure. He handed the bag to her, careful to avoid their hands touching.

'Happy fiftieth anniversary.' He said to her before he walked out the door.