Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. All come from the wonderful world of Stephenie Meyer.

Woo, Beta done. Thanks Tnuccio, you so rock!

Snow

After Emmett's little triumph the ride to school was tense to say the least. I was seething in the backseat between a rather frustrated Jasper, and a conciliatory Rosalie. Emmett couldn't keep the unrepentant smirk off of his face. It's okay...I am a woman of subtlety and finesse. No outright violence, no more yelling and screaming, just the threat was sufficient. It would come when he least expected it, and he was fully aware of that fact. It was maddening how he didn't even seem to care. I guess I was the one with pride to lose.

Rosalie told me that she would weld the frame back together, that I wouldn't even know that it had been damaged. She understood that Emmett had entered dangerous territory, and she was attempting to create a path of breadcrumbs for him. What she didn't understand was it –wasn't- the bed, or the imported moonbeam silks, or even the loss of the moment. All of those things were replaceable. It was 5 now! I could never get back to 4. I seethed in silence, catching Edwards amused eyes in the rearview mirror.

"When is the snow going to start, Alice?" I rolled my eyes at Jasper's deflection question. I will not be distracted so easily.

"After first period. It'll be heavy and wet, and will turn to rain after lunch. The good stuff will happen overnight tonight."

He sighed at my clipped response, and removed his arm from my shoulders. His body shifted toward the window as he turned his darkened eyes to gaze at the trees flashing by. My anger was pushed aside by concern. I didn't want Jasper to get to school upset. Is he angry? Edward's head tilted only slightly to the side. I sought his eyes in the mirror, but he refused to match my stare. Edward, look at me. His eyes remained on the road, seemingly oblivious to my request.

"So Rose, I was wondering if you are going to partake in tonight's snow festivities."

Edward's voice gave away nothing. Surprised, Rosalie's eyes jerked away from the flawless visage in her compact to check for any hint of mockery in his eyes. He looked earnest enough though so still surprised, she nodded.

"Good, I was hoping that perhaps you would like to be on my team if we should do something that required team play."

This time it wasn't only Rosalie's incredulous eyes meeting Edward's in the rearview, Emmett's had joined them. Edward was breaking a huge rule: Rosalie and Emmett were always on the same team. I shuffled through my purse nonchalantly, hiding a gigantic grin. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, that was for sure. If she refused Edward's request, his feelings would be hurt and she'd have Esme and I to contend with. If she accepted, she would definitely have to be on a team against Emmett. Edward and Emmett have battled snow wars against each other for half a century. They never allied together. She would choose Edward, but only because Emmett could be easily "convinced" to forgive her. I didn't need a vision to see what was coming next.

"I want Jasper then, Edward. You can have both the girls. I don't need Alice sabotaging my team in the middle of the fight. You two are thick as thieves."

Thank you. Edward inclined his head just enough for me to know he heard me. His attempts to pull me out of my funk worked, I was ready to start the charade. The bed incident caused us to be a bit later than usual to school, so we wouldn't get our usual primo parking space. Steam clouds puffed from gossiping mouths as the humans left the warm sanctuary of their cars to hurry through the chill to the building.

"Scarves guys. It's cold enough to show their breath."

The worst part about our charade here at school was assimilating. It was aggravating how something so seemingly insignificant like visible breath, was a detail we had to be aware of. Rosalie and I always carried scarves and gloves; one never knew when they would be needed. The boys had to make due with tucking their faces into their zipped-up coats. The humans generally didn't pay close enough attention, but we learned the hard way once that there are some observant ones.

Car parked, we piled reluctantly out of the car. Jasper, ever the gentleman, reached for my hand to help me. Apparently my previous foul mood was forgiven. I offered him a sunny smile, before covering my mouth with the scarf. Hand in hand, we headed for the science and math building. Edward trudged ahead, hands in pockets, head tipped down in thought.

I noticed the Swan girl's truck was a row down in the parking lot. I can't believe the ancient thing still worked. I could remember when trucks like that were new on the streets. Edward turned to see where I looked, shook his head, and quickly walked to his first class across campus. Rosalie and Emmett were still leaning against the Volvo. It's a good thing breathing wasn't a requirement for vampires or those two would have suffocated by now. Emmett didn't seem to be too upset about Rose consorting with the enemy tonight.

The vision came on quick, and stopped before I could get a good grasp on its meaning. Jasper waited expectantly with his hand resting on my shoulder for support. I kept my eyes closed a minute longer, hoping to pull a fragment of the scene back to me. The Swan girl again…will wonders never cease. Jasper's brow furrowed with concern as my hesitation to explain the vision. There were times when I wished that Jasper possessed the same talent as Edward. It was just so much easier.

"I saw the Swan girl again." I started slowing, thinking of how to put the vision into words. Tense, Jasper cut me off.

"Dead?"

I vehemently shook my head. "No, no, not dead. Just deciding what to do about Edward. Haven't you noticed her looking at our table all last week? The girl has a death wish." I did find myself thinking about her at odd times. I hadn't missed her daily search for Edward, although she had tried to be as casual as possible. The tilt of her head as she looked through the screen of her hair had become familiar to me. I realized that I must have been observing her more than I had intended. My observations were justifiable though. I needed to know as much about this girl as I could if I was going to help Edward cope.

"No, I didn't notice. Then again, I was focusing on other things last week." I snapped out of my musing at the edge in his voice.

"Oh Jazz, I know how hard it is for you. I just now realized I spent a lot of time last week watching her at lunch. I didn't even notice how much time until this minute. It's getting easier and easier to see what lies in store for her." I grabbed his hand and tugged him toward our building. "It's still very unsettling for me to see for her especially since we've had no contact."

We walked the rest of the way to class in silence, parting ways in front of my Trig class. Varner had a degree in mental torture, I was certain. Jasper was on his way to Physics, his least favorite class as well. I squeezed his hand as he leaned down to brush my lips with a kiss. We started every school day the same way.

"I love you Jazz, thank you."

"For you, my Alice, anything."

I wanted him to know every day that I appreciated the sacrifices he made to keep me with my family. Standing in the doorway, I closed my eyes and thought back to the early hours of this morning and the unbridled passion he had made me feel. I lost myself in the memory for a moment, surely had I blood in my veins my face would have been flush. With that in mind, I remembered Jasper wasn't the only one who could affect other's emotions. I opened my eyes to catch his hungry gaze still focused on me from down the hall. I smiled as innocently as possible, and winked. That should give him something to think about. As the bell rang, I found my seat in the back corner of the room.

I hoped Edward would be occupied elsewhere. I wanted to think about my vision of the Swan girl without his over-analyzing. She was going to make decisions today that would affect Edward, but since she hadn't made them yet, I couldn't see what was going to happen. She would be watching for him at lunch today, of that much I was sure. I sighed and tried to focus on the teacher's lecture, sketching some designs for winter coats in the margins of my notebook. Maybe it was time to front another design house. I have been rather bored lately. I turned to a fresh page and began to list everything I needed to get the line up and running. Thank goodness Varner didn't feel it was his educational duty to call on everyone in the class. My perfect test scores and consistent homework completion provided me with an interruption-free first period. The bell rang before I knew it. I slammed my notebook shut and filed out into the hallway. I knew I wouldn't have to wait for him long.

"That wasn't very fair, Lis. You wouldn't want me to go and do something like that to you, now would you?" Jasper growled softly in my ear. His arm slid across my shoulders pulling me closer to him. "You don't know how crazy you make me when you pull stunts like that. It was all I could do not to grab you and find the nearest janitor's closet."

I giggled at the scene that unfolded as he contemplated doing just that. We wouldn't get caught, and it's not like we needed to be in class to learn any of the material. I wouldn't be missed until PE. Every moment Jasper was with me was a moment I knew he was safe from temptation, the human kind at least. There were plenty of other temptations he wasn't going to be able to avoid without the willpower of a metal post. Edward, stay out of my head for the next hour and a half or you'll regret it. Jasper's too! Consider yourself warned!

I watched Jasper's caramel eyes go from scolding, to disbelieving, to, finally, wanting. The hall had only a few straggling students as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. We hurried out of the 4 annex into the swirling white snow and headed to the main building. Jasper grabbed the door handle of the first maintenance closet we came across, and very obviously wrenched off the knob. I stifled a laugh as he impatiently pulled me through the doorway and braced the broken door with a set of shelves.

"Now, where were we when we were so rudely interrupted this morning?" Jasper's eyes smoldered as he picked me up and sat me on a stored desk. His hands rested on either side of my seated frame, bringing him eye level with me. I brought both of my hands up to frame his face as I leaned forward and lightly traced his lips with my tongue. He groaned softly, and crushed me to him, spinning so that he was now sitting on the desk and I straddling his lap. Our hands were entwined in each other's hair, our kisses flammable, I was surprised the desk had not yet combusted. Time stood still, and flew concurrently. A bell rang, but I couldn't remember what it was signaling. I didn't care. I tilted my head as Jasper kissed along my neck, I was amazed we were both still fully clothed.

"Jazz, we should just cut school."

"And go where?" He whispered between kisses.

"Home. So I can focus all my attention on you, rather than constantly looking to make sure we aren't caught."

"Nope. Can't leave Edward here alone." His mouth had moved up, his tongue tracing the curve of my ear.

Dammit, how could I have forgotten Edward? Jasper's mouth returned to mine, nibbling on my lower lip. Any thoughts I was having were now lost. I know how I could have forgotten him; I couldn't remember my own name when Jasper and I were together like this. Another bell sounded, the halls were quiet. I felt as one of Jasper's hands moved to my hip, while the other slid under the hem of my shirt to rest on my lower back. My eyes fluttered closed as I arched my back and tipped my head. His cool lips kissed down my throat to my collarbone. His long fingers deftly slipped the top button from its hole, and his kisses dropped lower. I bit my lip to suppress a moan. In a flash, my mind was aware that the closet was about to be visited.

"Jas-" He froze mid-kiss, aware of our company.

There was a loud thunk as the broken doorknob hit the hallway floor.

"What the hell?" A familiar too-loud voice boomed.

Jasper sighed ruefully, rebuttoned my shirt, and set me carefully on the floor. He walked to the door, moved the shelves without making a sound, and pulled the door open.

"Hello Rose, Emmett. We were just leaving. You'll want to do something about that knob."

The two of them looked utterly flabbergasted.

"Just so you know Emmett," I jabbed him with my forefinger, "This doesn't count for anything…it's still just 5."

I heard Jasper chuckle softly as he led me away.