Jasper's POV
We stood up. I immediately grabbed her hand with no intention of letting go. She looked at me and smiled, glad that everything was out in the open. Quite frankly, so was I. I realized that the excuse Alice given to that boy would get us out of the rest of day. All I wanted to do was go home with her; to our house, to our room, to our perfect life. But I needed to ask her something.
"Did he decide on a path yet?" I asked staring at our intertwined hands.
She stared blankly against the wall. "No, he knows that I will be looking for him so he's trying to pick a boat at random." She said in a tiny voice. I could feel her spirit dampening. She leaned against my side with a heavy sigh.
"Do you think he will come back, Jazz?" She asked.
"I may not have all the answers, but I know that he loves this family too much to leave it all behind. He may have a broken heart but time heals all."
"Can we go home and wait for him? I think I'll be able to concentrate better there." She asked.
"Of course, darlin. Unfortunately we don't have a car, so I'll have to carry you." I gathered her in my arms bridal style and smirked.
Her mood lightened. "Did something happen to my feet or my ability to run?" She teased wrapping her arms around my neck for a tighter hold.
"I wanted to make sure you didn't try to ditch me and run off with Edward, my dear." I teased back. Her emotions hit a sudden shift. She was angry.
"Jasper, how can you say that? It's not funny. I told you that I would never leave you." She yelled letting a growl out at the end of her speech.
"I know. I was joking." I lightly nipped at her neck. She giggled, her mood augmenting again.
"You won't be able to get rid of me, even if you try." She mused, tilting her head to allow me better access.
"Good, because I don't plan to." I said nipping at the granite skin even further. I lifted both of our schoolbags and put them over my shoulder.
"Where to now, my dear? The stars, the moon, the heavens? Each heaven will become more divine with your presence."
"I want to go home."
"Your wish is my command."
I looked around to make sure the coast was clear before sprinting out of the corridor through the snowy atmosphere. We ran through the woods. Alice's eyes glistened as she watched the flakes fall and remain frozen on our ice cold skin. A few flurries landed cutely on the tip of her nose, causing a hefty laugh to boil from my stomach.
Within minutes, we arrived home. I put Alice down before we entered into the front door. Esme was rearranging the furniture when we walked through the door. Confusion filled her as she checked her golden watch.
"It's not 3 yet, why are you home?" She inquired, her face as sweet as it was the first moment I met her
I looked down at my hand still intertwined with Alice's. She used her other hand to reach out and grab Esme's, giving it a tight squeeze.
"Edward left." She plainly said.
Esme filled with horror and worry. "What? Why? When did all this happen?"
I sent calm waves to her to which she responded by breathing slowly. She walked to the couch and sat down patting a seat for both of us to sit.
"Tell me what happened."
Alice would never lie to Esme. She told her the unadulterated truth, not withholding any information. When she finished, Esme was nodding but placed her delicate hand to cup her mouth.
"Oh Alice honey, I am so sorry this happened. I know you're adjustment here hasn't been the easiest, especially for you Jasper." Her eyes focused on me. "I promise you we will get through this as a family. I am going to phone Carlisle and have him look for him. This isn't the first time he's run away." She got up and walked to the kitchen.
I looked over at Alice. For the first time, she looked small, helpless. She worried that there was nothing she could do for him and that was slowly eating away at her. I lifted her up to take her to our room. When I walked us past Edward's room, she said in the tiniest voice that no one but a vampire could have heard.
"Can I wait in his room, in case he comes back?" I knew she was afraid I would be jealous and she was right but I complied with her wishes placing her down on his couch that he used for late night readings. He did not require a bed like the rest of us did, that only served one purpose. I sat down on the end watching her. Her face went blank; she was looking for him. She would be looking for him at every corner of the Earth. I sighed internally wondering whether she would go to such measures for me.
Weeks passed and still no word or sign of him. Carlisle told us to give him some space and that he would come home when he was ready. Rosalie and Emmett were still on their honeymoon and I assumed they planned to be for another couple of months. Carlisle was the most understanding of the situation. He knew his son too well. Esme and Alice spun into a depression. Whenever Esme would arrange the furniture differently, she would never touch his piano and always keep it dusted. We told the school that Edward was staying with relatives in Canada to take care of his sickly aunt.
I was most worried of Alice. These past few weeks, she's seemed lifeless, a true dead body. The light had been taken from her wide eyes and the spark in her personality removed. It killed me to see her this way. Everyday after school, she would rush to his room and lie on his couch starring out the window. She rarely hunted anymore, only at times when she felt she would attack an innocent bystander from thirst. She avoided her visions as well. I got accustomed to carrying her and tugging her around. For the first time in our relationship, I would have to be the strong one, the one to hold her hand.
"Alice, I can't bear to see you like this. Please let me ease your suffering." I sat on the couch beside her beginning alleviate her pain.
"No!" She cried out. "Please let me feel on my own." She closed her eyes and rested her head back against the side.
I walked out of the room and ran downstairs to the garage. I hopped into Carlisle's Mercedes and drove off. I had to find him, for the family, and more importantly for Alice. From my experiences with Maria, I could track almost anything. I learned his smell after my first week living here.
I traced him to Twin Peaks, Washington. He was pacing through the forest. I stopped when I saw him. His back was turned to me.
"I know why you're here. I can't come back, Jasper." He said. His emotions were no longer jealousy but emptiness and self pity.
"Edward, I didn't come for the family or to get you back. I came purely for Alice." It sounded harsher when I said it aloud.
"I understand that. I wish I could come back but not after the embarrassment I caused myself, the damage I've done."
"She loves you, Ed. There's a bond that if I weren't an empath, I would not be able to comprehend. She needs you in her life. She is wasting away without you. If you will not come back, I will take you by force." I growled at him getting into a pugnacious stance. He turned around and looked at me, his eyes soft and black.
"I am not going to fight you, Jasper. I know well enough that with our combined gifts, the battle will be endless."
"Then I assume you're coming back."
His head dropped. "I just don't know how to live with myself. She is a wonderful woman, Jasper."
"You think I don't know that? Why else do you think I tracked you down and am pleading with you to return? I want to see the smile return to her face and even though it's painful to admit it, you are the only one that can do that. You are her brother and I hoped you would act like it and return to your family. Here, I thought I was the weak one, giving into my desires, my thirst. But now, you are the weak one by refusing to face your demons. Running away is not a solution. I learned that the hard way." I said rubbing a scar on the back of my neck. "I found hope and was given a second chance. It's time you do that."
I began to walk away and heard footsteps behind me.
"You're…..you're right. I ought to come back and I'm going to. You know, Jasper, you don't give yourself enough credit. You are never weak. It took a lot of guts to come here and talk to me instead of beating me to a pulp like you wanted to."
"I've learned self control." I said with a smirk returning to the car.
We drove home as I caught him up on home life. We laughed mutually at the fact that Rosalie and Emmett had not been heard from either. "Knocking down houses" was the expression he used. Even though we had competed for the same woman's heart, it felt good having my brother back. After all, he was my family and I would watch out for him with my life.
He walked through the Cullen door to Esme's loving embrace. She had dropped a vase when she saw him. She phoned Carlisle and told him the news. He said he'd try to get away from work as soon as he could and was pleased Edward was home. I looked up at the top of the stairway and saw my angel, with a brown blanket wrapped around herself. She practically flew down the stairs into Edward's arms.
"Miss me, shortie?" He said smirking hugging her tightly. I remained standing behind him watching Alice's face light up like the evening stars.
She didn't respond but simply hugged him tighter and buried her face in his chest to make sure he was real. He was filled with love for her, the same as before. But I didn't have the desire to rip his throat out. I was too joyous seeing Alice fit back into her normalcy. Her eyes looked at me, and in that moment I knew she was thanking me for returning him to her. And with that a simple nod would suffice.