A/N: WARNING: There be angst-filled scenes ahead...

Closer to You

Carlisle pried her hand from his shirt and held it.

Carlisle had no other way to explain it: he felt as if someone had punched him in the gut and he couldn't catch his breath,

but that was ridiculous because he didn't need to breathe.

Carlisle swallowed the venom that had flooded his mouth. "You knew Jasper… before…?"

Esme shook her head.

Carlisle mentally chided himself. Of course Esme would never keep something like that from him.

"We knew Amy was in love, but she said father wouldn't approve of him. When she disappeared…"

Esme buried her face in Carlisle's shirt and sobbed. "…we thought she had eloped."

She gripped Carlisle more tightly. "Why does knowing hurt so badly? She was gone. She's been gone. Why does it matter how?"

Reneesme stood in the doorway to her room and chewed on her thumbnail as she watched her father.

He was standing in the middle of the staircase, one foot on the step in front of him,

his right hand resting on the banister rail, still as a statue.

His eyes were closed and she wondered whose thoughts he was concentrating on

and whose thoughts he was dismissing.

His voice startled her: "Jasper's."

Then he said, "No."

She had been wondering if she was to blame. It had been her stupid idea to drop the paint can on Jasper.

"Yes, it was stupid, but you had no way of knowing it would set him off like that."

I must have chosen red for some reason…

"Reneesme," her father opened his eyes and looked up at her, "stop berating yourself over this.

I need to concentrate on what Jasper is thinking."

He made a shooing motion with his hand and closed his eyes again.

She would never forgive him for keeping this from her.

Why hadn't he told her as soon as he had made the connection between Esme and Amy?

Because you're a coward… you were afraid…always afraid…

they wouldn't have let you stay…she wanted to belong to a family…

you weren't enough… she might have sent you away…

He didn't believe that now.

If Esme wanted him gone, Alice would go with him —he knew that with a certainty he couldn't explain.

But all those years ago… he hadn't felt that secure about Alice's confessed devotion to him.

Would she have chosen him over her new family?

Edward growled, aggravated with Jasper for drawing comparisons between Alice and Amy where there was none,

for allowing Reneesme's ill-conceived prank to serve as a catalyst for his self-flagellation, for thinking only of himself.

While everyone else in the family believed that Jasper always thought of Alice first, that he would do anything and everything

to make her happy because he loved her too much, they were only partly correct. Edward knew from Jasper's thoughts that Jasper wasn't sure

if what he felt for Alice was truly love… he simply needed her too badly.

He felt Alice place a soft kiss against his forehead. He lifted his face so she could kiss him on the lips.

"You are my light…" he whispered before smashing his mouth against hers.

He kissed her roughly, tangling his fingers in her hair, pulling her beneath him, tearing at her clothes.

He needed her… close… as close as he could get to her.

His salvation.

"I won't leave you, ever," Alice assured him between kisses. But her words seemed to have the opposite effect.

She felt his uncertainty spike and then desperation settled in.

He was pressing her against the floor, ravaging her mouth and neck with his lips and teeth.

Alice heard the floor crack. "Edward is listening," she said softly.

He pressed down harder, trying to get closer.

"Let him listen," he growled back over his shoulder toward the door.

It must be bad. If Jasper didn't care that Edward was listening to him have his way with her.

Because that's what Jasper was doing. They weren't making love.

Alice was glad that she didn't need to breathe. Thankful that she didn't bruise.

Edward rapidly ascended the stairs, but halted at the landing when he heard Alice: Edward, stop! He's not hurting me.

That wasn't the honest truth. The pressure Jasper was exerting against her was uncomfortable,

almost unbearable, but not quite.

He was probably causing some type of structural damage.

But he needed this… to maneuver through some complex labyrinth of emotions between past and present and Alice would not deny him.

She squeaked in surprise when she felt Jasper sink his teeth into the skin above her left breast.

Edward banged his fist against the door several times. "Damn you, Jasper, I'm coming in!"

Edward, no!

He ignored Alice and swung open the door.

Jasper had pulled on his jeans and was already on his feet, rushing toward him, his eyes black and his teeth bared.

Alice was sitting on the floor in the corner, covering herself with Jasper's shirt, but he still saw it:

the top half of a bite mark on her chest.

Jasper crashed into him and they both tumbled over the stair railing

Reneesme screamed.

Carlisle and Esme rushed into the family room as Reneesme and Alice were speeding down the stairs.

Jasper had landed on top of Edward and had him pinned down against the floor;

Edward was fighting him off, holding him back at arm's length.

Jasper snarled and snapped his teeth.

Emmett and Rosalie sailed through the front door and Emmett launched himself at Jasper's back.

He looped his arms underneath Jasper's, locking his hands behind Jasper's head and dragged him off Edward.

Jasper hissed and kicked and twisted.

"Whoa, chill out, bro," Emmett said, chuckling.

He grinned at Edward as he approached them and said, "Damn, Eddie what did you? I have never seen Jasper this--"

Edward punched Jasper in the face.

And was about to strike him again but Emmett turned them quickly

so Edward's fist landed against the back of his shoulder instead of making contact with Jasper.

Emmett said, "Not cool, Edward… that was a dirty move and you know it. I should let him go."

"Let him go!" Edward shouted and crouched low.

"Emmett, don't," Carlisle said, walking to stand in between Emmett and Jasper and Edward.

What has come over you, my son?

Edward straightened up, unable to look Carlisle in the eye.

He glared at Jasper instead. "He was hurting Alice."

"Carlise, he wasn't," Alice protested. Alice looked at Jasper and said firmly, "You weren't."

Edward grabbed Alice by the arm, eliciting a deep growl from Jasper and a renewed struggle against Emmett's hold on him.

He pulled aside the collar on the over-sized shirt and pointed.

"There," he said to Carlisle, "He bit her with enough force to penetrate the skin."

Have we all gone mad?

Carlisle asked, "May I?"

Alice turned her head aside as Carlisle examined the wound.

It wasn't a superficial love bite and Jasper's venom was keeping it from healing.

Why would he mark her like that?

Edward shot Jasper an angry look when he heard Carlisle's assessment.

"She's not some piece of property! Do you think branding her makes her—"

Alice slapped Edward.

A/N: Thought I'd experiment and end a chapter with a cliff-hanger (I'm not personally a fan of a chapter ending mid-scene esp. if I'm the reader!)