Unlike Words Feelings Don't Lie

Jasper reclined on the thick tree limb and closed his eyes. He opened himself to his emotions. The memory of the first time he saw Amy rushed into his mind.

He had caught a glimpse of her across the street from the tree he had been forced to take shelter under against an unexpected break in the clouds.

He had been struck by the warmth of her smile and the sincere friendliness in those cornflower blue eyes. He had felt inexplicably drawn to her.

"This is madness, Jasper. Pure madness. It won't end well for the girl, and you know it."

Peter's words had wounded him. Especially after he had let down his guard and had admitted to Peter that he finally understood the words 'love at first sight'.

He ignored Peter's warning and easily charmed Amy, explained away his cold skin and red eyes as a blood disease. She believed him. Trusted him.

And through ignorance he had betrayed that trust.

He felt nervousness and worry screaming off her and immediately said, "What's wrong?"

He hadn't meant the words to come out gruff, but he'd never felt anything but positive emotions from Amy and these unexpected emotions unsettled him.

Tears sprang to her eyes and were running down her face and, before he had a chance to ask her again, in a gentler tone, she blurted out, "I think I'm pregnant."

Jasper remembered staring at her in disbelief. Never in all his years had he heard of a vampire impregnating a human

so the words tumbled from his lips before his brain even knew he was asking: "Whose…?"

"What do you mean whose?"

He felt her anger and mumbled a pathetic, "I didn't know I was able to…you know."

Amy's anger quickly receded and she said softly, "Because of your blood disease?"

He had wanted to scream and laugh at the irony in her words.

He hadn't told Peter about the baby. He wasn't even certain that there was a baby until Amy's stomach ballooned out and then grew at an alarming rate.

And when he realized that whatever was inside her was killing her, he tried the only thing he thought could save her: he attempted to change her.

And in the process he killed her and left his unborn child inside her to die.

"You had no way of knowing the child was viable."

Jasper sprang into a crouch and hissed at Edward. Did Emse not tell you that I requested to be left alone!

Edward nodded. "I thought I was making enough noise to alert you to my presence."

Bullshit! You were creeping around... eavesdropping… like you always do.

"That wasn't my intent. I merely wanted to apologize for Reneesme—"

"No."

"Excuse me?" Edward raised his eyebrows.

WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT?

"I told you—"

Jasper leaned out from the branch and hissed. Haven't you already plucked what you were looking for from my thoughts?

"Or do you want more ammunition against me when you go to Alice?"

Edward frowned. "Jasper, I don't know what you think—"

Jasper's harsh laughter cut him off. "You know exactly what I think!"

And I know what you feel. How you feel.

Edward glanced away from Jasper.

Shall I tell Bella she isn't the only woman who has a claim on your heart?

Edward glared up at Jasper, narrowing his eyes at him. "I love her like a sister, nothing more."

Jasper gave him a grim look. What would Bella have to say if I explained, in explicit terms, the extent of your brotherly affection for Alice?

Edward turned his back on Jasper. "You have a truly disgusting mind."

"I'm not the one lusting after my sister."

Edward whirled around. "She's not my—" He clamped his mouth shut.

Gotcha!

Jasper jumped down from the branch, landing lightly on his feet. He walked away from Edward.

How does that feel, Edward? Having your most private feelings exposed? Without your permission?

Edward exhaled loudly and stalked after Jasper. "You've made your point, but let me make mine. I don't go around telling the family secrets."

"Unless you decide the family has a right to know," Jasper threw at him over his shoulder.

Edward ran his hand through his hair. "You're not still angry about me telling Carlisle and Esme some of what happened to you when you belonged to Ma—"

Jasper rushed him and thrust his face close to Edward's. "Don't you say her name!"

Edward took a step back.

Jasper pulled away and started walking again.

"I could have told them a whole hell of a lot more than I did," Edward called after him.

Jasper waved him off. He didn't need or want a history lesson right now.

And if Edward kept pushing at him, he was going to take him to task for punching him earlier.

Alice smiled and stretched her arms toward him as he opened their bedroom door. "I didn't expect you to come home this soon."

He crawled on the bed toward Alice's beckoning arms and kissed her mouth.

"It didn't take me as long as I thought it would to find my calm." Jasper pulled aside Alice's shirt and looked at the bite he'd given her.

"It's fine," Alice said, shoving his hand aside and covering up the mark.

"Alice, let me soothe it for you." Jasper bent his head to her breast and licked at the wound.

She ran her hands through his unruly blonde locks.

After a few minutes Alice said, "If you keep doing that much longer we're going to have to make a quick trip into the forest."

Jasper kissed her chest, her neck, her chin, and then her mouth. "We can, you know, here on the bed."

"Are you sure?"

Jasper grinned. "Let's give 'em a show Rosalie and Emmett style."

Alice's eyes widened. "Jasper!"

Edward slammed his hands against the keys of his piano and raced out of the house.

Esme and Carlisle left their bedroom and were surprised to see Emmett sitting on the couch.

He said, "Rosalie's in the garage. That's Jasper and Alice, if you can believe it."

Emmett craned his head toward the ceiling. "Can the two of you keep it down? You're distracting my TV watching!"

A/N: It took me a looonnngg time to come up with an ending for this story because I was wanting to write some spectacularly memorable ending that made you say, "Wow, I'm glad I invested my time reading this story. You

didn't build us up for a let down." Selfishly, I wanted you to turn the story over in your head days after reading it. Welll....good endings are a bitch to write and great ones are even more difficult to write because, by its very

nature, endings are depressing: the story has come to a halt. There's a fine balancing act between leaving the story open-ended while, at the same time, bringing the reader a satisfying conclusion. I'm not satisfied and, at

best, I'd say this ending is serviceable. I would appreciate any feedback/advice from my fellow writers regarding how to write a great ending for this story or any story in general.