Chapter Six: Keep On Breathing

Just another list of consequences of things that we do,
Just another hit of happenings that we have to live through.
In and out of all the reasons, and all the "whys" and "wherefores,"
We just want to keep on breathing.

The Delgados - Keep On Breathing

The house was abnormally quiet when Jasper and Emmett returned from hunting. It was still early in the afternoon, and the sky was a pale shade of grey as it threatened to rain lightly. Emmett disappeared instantly to call Rosalie, while Jasper looked around curiously. Despite knowing that Alice and Rosalie were in Europe, and that Edward was with Bella, he wasn't used to the house being so quiet. It was then, as he walked up the stairs at a casual pace, that he heard a slight movement, a soft speaking, and a wave of immense pain and discomfort. Following the sensation with a frown, he stopped in front of an ajar door to the guest room. Carlisle was sitting besides the bed, writing notes in a notebook quickly, deep frown on his features.

"Jasper, could you watch her while I return to the hospital?" Carlisle asked, not looking up from the bed. Jasper frowned as her scent hit his nose; it was light and took a lot of concentration to notice, but he was able to understand when the others said that each human smelled different. She had a soft scent, like melons and grass in the morning. An odd, summery smell, like the way it smelled before sunrise when the sky was lightening and there was fresh dew on the grass. She furrowed her brows tightly; she was in immense pain at something. He knew what Carlisle had truly meant in asking him to sit with her.

"Of course." Jasper told him quietly, approaching the bed. He didn't breath, though he didn't have to talk to her, which it made it slightly better. Carlisle thanked him before disappearing out of the room. Sitting on the chair he frowned; her life was in his hands. Even if she was as old as he, and had managed to live through a lot, she still had blood coursing through her veins; he still was envisioning ways to kill her without anyone knowing.

She looked small and delicate in the large bed. Her face seemed to relax as he tried to calm her; it worked. She was still in pain over something in her dreams; he hadn't dreamt in years and he had honestly forgotten how it felt. He'd so distanced himself from mortal life, that it felt odd to even be near one. Emmett had encouraged their friendship from the moment they had worked on a project, though Jasper suspected it was mostly because it got him out of listening to talk about the civil war. Glancing at her pale figure, he was struck with an odd memory, that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. He wondered how he had not recognized her before; he hadn't disbelieved her story, though it confused him that he hadn't remembered, yet watching her sleeping made him recall something from the past that didn't seem to connect with any of his other memories.

The moon hung low in the sky as the dark figure of a blonde man paced on a sandy beach besides the river. The fire in front of him had long died out, and the warm embers were nearly gone, leaving a soft trail of smoke that swirled in to the sky. It must have been at least two in the morning, though he knew it would be impossible to sleep.

"Jasper, sit down. You're making me nervous." The small figure of a woman looked up from her spot on the sand, the moonlight made her face glow warmly. She propped herself up on one arm to look at him, frowning as she stifled a yawn. "You need your sleep, too."

"I'll be fine, Miss Lucy." He nodded his head, though he took her heed and sat on a log besides the fire. She was laying on a small blanket that he had brought with him. It was dirty, and smelled horrible, but she had taken it appreciatively. Her pale eyes were brimming with concern as she glanced up from the spot besides him, sitting up somewhat groggily.

"How many times must I tell you not to call me miss?" She asked, the corners of her lips tugging in a smile. He couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Lay back down, Lucy. I won't have you losing any sleep on my accord." He told her firmly. She frowned, though made no movement to lay; rather she folded her thin arms across her chest, his jacket had pooled around her waist, having been used to keep her body warm in the chilly night air.

"I can't sleep." She sighed, turning slightly to lean her head against the log besides where he sat. Her eyes watched the stars slowly before she readjusted herself, resting an arm under her head as she looked up to him. "What's it like living on a farm?"

"Have you ever been on a farm?" He asked her. The sudden change of subject felt strange, but he would try to find the best way to describe it to her regardless.

"No. I've lived in the city my whole life, this is the farthest I've ever been from home." She told him innocently, her brows furrowed slightly as she looked up to him. "Have most people been on farms?"

"You've never been on a farm?" He was unable to contain his fit of quiet laughter. She frowned, sitting up straight and folding her arms across her chest as she looked at him. While it was horribly amusing that she had never been on a farm, it only served to remind him even further of the differences between he and the smaller girl in front of him. He never would have met her were it not for the war, there would never have been a reason for their paths to cross. Bitterly he wondered why she had chosen to spend so much time with someone who she must have shared nothing in common with. Once he left Galveston, she would stay with her maids, and when the war had finished she would marry a stately man, like John Lewis. They would live in a large city house with their servants, and they would live a life of luxury that their parents had built for them. He would return to his farm with his mother to work, one day he would marry, and they would have children that would work on the farm with them. There was nothing about Lucy that he could envision working on a farm. She had probably not labored a day in her life.

"What's wrong, Jasper?" She spoke quietly, her soft hands holding his between them gently. Her eyes filled with concern as she looked up from the sand to study his face.

"Why are you not spending time with the others from your village? Why are you not with Lewis' family? They have more than welcomed you; yet you slander your name by staying away from the others with me." He told her, frowning with each word as the fear for her response bubbled in his chest. She looked at him darkly, though suddenly she started laughing a soft, musical giggle. She quickly buried her head on his knees, causing him a slight shock.

"I do not see how my name could be slandered by spending time with you, and if they will speak ill of me for it, then they are deadbeats, and good riddance to them." She said firmly, watching him as her arms folded over his legs to look up at him. "I much prefer your company to theirs."

"Why?" He asked her honestly; it was rude to speak in such a way to a woman, yet, the very position that they were in was not appropriate. If anyone had seen them she most certainly should have been embarrassed. He had seen women from the town act this way towards other soldiers, though none of them held the same position as Lucy had. None of them seemed to hold such status.

"I could ask you the same question. Why are you not with your men? Would you like me to leave you alone?" She asked him quietly, her eyes looked slightly hurt at the suggestion that he wanted her to leave. "Do I bother you?"

"No, not at all." He suddenly said, trying to calm her from growing worrisome. She furrowed her dark brows slightly, trying to understand what he was getting at. He tried to find a suitable way to tell her his thoughts, to not be rude, and to not upset her even more. "You're from a wealthy family, you've never had to work a day in your life. I am from a small farm; my mother couldn't even afford to spend money on a new jacket."

"I will buy you a new jacket." She frowned, still not understanding what he was getting at. "Once we get back in to town I will have Marietta take your measurements. She will make up a dozen if you would like."

"Don't you understand? We are completely different." He frowned at her, she yawned slightly, reminding him that it was late, and that she still needed to sleep.

"I don't care if we are different." She sighed, laying her head on her hands, watching him through thick lashes. "You still haven't told me what it was like on a farm."

"Do you really wish to know?" He asked her with a defeated sigh, wondering why she had chosen to spend so much time with him, what had drawn her towards him, as opposed to the others that would have been better suited for her.

"When this is over, will you bring me to your farm? I would love to see what it is really like." She said brightly, lifting her head back up. Her eyes shone with such brilliant light in the moon that she looked like a child at Christmas. It made no sense that she would want to see his farm, that she would want to be somewhere so commonplace.

"If that is what you wish." He told her softly. She smiled broadly, yawning as she lay her head back down on his lap.

"I would like that very much. Now will you tell me of it? I do not wish everyone to think me a fool that knows of nothing when I see it." She smiled, glancing up at him as she awaited his response. Gingerly she grabbed his hand with one of hers, not moving her eyes from his face. It was a small movement, yet it spoke mountains of the moment between them. Unable to hold back an instinctive smile he reached his free hand up, brushing her hair from the side of her face.

"Living on a farm is very arduous; one must rise with the sun, and work until it sets," He began slowly, his throat constricting slightly with the realization of their intimate position; it was not a position of men and women who were respectable acquaintances. If any others were to see them, it would be rightly mistaken as a position of lovers, yet she had not minded it. She felt no shame for being so near to him, yet the doubt in his mind spoke loudly that once they had returned to her town, where everyone was in the light of day, she would be fervently embarrassed by him.

"Do you have cows?" She asked him curiously, opening her eyes to glance up at him, his hand slipped suddenly to her shoulder. He froze in his spot briefly, unable to move. Though once the words cut through his thoughts he nearly laughed. "Or monkeys?"

"Monkeys?" He asked, his lips curling back with laughter at the idea of there being monkey's on a farm.

"I've seen a picture of a monkey once. I have a book filled with pictures of animals, I love animals!" She exclaimed excitedly, stifling yet another yawn. "I think that life on a farm must be very exciting, I cannot imagine caring for so many animals."

"Monkeys do not live on farms, though we do have cows." He told her, his laughter subsiding.

"I would have monkeys on my farm. And Llamas, and Horses." She said with a small smile as she closed her eyes again. "I'm sorry, I interrupted you. Go on."

"Don't you worry what they will think if they see you in such a position?" He asked her with a frown; he should have pulled away from her the moment she had sat up besides him, yet something inside of him had been too weak to fight it, it felt as though part of him had needed this moment; had wanted it.

"Do you worry of that?" She asked, not opening her eyes as she remained stationary.

"You are a young woman, you must uphold a respectable image for society." He told her darkly; he would ruin her image. "I have no image to protect; I may never see any of these people again. These are your friends, your family."

"If you are not worried, then I see no reason to be." She said quietly with yet another yawn. It seemed strange that he had only known her a day, yet it felt as though he had known her for his entire life. He was closer to her than he felt to anyone in his entire company. By the time he thought to speak again, he realized that she had fallen asleep on his lap. With a yawn he leaned back against the tree behind the log where he sat, his hand still resting in the hair on her shoulder, while she clutched his hand tightly even in her sleep. He was filled with an overwhelming sense of unworthiness, and pride. He would fight stronger, and work harder to be a better soldier... he would become someone worthy of her affection.

Jasper frowned at the memory, wondering how it had been possible to forget such a face. The memory had felt strangely intimate; far more intimate than the fleeting memories he had felt in the past. With a grimace he noticed that he had forgotten to continue calming her, and she had returned to being pained and restless. Whatever she was dreaming about had to have been horrible. He gently reached over, grabbing her hands with his, placing a hand over her forehead. She was warmer than he remembered, though he had also been alive at that time. She had a couple of scars that he hadn't noticed before, though glancing down at his arms he cringed at the thought that he had more than she would probably ever notice.

His throat burned as he could feel her pulse through her hand; against his will power, he took a soft breath. Her smell burned his throat; it was more potent up close than he had expected it to be. Yet as he glanced down to her sleeping figure, he tried his hardest to force the urge to kill her down. She wouldn't scream, the monster rationalized, no one would hear her... but he wanted to talk to her, to hear about her life. Why she was still alive, how she had known his mother, and how she had somehow ended up in Forks at the same time that they had. Yet his wonders were cut off when he felt her move slightly; she was waking.

Cold, and hot. That was the odd sensation that Lucy felt when she awoke. Her body felt as though it was burning in a sauna, while her head and hands were being covered in something cold. Slowly, cautiously, she opened her eyes. She furrowed her brow when she saw the tall figure of Jasper above her. He was standing besides her bed, looking very displeased and awkward. He held one of her hands, and his other was on her head. Suddenly, he glanced down with a frown. He instantly let go of her hand and practically disappeared as he jumped in to a chair besides the bed.

"Carlisle asked me to watch you; you weren't sleeping well." He told her firmly; his voice was smooth, and sweet. His eyes a dark black, with slight golden flecks.

"I never sleep well." She shook her head. Every night had been the same for as long as she could remember; it was why she was certain she had been cursed. She was forced to relive every memory she had ever accumulated in her sleep; no matter how minute the memory was it would reappear in her dreams at strange times. It was what made her memory so sharp; she couldn't forget it when she was always reminded of it.

"Why can't you sleep well?" He furrowed his brows. He seemed to pick up on her unease towards the topic. She shook her head as she stood from the bed, suddenly feeling much more cold. She turned her attention to the light-weight cotton hospital dress she had fallen asleep in. The fabric had wrinkled in her sleep, though she was thankful that the nurses had given her one of the more modest variations. Glancing outside she noticed that it was dark once again, leading her to wonder how long she had truly slept.

"I hate sleeping. I wish I never got tired." She said darkly, folding her arms as she looked outside. It was a beautiful view. She must have worn a heating blanket, as she now shuddered from the slight draft that came off of the old window. "Sleep is supposed to rejuvenate you; to let you forget your problems. Yet every time I close my eyes and allow myself to drift off, I am plagued with memories of my past. Down to the most minute detail. I cannot forget anything."

She gulped slightly as she remembered why she had gotten so worried last night; not because of the accident, or anything along those lines, but because the Cullens were dead. Her heart sped unconsciously in fear as she tried to find an explanation quickly in her mind. She sighed as she took deep breaths, telling herself that she should not think less of them; they've been nothing but nice to her. She reminded herself that the previous day she had been so excited to meet people who had lived as long as her; people that weren't accepted by others as being normal, that were shunned... yet now she wanted to shun them. She frowned in her hypocrisy. They deserved a fair chance. It was at that time that her stomach grumbled slightly.

"You're hungry." She heard Jasper comment, he almost sounded amused at it. "Esme threw away all of the food from yesterday, she thought that she poisoned you."

"No!" Lucy cried out, feeling instantly guilty. The woman was warmer hearted than anyone she had ever met, and she hadn't want to make her feel bad. "Her food was delicious; I just needed to sleep. Yesterday was a lot to handle."

"What happened? Your car looked horrible." Jasper said darkly. She turned to him curiously, wondering why he had suddenly changed from looking so uncomfortable. He had worse mood swings than a teenager. "I'm sure we have some food downstairs; Esme went on a shopping spree at the idea of having a human in the house."

"Can you not eat?" She frowned, furrowing her brows as she looked curiously. Perhaps it was another peculiarity of their 'condition.'

"Our bodies don't digest food; it doesn't taste good to us." He told her, holding the door open for her politely. She walked through, glancing around.

"Do you have a bathroom?" She asked sheepishly, obviously somewhat uncomfortable with the question. She watched as he looked nearly as awkward as she did.

"I think Esme has put stuff in the bathroom for you and Bella. She enjoys having house guests." Jasper said, opening a door across the hall from the guest room. He laughed stiffly as she walked in.

"Thank you. I'll try-" she began, but was stopped when Esme pushed Jasper out of the way.

"You're all right! I was so worried my cooking had killed you." Esme said, her voice full of sorrow.

"No! Not at all. I had a lot happen yesterday. I just needed to sleep it off." Lucy said, putting a smile on. Jasper seemed to eye her curiously, though Esme hugged her tightly, she was as cold and hard as Emmett had been. She hugged the woman back warmly. She could feel the attachment to the woman already formed; even if the woman wasn't alive.

"I brought you some clothes, I thought you might want to shower. I'll make you something to eat." Esme said warmly, handing Lucy a large armful of clothes.

"Thank you, Esme. You are by far one of the kindest women I've ever met." Lucy said politely, taking the clothes. Esme seemed to glow at this compliment, but shut the door quickly, undoubtedly shooing Jasper away.

The clothes that Esme had brought were, on closer inspection, not hers. She had suspected at first that they had went to her house... though that was not the case. It was, in fact, a pile of new clothes. That were all in her size. Including the shoes that were very cute, and chic. The clothes were stylish, and nice. She wondered where Esme had found clothes during the time that she had been asleep. There were new bottles of shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and nearly every toiletry she could ever imagine. It was like being at a salon more than a bathroom. Esme had truly gone all out.

The shower was hot against her skin, relieving her tenseness. These people had welcomed her in to their home with open arms, without asking questions about anything, and she had been scared by them. She was probably just as strange as them, if not more so. She didn't even know what she was, so she couldn't get mad at them for her not knowing what they were. She tried to hurry, throwing on the clothes that Esme had chosen for her. She slipped on a pair of slacks with a loose silk top. She slipped a lightweight cardigan over it and found a brush to comb through her hair, and brushed her teeth quickly. Her hair was unruly. Wet curls fell down her back as she tried to tame it. She looked through the products and found a mousse, quickly running it through her hair before she set the clothes, neatly folded, on the toilet seat. She had a feeling they never used it, and she wasn't sure what to do with them. Quickly, she darted downstairs towards the kitchen, taking in the house as she walked. She had been too hysterical before to truly appreciate it.

"Hurry up, slow-poke." She heard Emmett say, appearing out of no where and picking her up. The house seemed to blur and within seconds she was in the kitchen, feeling slightly dizzy as he sat her on one of the chairs.

"Thank you, Em." She drawled sarcastically, holding on to the counter for support. Willing the room to stop moving around her. He had moved so fast, and quietly. She only had to blink her eyes to notice that she was in the kitchen. It was thrilling, and exhilarating. "How did you do that? It was grand."

"We're all really fast, and strong." Emmett boasted as he took a seat besides her.

"Thank you, Esme." Lucy said appreciatively as she took a plate from Esme. It was eggs, sausage, pancakes, bacon, and hash browns. It was obviously the middle of the afternoon, if not already evening, though Esme had clearly wanted to make her breakfast. She then poured a very large glass of orange juice. Lucy cringed a bit at the thought of drinking it after having brushed her teeth.

"I guess it's part of being a vampire." Emmett shrugged as he continued what he had been saying. Lucy faltered a bit as she was reaching to put a bite in to her mouth, though she ignored the rush of fear at hearing that, putting the food in and forcing herself to chew.

"We could be stronger, and faster, if we drank human blood; but we're not monsters; we prefer animals." Emmett said casually, watching out the window. Lucy tried to convince herself that that made it better, and that it wasn't insane. She had no idea what she was, though she had a feeling that as she had never had an impulse to eat blood, that she was not one of them. She knew Emmett's secret, though it brought her no closer to her own answer. "Though animals don't tas-"

"Emmett, Do you mind? I'm trying to eat here." Lucy frowned as she turned to him, realizing that he was still talking about it. "I really don't need to hear about you drinking blood; it will seriously make me ill."

"I'm sorry." He said sheepishly as Esme shot him a dark look.

"Where did Jasper go off to?" Lucy asked curiously, noticing that he was not there. She had a feeling that Carlisle was at the hospital, and the girls were still shopping, as it had only been a day.

"He went out to hunt a bit; your smell is a bit strong for him." Esme said softly. Lucy frowned, it all hit her at once. Why the voodoo queen had not been able to locate him, despite feeling that his soul had not departed; why he disappeared, and why he looked physically exactly as she had remembered. She gulped quietly, dropping her fork. She had spent nearly three days exclusively with him, keeping him company as he did his rounds, sitting with him at dinner, and letting him sleep near her as it made her feel safer while being in the open. She was going to walk with him when he returned to the city, but John had wanted to speak with her.

The sun had already setting, but they were going to continue walking through the night, they were only an hour or so away from town. Lucy had been walking towards the end with Jasper. He was in charge of making sure no one was left behind. He had warned her to walk in the middle, that it would be safer; but she felt safer with him; she knew he was one of the better fighters in his company, she had nothing to worry about with him.

"What are you going to do after the war?" Lucy asked quietly as they walked. The sun hadn't yet set, though it had been overcast and muggy that day; the temperature was already dropping. She had bathed in the river with other women, washing her clothes in the water. They had dried, but didn't feel very clean; she wasn't used to being left out in the wilderness. Yet while she hadn't quite enjoyed the feeling of her clothes; Jasper had been quite thankful that she had cleaned his uniform in the water. The water had turned a murky brownish red when she rinsed it, yet it suddenly looked more blue than before.

"I'll go home and see my ma; I haven't heard from her since I left." Jasper said as he walked, glancing around as they walked. The next nearest soldier was about five feet away, speaking with a group that was suspected as his family. "Do you have any plans for yourself?"

"I haven't the slightest. I'll have to find a husband if I expect to be a respectable woman." She said with a frown, glancing ahead at all of the people ahead of her, somewhat sadly. "My father would want me to find a good man. It's scary. I've never felt so alone, or scared."

"What do you have to be scared of?" He asked her, she felt his eyes on her with curiosity.

"My father was not a poor man. Any man in town would know that; I fear that a man will force me to wed for my money." She said honestly, watching the dirt on the ground as she walked. The bottom of her dress was nearly black with dirt. Her hair looked wild, despite having her bonnet tucked over it, it was still horrible looking. She was sweaty, and dirty, yet Jasper still chose to spend time with her.

"If you-" Jasper began slowly, almost cautiously.

"Lucy! Come talk to my Ma! General says that Major Whitlock has work to do." The impending figure of John Lewis appeared. Lucy frowned as she glanced to Jasper, almost pleading him to tell John to go away. She didn't want to go talk with John's family; she knew what was on John's mind.

"Go on ahead, I've got to patrol." Jasper told her, putting on a smile. "You'll be safer with them."

"I'll see you when you return to town, won't I?" She asked him, frowning as she held the jacket around her, the sleeves were bunched up on her arm as they were far too long for her, and the bottom of the jacket nearly reached thighs. "I'll wash up your uniform for you, and sew up some of these holes."

"I would like that." He smiled warmly at her, John tapped his foot impatiently. "Go on ahead. I'll see you when we're in Galveston."

"Thank you for everything, Jasper. You're swell like a thoroughbred." She said with a brief smile. "Be safe, will you?"

"I always am, but I will try to be especially safe for you, ma'am." He said with a slight bow. She smiled broadly at him, before John grabbed her arm and pulled her away in toward the crowd of people ahead.

"Whitlock is a country boy, you don't need to be talkin' with his kind." John said firmly as he led her away, though they weren't very far from the man, "Do you want to be a farmers wife for the rest of your life?"

"There are worse things in life than marryin' a hard workin' man, John. I will marry a man for love, not for money." Lucy said sharply, pulling her arm from him and folding her arms firmly.

"C'mon, Luce. I come from a good family, your father would have approved." He said with a charming tone.

"Is that what this is about? You think I'm gonna marry you? Or that I'd chose Jasper over you?" She asked with a scowl, her eyes narrowing as she stopped walking. They were already in the group of people. Though they passed around the two. "Are you serious?"

"He's not good for you, you need a refined man, like myself." He said sharply, grabbing her arm. She turned her head back, but couldn't see Jasper thanks to the family that was in the way. He pulled her through the people; she couldn't fight. A woman wasn't supposed to fight men, especially military men.

Lucy sat motionless, staring ahead at the memory. Certain memories played larger parts in her mind, though many lay forgotten after a while, waiting for her to remember at off-handed moments where something reminded her of it somehow. Blinking a few times she noticed that the others were all watching her curiously. Esme had her brows furrowed. She frowned, brushing her hair behind her ear as she glanced back down to her food; grabbing the fork and eating as though nothing had happened.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Esme asked tentatively.

"I'm fine, I was just remembering something." Lucy said, shaking her head. Part of her thought that perhaps he wouldn't have been bitten had she been with him; or perhaps she would have been bitten if she were with him. She had probably been the last person to talk to him when he was alive.

"What was it? Is everything all right?" Esme asked her, concern in her tone.

"Everything is fine. Will I be able to visit Sam in the hospital soon?" Lucy asked curiously, feigning that that had been her memory.

"Oh, Carlisle is discharging her this afternoon. He checked her this morning and said that she has a few bruises, and sprains, but that it's nothing serious. He can hardly tell she was in an accident yesterday." Emmett told her. "What did you do to her? How did you guys get out alive?"

"I used to be a nurse. I can heal things that are not terminal or too serious." She said casually, poking around on the plate. She didn't really eat meat much, but didn't want to seem impolite, so she delicately cut a piece of sausage up, taking a couple of bites. "I think it may be part of the reason why I can't seem to die."

"Do you actually want to die?" Emmett asked with a laugh.

"No, I suppose I've grown quite used to being alive; dying would feel life gets boring; everything is the same after a while. Until I've met y'all I hadn't met anyone like myself." She said, setting her fork down, unable to eat anymore. "I mean people that were alive for a long time, I don't drink blood. I don't even like eating meat. I don't think I could ever kill anything."

"You would make a horrible vampire." Emmett rolled his eyes. She scoffed, playfully hitting his arm.

"Because I was so hoping to be a vampire. I'm already a freak as it is, put eating blood on top of that and it'd be too much." She shook her head, Emmett laughed, messing her hair up.

"Your hair is huge, do you straighten it usually?" Emmett began playing with her hair, causing her to frown. He was like a younger brother that wouldn't leave you alone; only he was twice her size.

"What would Rose think of this?" A dark voice entered the room. Glancing up the two saw Jasper besides Esme. Emmett frowned at him, while Lucy looked confused.

"I'm just messing with her, Jazz." Emmett rolled his eyes. "Humans are fun, and Edward never lets me near Bella."

"Edward is smart." Lucy grumbled under her breath, smirking slightly as she stood up, holding her plate. She glanced over to Esme. "What should I do with my dishes?"

"Nonsense, you're our guest." Esme said, Before Lucy could even blink her hands were empty.

"I don't think I will ever get used to that." Lucy shook her head, laughing. She glanced up to Jasper, who was frowning at her. "How was your meal?"

"My meal?" He looked confused at her, though then a look of realization hit him and he frowned at her, she grinned cheekily at him. "My meal was fine. How was yours?"

"It was exquisite." She laughed at him. "So are we going to play some chess?"

"Are you asking me, or him?" Emmett asked her, folding his arms almost defensively.

"I don't care, but I am not going to listen to your childish quarreling. Just arm wrestle or something, and I'll play whoever wins." She said dissuasively, looking to Esme with a frown, as though to ask if they were always that grumpy with one another.

"Childish quarreling? I am older than you are, I fail to see anything childish about our behavior." Jasper responded defensively. Emmett and Esme frowned at him.

"By two years, five months, and sixteen days. That is hardly much older than me." She responded with an air of authority as she placed a hand on her hip angrily. "You know very well that there is nothing going on between Emmett and I, and I find it horribly offensive that you would even make such harsh accusations."

"Do you know how many hours, too?" Emmett snickered.

"13 hours and 22 minutes, roughly. Elizabeth wasn't certain of the time." Lucy frowned. "Though I thought it would be ridiculous to use that against him."

"You have way too much time on your hands." Emmett laughed broadly at her.

"You try spending 160 years amongst mortals that you have to leave after 15 years because it starts to look a little odd that you still look 16 when you're supposed to be 32. Though unlike you guys, I've never met anyone quite like me. I thought I was the only person in the world that was stuck in this world." She shrugged honestly, it was the truth. And they had inadvertently told her their secret, though they hadn't realized that she didn't know.

"We try to spend time around mortals, it makes the time go much more quickly; though we can't always control our thirst." Emmett told her casually, leaning against the counter.

"Well that makes me feel thoroughly comfortable sitting near you. You move faster than I can even comprehend, and you long for blood." She rolled her eyes in a sarcastic manner. "I don't know that I'd taste very good, I don't eat meat, I'm old, and I don't like sweets very much. I've tasted my blood, I'd have to say that other people have much better tasting blood."

"You've tasted other peoples blood?" Emmett asked, his eyes wide with laughter and amusement, as well as a mix of curiosity.

"Of course, doesn't everyone?" She furrowed her brows. It wasn't as though she had gone around sucking blood out of helpless victims, though she had tasted blood before.

"You smell sweet, I think you'd have a sweet, but crisp taste." Emmett said. She realized that he was now sniffing at her neck closely. She frowned, her hands reaching up to push him away gently as she heard a low growl come out of Jasper. She glanced to him with slightly widened eyes. For some reason, having a vampire sniff at her neck and tell her she would taste sweet didn't scare her as bad as one standing across the kitchen growling.

"Oh dear Lord, not this again." Lucy groaned, jumping off of her stool. "Would you like to play chess with me, Esme?"

"I would love to, Lucy." Esme said as she frowned to her children before leading Lucy in to the living-room. Along the walls were 8 chess tables set up along a large window. "Emmett and Jasper enjoy playing very odd games that will last weeks. I prefer to play regular chess, how would you like to play?"

"I am fine playing regular chess." Lucy smiled politely, sitting down at one of the tables with Esme.

The nice thing about playing chess with vampires, is that they play very quickly. The unfortunate part about playing with vampires, is that the games end very quickly. By the time Emmett and Jasper arrived in to the living-room twenty-five minutes later, they had played three games, all of which Lucy had won by a landslide.

"I'm afraid you would be better suited with Jasper, or Emmett at this game. I am no competition for you." Esme laughed warmly, her laugh was like soft bells jingling on a clothesline in a field, during a warm summer day; pleasant, and warming. "I will leave you with the boys, as I have blueprints to work on. Thank you for the game, and it is wonderful having you in our house. You are always welcome here."

"Thank you, Esme." Lucy smiled to the woman as she disappeared in a blur up the stairs. Lucy shook her head with a frown as she glanced back to the two men who were watching her. She felt somewhat uncomfortable under their gaze. "Y'all ever play yalta?"

"We've got a board for it, though no one will ever play with us other than Edward, and no one plays with him." Jasper answered before Emmett had a chance. "Edward can read minds, so it gives him an unfair advantage for games."

"And Alice, who can predict the future, so she knows what you're going to do before you do it. Though she can't ever see your future, so it might not be an unfair game between the two of you." Emmett said curiously. He pulled open a drawer under one of the large chess tables, pulling out a large collapsed board. He then grabbed a few different colors of chess pieces off of the tables and set the board on a table before moving it away effortlessly from the wall, though Lucy knew that they were immensely heavy. Before she could blink her chair was already besides a side of the table, while Jasper and Emmett were taking their seats. Her pieces were hot pink.

"Why do I have to be pink?" She frowned at the pieces.

"Emmett can be pink, he thought you'd want to be girlier."Jasper said with a smirk as he looked over to Emmett. Jasper had rearranged the pieces before she could blink, looking like a blur of colors. She was now black.

"Thank you, Jazz." Lucy grinned brightly.

Emmett went first, then Jasper, and finally Lucy. She had only played three person chess a couple of times, though it was quite enthralling. Particularly because it went much more slowly with the two men, each move was more thought out with them. She allowed her mind to wander as she moved her pieces instinctively, not paying much attention to the board. She wondered why she was living so long; they had been bitten, and were living so long because they were essentially 'un-dead.' She was simply living forever, with no apparent reason. Thinking back, she couldn't even remember a time when she first realized it was happening. She had ceased having her feminine functions at some point before she turned twenty, though her memories about the time between 18 and 20 were fuzzy, after Elizabeth died everything seemed to be a bit of a blur, as though she had gone through the year and a half to two years in a drunken stupor, though she hadn't drunken anything.

She and Marietta spent time in New Orleans, and she had left Marietta with Madam Leveau; Marietta had been her 'slave' as a child, though it was much more than that. Lucy had always insisted on getting her gifts for Christmas, or birthdays. She had even made her an Easter basket one year. Her parents had never paid her, though she would sneak her allowance to the woman as she had been her best friend. In New Orleans Marietta had made friends with a lot of the other free people of her kind, and Lucy knew that she wanted to stay, though she would never tell her. Lucy left her with enough money to purchase a small flat and live well until she could find her own employment. After healing Madam Leveau's daughter she had praised her on her kindness, and told her that she would always be welcome in her home. It had been a strange thing to hear from a voodoo queen, though she hadn't questioned it at the time. She had met many interesting people on her journeys, and a voodoo queen only seemed a natural acquaintance to make.

She nearly dropped the chess piece as she thought about the only time in her life that seemed hazy; it lined up perfectly with the time that she had stayed in New Orleans, and the time that she had realized that she was not aging. Her eyes widened as she set the piece down on a place. She glanced down to the board; Jasper was winning; Emmett was losing horribly to both of them. She wondered how she had played so well on autopilot.

"I have to go." She said with a frown, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Emmett frowned. "We have to finish our game."

"No, I'm leaving. Could I get a ride back to my place?" She frowned, walking up the stairs, leaving the two men to watch her before Emmett was standing in front of her on the stairs. She could sense that Jasper was at the bottom of the stairs

"Where are you going?" Emmet asked her, folding his arms.

"I need to go to New Orleans. Now." She said firmly, ducking under his arm to go up to the guest bathroom to get her shoes and purse where she had left them.

"New Orleans?" She heard Jasper ask, she could hear disbelief in his voice. Glancing out to the door of the bathroom she saw Emmett and Jasper standing there, and then she saw Esme poking up behind them.

"You're leaving? Carlisle was hoping to speak with you." Her tone almost sounded hurt, as though she hadn't wanted the girl to leave.

"I've got to find someone." Lucy said, grabbing her dirty, blood-stained items. "I promise that I will come back to visit you."

"Who are you looking for?" Emmett asked, a protective frown on his features. She couldn't help but feel warm inside at the sight of it. She hadn't had anyone act protective, or worried, over her in a long time. It was a welcome change.

"A woman from my past. It may kill me, though I'm hoping not." She said lightly, walking towards the three. "Could I get a ride to my house?"

"What about your car?" Emmett asked her, looking down at her much as a father, or older brother, would.

"I've got a few cars, Emmett. I'll be fine." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Jasper can give you a ride home." Emmett said, patting his slightly shorter brother on the back. The three exchanged slightly wary glances, before glancing back to her.

"Have a safe trip, do call if anything goes wrong." Esme said, wrapping her arms around the girl. Lucy smiled as she returned the hug. Esme was hard, though there was something that emanated from her that almost made her feel warm and soft.

"Okay, mom." Lucy grinned, Esme smiled as she pulled away, running her hand over the girls hair much as a mother would do.

"Be safe, squirt." Emmett ruffled her already messy hair. There was no point in taming it now.

"Thanks, kiddo." She grinned, patting his cheek lightly. He laughed in response, wrapping her in a large hug. It was strange to act so affectionately towards people; she had been raised in a time when affection was not shared between people other than family, and she had rarely been affectionate with anyone in her entire life... yet now she was, with vampires that were fighting the urge to kill her. She was anxious to go, yet there was also a sinking feeling that if she found out what her 'condition' was she may die. It seemed a silly thought, yet there was something that made the harsh, sinking sensation almost seem true.

A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much to Ms. Wish, Giggaloop, GoddessVampAngel, as well as everyone who has put it on to story alert/favorites. :D The next chapter will have more Jasper/Lucy time, as well as finding out why Lucy doesn't age.

I've got a question for you guys, however... Should Lucy eventually die, become a vampire, or be a different kind of immortal being? With the way the next chapter is, it could go just about any way, but I haven't decided what kind of ending I want yet.

Thank you for reading this, please let me know what you think!