Title: Brothers and Sisters
Author: xXforksndspoons
Rating: G
Genre: Humor, General
Status: Completed
Characters/Pairings: Usual pairings, sibling pairings of Jasper/Rosalie and Emmett/Alice, also Edward/Bella
Short summary: The summer between Twilight and New Moon. Emmett, Alice, Edward, and Bella visit a local amusement park, while Jasper and Rosalie choose to stay behind. A double-sided one-shot that takes a closer look at some Cullen-family relationships.
Any warnings: None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Very minor spoilers for Eclipse

"I told Emmett not to go. I told him 'no.'"

Jasper nodded mechanically, his mind preoccupied, but it was enough to keep her going.

"I told him he wasn't going. I said, 'Emmett, don't you dare go. Don't you dare leave me here alone and go off with Edward, Alice, and that girl. I won't speak to you for the next century.'"

The day was unusually hot for Forks, Washington, even for the dead of summer, and most of the city was keeping cool indoors. The intense humidity would have been suffocating to any human, but for them it was just another overcast day. They were ambling along a quiet side street heading nowhere in particular. There was no hurrying; they had to make sure this activity bade them enough time till nightfall, so they moved slowly, even for them, taking time to absorb the redundant scenery.

"And so what does he do? What does that man do? He laughs! He picks me up, and says, 'We'll be back by dark,' then drops me and runs off before I can say another word. Unbelievable."

"Unbelievable."

"He is so getting it when he comes back."

"So getting it…"

"How could he? How could he just leave me like that? To hang out with her?"

"Bastard," Jasper uttered vaguely. He was staring at the ground, watching his feet step along a small fissure in the pavement. If he jumped just once, he could crack the entire length of the road right along that line…

"Jasper, are you even listening?"

Rosalie glared at her brother with fiery golden eyes, daring for him to deny it. The moisture in the air was taking a toll on her usually sleek, blond hair; it was now twice its normal volume, a frizzy lion's mane that made her appear even more terrifying than usual. He met her gaze indifferently.

"No," Jasper answered. He slipped his hands into his jean pockets and crossed in front of her, eyes focusing straight ahead. A slight frown graced his lips.

"What's your problem?" Rosalie demanded, reaching for his shoulder to spin him around. Jasper gently shrugged her off, his expression distant. She let her arm drop, and exhaled roughly.

"You're always so depressing," she complained angrily.

Jasper froze in his tracks and reeled on her, his mood abruptly shifting.

"You're the one who's been whining about her miserable life this entire time," he shouted, "and that's supposed to make my day brighter? I don't need it, Rosalie!" He paused to mimic her anger, narrowing his eyes until they were slits.

Rosalie studied his face carefully. He looked tired, if anything. His thick, blond hair was sodden with moisture, disheveled, and stuck to his forehead at strange angles, but he was emanating a sense of heaviness that had nothing to do with the weather.
She waited patiently, not saying a word. After several beats of staring each other down, the hard lines of Jasper's face softened. He shut his eyes, and walked back toward her, letting his forehead fall onto her shoulder.

"I don't like being away from Alice," he mumbled pathetically into her shirt. He couldn't be with her today, and it bothered him to no end.

"I see," was all she managed to say. Jasper never showed weakness like this and she was left a little stunned. The moment passed, and Jasper lifted his head off Rosalie's chest, straightening himself to full height. They walked side by side, quite formally, and as they neared the center of town, he graciously offered her his arm. She smiled at his enduring southern chivalry and took it instantly.

"I don't like being far from Emmett either, you know," she continued conversationally, "but I just can't stand amusement parks."

Jasper nodded understandingly, then, fighting a smile, coughed out something that sounded a lot like, "Or Bella Swan." Rosalie looked appalled, but didn't altogether deny it.

"Well, it's not like you're with them either!" she noted defensively.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"My reasons are different, and you know it," came his faint response. Rosalie fidgeted with her nails, unable to respond.

"A park full of people…" He trailed off, turning away from her, and raised his chin. "We don't have to do this. I can kill time on my own."

"Well, I didn't want to be stuck inside the house all day by myself," Rosalie replied hotly. "And though I'm not doing you a personal favor by being here, a little pleasant company wouldn't hurt you." She finished with a huff, and raised her own chin in the opposite direction.

Jasper chuckled. "Pleasant. Interesting."

He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her, fighting another smile. She, however, did not look so amused. Her forehead crumpled and her eyes turned into slits, but he didn't sense anger. No, she seemed… betrayed? Before Jasper could open his mouth, Rosalie had let go of his arm and was storming off in the opposite direction, her figure turning into a blur in the distance. Jasper ran after her.

"Hey, since when do you care?" he called to her retreating back.

She stopped in her tracks next to a green park bench. Jasper reached her in a few short seconds.

They looked at each other and Jasper swallowed.

She was just as miserable as he was.

"I'm not a monster. I do care about things. Does anyone believe that?" Her voice cracked as she spoke.

"I care," she ended brokenly, taking her face in her hands.

Jasper put a hand on her back, but could not find it in him to force her happiness. So instead, he guided her to the bench where they both sat down.

"Sit. Talk to me," he said.

"That Twister Blister was lame. I could crawl faster than that thing moved," Emmett grumbled. Alice nodded vigorously in agreement. She was perched atop Emmett's big shoulders, carrying a large bag of buttered popcorn. Bella held her mouth open as Alice gracefully tossed her pieces. The remaining got flung at Edward's head.

"That's true of all of them, Emmett. Why do you even bother coming here?" Edward asked, trying fruitlessly to dodge the shower of popcorn. Alice giggled, relishing the feeling of being so tall.

"'Cause," Emmett replied, "it's fun to watch humans scream their heads off at those things." Edward rolled his eyes and Emmett chuckled, sticking out a leg to trip him as he tried to duck another handful of popcorn kernels. Edward growled lowly, and tried to push Alice off his shoulders.

"And he always gets to win at the games," Alice laughed, tightening her hold of Emmett's neck so she wouldn't fall.

"Hey, loosen up, kid," Emmett told her, tugging at her arms. "Say, Bella," he went on, "how come you haven't gone on a single ride?"

"Besides the fact that Edward won't let you get on anything that has a chance of being in motion," Alice added, eyeing her bronze-haired brother pointedly. Edward ignored her, reflexively wrapping his arm closer around Bella.

"Rides aren't for me," Bella confessed, "If you haven't noticed by now, I don't have the most reliable stomach… unless you're talking food." She opened her mouth as Alice chucked her more popcorn.

The park was emptier than usual, as most people only came out on sunny days. The short lines meant that they were able to cover most of the popular rides in matter of a couple hours. Though they saw hardly a person around, the place still buzzed with its typical loud music and bright lights. Bella's eyes drifted toward the overstocked food stands.

"Can I get some funnel cake, Edward?" she asked.

"Anything, sweetheart," he answered dearly. Alice exchanged looks with Emmett and made a gagging sound.

"Anything, sweetheart," Emmett mocked in a high-pitched voice, and Alice snickered. Edward frowned at both of them, and started leading Bella away.

"Bella, wait. Emmett and I were going to play some games. Do you want to come?" asked Alice.

Both Edward and Emmett simultaneously erupted into laughter. Bella slapped Edward, who tried to choke back his amusement, but Emmett couldn't stop.

"You're… asking… the… wrong… person," Emmett said between fits of hysteria.

"Someone's a little coordination challenged, if you recall," said Edward, staring down at Bella.

"It's true," she sighed. Edward kissed her on the forehead, grinning.

"We'll meet up with you later," he said, and he and Bella disappeared.

Alice watched them go, then glanced down at Emmett.

"So I guess it's just you and me, big bro," she said, tousling Emmett's hair. Emmett dipped back suddenly and Alice yelped, clutching his head to maintain her balance.

"Yes it is, Alice, m'dear," he laughed. Alice scowled at him, but it broke into a smile.

"What do you want to do first?" she asked, resting her cheek on top of his head.

"What ever you want," he replied, turning his head upward to look at her. Alice peeked at his upside down face.

"Win me something big," she said. Emmett smirked. That wouldn't be too difficult.

Jasper and Rosalie had been sitting on the bench for hours in companionable silence. There wasn't much to explain; he knew how she felt, and he could understand well enough why. And for once in his life, he felt sorry for her, much the way everyone was always feeling sorry for him.

"I may have my own ideas of what's right for us," she said quietly, "but I believe what I do because I care about this family. I don't go out of my way to disagree with people. I have feelings, too. I'm not made of…" She let the statement hang in the air.

"Stone?" he finished, raising an eyebrow. She released a breath, and stared down at her hands. Jasper nudged her on the shoulder. "I'm just kidding. Go on," he prompted. Rosalie bit her lip.

"I just wish I wasn't like this," she whimpered, "I don't want to be who I am anymore!"

At that Jasper's head fell back and he laughed without humor. The sound of it echoed in the empty street.

"Did you really just say that?" he wondered aloud. Rosalie frowned at him, uncomprehending. She took to staring at her hands again.

"What do you think of me, Jasper?" she uttered after a long stillness.

Jasper contemplated for a second, furrowing his brows.

"I think," he said after a while, "that you and I are more like twins than we ever imagined."

For the first time in their hours on the bench, he saw her smile a little.

Emmett was now carrying two oversized teddy bears, a blow-up hammer, a mini splash pool, three pairs of sunglasses, a Chanel purse (or a knock-off, as he was informed), a plastic slingshot, a disco light, two hand-sized water pistols, a Velcro monkey necklace, a deflated basketball, and a gloomy Alice Cullen.

"I miss Jazz," she muttered on their way back to the car.

Emmett let Alice down and opened the trunk to his Jeep to store all their prizes.

"Well, I'm glad he made you come," he said while making room for the second stuffed bear. "It would have been so boring without you. You're my favorite cheerleader." He winked at her. Alice smiled weakly in response.

Emmett didn't like that. He bent down and placed both hands on Alice's shoulders.

"Are you not having fun?" he asked her gently.

"No, I am, it's just that…" She stopped, her face going blank. Emmett knew the expression and waited, looking into her vacant eyes.

"I think I want to win something for Jasper," she chirped suddenly. Her face had lit up completely. Emmett guessed the vision had something to do with it.

"Alright, what do I need to play?" he asked.

"No, no," she argued, "I want to win him something."

"Oh, I see," said Emmett, feigning disappointment. "I'm not needed then." He crossed his arms and turned away from her with a big huff.

"Emmett Cullen," Alice started, "don't be such a drama queen."

Then she grabbed him by the hand and ran full-force back into the park. Before either of them knew it, they were standing in line in front of a
Ring-the-Bell game. There was a large mallet in place for hitting the target, and the harder it was hit, the higher up the weight would rise. If it rose high enough, it would hit the bell and make it to ring.

"The prize for this is a tub of green army men," she whispered excitedly. "You know, those little plastic figurines?"

"You mean the ones that Jasper had that I melted in our microwave?" Emmett clarified. When Alice gave him a look, he said, "Well, it's not like we do anything else in our microwave."

"Yes, those ones. He'll love it!" she squealed. "By the way," she added, "He thinks he lost them, so I wouldn't say anything if I were you."

Emmett sniggered under his breath, but agreed.

After one young man tried and failed, it was Alice's turn with the mallet.

"Go easy," Emmett murmured. Alice put on her game face, positioning herself in front of the target.

"I don't hear any cheering," she protested, cupping one ear.

"You're kidding me, right?" Emmett groaned. Alice shook her head, and he sighed, giving in.

"Go, Alice, go! Own that bell! You can do it!"

Emmett waved his arms above him, spelling out the letters of her name.

"Gimme an 'A'… gimme an 'L'…"

"Hey, who's letting that midget play? There are other people here who have a chance at winning!" The words came from a stocky middle-aged
man in a sweat-soaked tee shirt standing behind them.

"Yeah, what's the point of coming on a day like this if you still have to stand in line behind losers," shouted a boy standing next to him, likely his son.

Alice tried to ignore them, focusing on controlling her strength to swing the mallet. A determined look crossed her eyes.

"Like that tiny freak is gonna be able to make the weight move. I bet she can't even lift the mallet. Ha ha! I could probably break her in half if I got the chance."

"Why are they even letting her do it, Dad? It's wasting our time."

Alice felt her lower lip wobble. She had always been sensitive about her size, but no one had ever offended her like this before. She would have just hit the target and gotten it over with, but she couldn't risk not being able to restrain herself and shattering the mallet. She needed to have full control of herself.

"Move along, midget, there are other people in line here!"

Alice dropped the mallet. It wasn't worth it. She turned to leave the queue when she felt an arm halt her progress.

"Don't move," said Emmett in a low voice. He whirled around so that he was face to face with the offender, and slipped Alice behind him.

"What did you say?" Emmett snarled.

"Your little freak shouldn't be allowed to play the game, that's all," the man replied with false bravado. He had obviously noticed Emmett's immense size.

"Did you call my sister a freak?" Emmett inquired, stepping closer to the man until their noses nearly touched. He squared his shoulders. The man took a tentative step back.

"Hey, man, I just don't think it's fair—"

"How dare you?" Emmett roared.

"I-I'm s-sorry."

"Oh, you will be sorry, buddy," said Emmett, his face contorted in rage. Alice poked her head around him, smirking at the man.

"Nobody messes with a Cullen."

In the blink of an eye, the man buckled over, clutching at his jaw. He gasped in pain, feeling the formation of a huge bruise on his chin. With wide eyes, the man stumbled backward and hurried off with his son before Emmett could get another good aim.

"You didn't have to hit him." Alice's meek voice sounded from behind Emmett.

"I couldn't help it," Emmett stated flatly, "He was being mean. What surprises me is that his head stayed attached."

Suddenly, Alice threw her tiny arms around his middle.

"Thanks, Emmett."

Emmett shook his head, laughing. "You still want those army men?" He handed her the mallet, and she took it, beaming at her brother.

"You want to do something? I'm getting restless." Jasper was playing with a loose thread on his shirt as he spoke.

Rosalie had an empty expression on her face. She didn't turn to direct her response. "Not really. Why do we have to do things? Let's just… talk."

Her face didn't change and she kept staring blankly ahead.

Jasper glanced at the sky. The sun was almost setting. They had hardly said a word to each other in the last hour.

"Let's play catch," he suggested.

"Catch? Don't we need a ball?" Rosalie broke from her reverie and looked at Jasper curiously.

Jasper stuck a hand in his pocket and produced a small round object.

"I carry it around," he explained, "for times like these."

Rosalie laughed. "You would think with the amount of money we have, you'd at least be carrying one of those fancy gaming systems."

"Nothing beats a ball. I guess you could say I'm old-fashioned." He stood up, reaching out a hand towards her.

"Come on, get up," he said. Rosalie crossed her legs, slowly shaking her head.

"Come on, Rose, I need to move around. It's getting late and I'm getting restless." He lifted his head toward the sky again, then peered down at
his watch, shaking his head. Rosalie watched him amusedly. He thrust a hand closer to her face. She sighed and raised herself without assistance.

"Fine, I'll play your silly game," she surrendered, "but you know, you should really learn to calm yourself. They'll be home soon enough. Doesn't
that control thing work on you?"

Jasper gave her a dark look as they spread apart, creating distance for the game.

"You know it doesn't," he quipped, "or else I wouldn't have to be here right now."

For the next few minutes, the only sound that could be heard were the light thumps of the ball being caught in their hands. The muscles in Jasper's jaw rippled continuously, as if he were literally chewing on the problem that controlled his life.

"How… are you?" Rosalie began uneasily.

"I could be better," Jasper replied, a defeated look entering his eyes.

"It doesn't get any easier?" she wondered.

"Never," he said. His face dimmed further.

Rosalie nodded. "Would it help to say that I'm glad you were here today? With me?" Her voice was unusually soft, and she had to clear her throat after she spoke. Jasper smiled, releasing the ball once again so that it whizzed across the street at lightning speed.

"It does. And oddly enough, so am I."

They were now entering familiar streets on their route back. It wasn't a long car ride, but it felt so, being away from everyone and the place they called home.

"Boy, I'm wiped," Bella declared, suppressing a huge yawn. Edward pulled her into his arms and she rested her head on his chest, her eyes fluttering shut.

"You've had a lot of excitement today," Edward murmured, stroking her hair.

"No more than a usual day with a bunch of vampires," Bella joked. Everyone laughed. Bella settled more closely into Edward's body, letting out a contented sigh.

"You wanna hear excitement?" Alice spun around to look at the pair of them over the front seat. "You won't believe what Emmett did…"

She told the story of what happened at the Ring-the-Bell, and all of them listened intently, taken in by the fervor by which she spoke.

"And then, Emmett was like 'Nobody messes with a Cullen,' and then bam, the guy was on the ground, crying like a baby," she recounted, wide-eyed, making large movements with her hands.

"Hells yeah," agreed Emmett from the driver's seat.

Bella holding her stomach in laughter, and Edward, too, was beside himself.

"Wait, wait," said Bella, catching her breath, "did you even end up getting the army guys?"

Alice disappeared behind her seat and resurfaced with a heavy cylindrical tub in her hands.

"I actually won two, to 'compensate for my inconvenience.' I gave one to Emmett to," she paused to look at him, "…do as he pleases. After all, without him, I wouldn't have even won this one." She shook the tub and the army men rattled inside. Emmett chortled.

They were just entering the center of town when, suddenly, Emmett slammed down hard on the breaks.

"Ow," Bella cried, being thrown against her seatbelt, "What's the big idea, Emmett?"

"Need a lift?"

He rolled down the passenger side window and Alice's eyes brightened at the sight. As she leapt out of the car, Emmett shut down the engine.

"Hey, you guys!" Alice screamed, as though she had not seen them in years. Rosalie rolled her eyes as she was caught in a vice-tight hug, and
patted Alice on the head. Then, her eyes found Jasper's, and a coy smile crept on his face.

"What is it…" he started, a little wary of where Alice's enthusiasm was headed.

Alice narrowed her eyes. "I went through a lot of trouble for this." She rushed back to the car and Jasper followed.

She covered his eyes with one hand and thrust the prize at him with the other.

"Ta-dah!" Alice unmasked Jasper's eyes and saw his smile widen as he observed the gift from all sides, eventually tucking it under his arm.

"I missed you not being there," Alice sighed, grabbing hold of Jasper's free hand.

Again, he said nothing, but stared down at her, radiating the incredible love and appreciation that was coursing through him in that moment. Alice
gasped, looking up at him.

"You have no idea…" he finally mumbled, squeezing her hand, "but Rose and I made the time pass." His eyes flickered toward his blond sister, and she returned him a half-smile.

"Ros-a-lie!" Emmett exclaimed, coming around the car with outstretched arms. She threw him a warning look.

"Don't come near me," she said threateningly. Emmett chuckled at his impossible wife and wrapped his arms around her. She fought for a few seconds, but quickly gave up, letting out a gusty sigh.

"I won't lie, I had fun," he said into her ear, "but it would have been more fun if you decided to come. I assume you won't be riding back home with us?"

"You assume correctly," she answered stiffly, pulling away from his grasp.

Emmett nodded and tossed Jasper the keys.

"Take it home," he said without turning, "We'll see you later."

Rosalie met his face, trying to maintain her level of anger, but Emmett kept on grinning.

"Ugh, Emmett," she groaned, and kissed him full-on. Alice honked the car horn twice. Emmett shook his fist at her and she giggled, ducking under the window to hide her face from view.

"Here," Jasper called from the window. He threw the rubber ball at Rosalie. "Use it." With that he put the Jeep into gear and drove off.

Rosalie twisted the little ball in her hands, and glanced up at Emmett.

"You wanna play catch?"

Emmett gave her an odd look, but took several steps back.

"Alright," he said, "but only if I get to tell you about my day…"

Rosalie smiled warmly and flung the ball at Emmett, listening to and caring about every detail of his story.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are love :)