Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

I always wondered if he noticed the quiet desperation that was the undercurrent to all my emotions. Desperation for what, I didn't know. Perhaps it was desperation to be loved, desperation to live, or desperation to be free; I hadn't yet decided. Then again, he was always so stoic it wouldn't be a wonder if he didn't give a damn. In fact, looking at him right now, I was almost certain he didn't give a damn. There was no doubt he could feel my gaze drilling into him, I was in his peripherals after all, but the blonde vampire didn't lift his head from the untouched crossword puzzle in his hands. They were all doing "human activities". Emmett was playing Xbox, Rosalie and Alice giggling over fashion magazines, Esme replacing the flowers on the windowsill, Carlisle looking over bills, and beside me Edward was fiddling with the keys of his piano. Only on Jasper did the casual activity and environment seem unnatural. Finally he looked up and met my eyes, his countenance entirely unimpressed, almost disdainful as he sized me up.

"Tell your human it's impolite to stare."

Suddenly everyone froze. Emmett's videogame was the only thing making noise in the otherwise tense environment. Order had been disrupted. In the Cullen household, that was near unheard of. There was an implied expectation of docility and perfection for these vampires, but Jasper didn't seem to care. He was the anomaly among the family. Edward looked up from his piano. It was no secret that there was an underlying hostility between the two brothers, but he seemed reluctant to say anything. His glare seemed hesitant at best.

"I didn't realize I was staring," I simply offered as an apology, despite the fact that I had been perfectly aware of the fact that I had been very obviously studying Jasper. Just like that everyone resumed their activity, casually continuing onwards as if the scarred vampire hadn't said anything to me─ everyone except Jasper, of course. He took one more disinterested glance around the room before removing himself. It seems as though in his eyes, the occupants of the room weren't worth the trouble of any real emotion. I wondered if that extended to Alice too. My gaze shifted to her and she looked up to meet my eyes with a beaming smile before returning to her fashion magazines. I had expected her to have some kind of reaction given her mate's outburst, but she seemed as unperturbed as ever.

Edward nudged my shoulder, "I think it's time to take you home now, love."

I didn't bother arguing. It wasn't as though I had a strong desire to stay, but I wasn't necessarily thrilled at leaving on his command either. Regardless, I got up and said my goodbyes to everyone in the room, wearing the delighted smile they expected. Our car ride back was filled with idle chatter about our impending wedding. Which color scheme do you like best? Who should we invite? What do you think about the seating arrangements? I wondered when our conversations became so shallow. There had been a time where we talked about real things, I was sure of it. However, trying to remember the beginnings of our relationship was like looking through a foggy lens. The only things I really remember were a constant mix of dazzling smiles, breathless kisses, and constant adventure.

"Did you like the lily arrangement?" I hummed in approval, earning a breathtaking smile from Edward. An errant thought flitted across my mind, reminding me of my grandmother's funeral and the overwhelming fragrance of flowers that assaulted my senses as my 8 year old self surveyed the lilies decorating the casket. I shivered at the memory. Edward glanced over at me and gave me a concerned glance before cranking the heat up in the car and reaching back to hand me his jacket.

.:.

My nails were wet with nail polish when my phone started ringing. Cursing, I tried to pick up my phone and put it to my ear without smearing the metallic silver that graced my nails.

"Hey Alice," I greeted while examining the strands of my hair that now were streaked with the silvery nail polish. Just my luck.

"Hey Bella! Just letting you know we'll be there to pick you up in half an hour. Wear your warmest jacket; it's cold out and we'll be playing baseball. By the way, you should really stick to a simple French tip, it's a lot classier than silver." Without giving me time to respond, she hung up.

"Good talking to you too." I grumbled into the phone before getting up, gathering my sweet tea from the porch so I could go back inside to change.

There was a knock on the front door exactly half an hour from when Alice called me and I rolled my eyes at their expected punctuality before hurrying downstairs. As I opened the door, Alice glanced down at my nails, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the fact that they were still silver and not the recommended French tip. I raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to argue with me. Instead, she just clicked her tongue before leading me to Emmett's Jeep where she hauled me up and straight onto Edward's lap. He placed a small kiss on my cheek in greeting.

"Looking tasty there, Bells!" Emmett cheerfully called out from the driver's seat, chuckling enough at his own joke to make up for the other's complete lack of humor. Edward gave a small growl at his brother's antics before giving up and simply sharing an exasperated look with Alice.

I snorted in amusement. That was always one way to break the ice, "Always good to see you too, Emmett."

"You know the drill," Emmett grinned at me as he began to back out of my driveway. Edward's arms wrapped around my waist in an iron clad grip, "Please keep your hands, arms, and legs inside the moving vehicle at all times. No flash photography is permitted. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."

The car lurched forward and quickly cut into the wooded outskirts of Forks, making its way through the barely-vehicle-accessible path before the trees thinned out and we found ourselves in the all too familiar clearing. Edward let go of me and I jumped out from the Wrangler, the rest of the Cullens following suit. Carlisle and Esme were already standing in the center of the clearing, having come separately and both greeted me with a warm smile and hug.

Before anyone had to bother suggesting it, I went and stood by the sidelines, as I always did. The loud booms of ball hitting bat and the unreal speeds they ran at had lost their novelty long ago, so I stopped watching the game and instead watched the players. They all seemed at ease out here, finally allowing themselves to actually indulge in displays of their real speed and power. Admiringly I watched Edward's lithe form bound forward and despite the fact that he was a blur of movement, I still noticed the gazelle-like grace in which his body twisted forward. That same grace seemed to fail him for a second as Jasper appeared beside him, looming over Edward with the baseball triumphantly in his hand. Edward growled for a second before getting up and dusting himself off. Jasper merely stood there and smirked. He glanced over at Alice, who was pitcher, and moved to throw the ball back towards her before abruptly changing direction.

There was no time to think or react. I heard the other Cullens cry out and I instinctively lifted my arm to cover my face as the baseball hurtled towards me fast enough to go clear through my skull. There was a thunk as the ball hit the ground and I looked up, ready to thank whichever Cullen it was who had done their usual job in saving me. Instead, my gaze flickered to a fading translucent blue orb that was surrounding me. The Cullens were standing around me and staring with indecipherable expressions.

Jasper took a step forward and his mouth twisted into a warped smile. "Game over."

AN: Alright, there it is. Chapter 2 is going to be longer and coming up soon! Tell me what you guys think. Also, I'm currently looking for a beta if anyone would like to help! Thank you guys xo