Jasper felt my reluctance in the air around me but, as he pulled back to look at me questioningly, I could see he'd also felt my sincerity.

Okay, but not this way?

I nodded nearly imperceptibly and pulled us both up off the ground with an encouraging smile.

"Ignore her."

Ignore her?!

I winced, knowing that he spoke to me in thought form only because he was speechless.

"It'll kill her, you know it will," I bargained with a small grin, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

It'll kill ME!

I could sense that he was still dumbstruck by my apparent stupidity.

"Yeah well do you really think if I do what you want me to do she won't kill ME?" I snapped at him in a near silent hiss, "I'm trying to help you, you idiot, and not get myself killed in the process."

I watched him think about it in an incoherent jumble for a second and reason out my answer in his head, seeing the instant where he realized what I was saying did make sense.

I'll ignore her as long as I can. But that isn't good enough, you need to come up with something better Edward or I am leaving.

I grinned, sending him a strong sense of acceptance with the flavor of a handshake.

"Lets go home."

He nodded, head spinning with structure-less grief, trepidation, and the beginnings of a strong defensive wall.

We were back at the house in two minutes, we didn't stop at the door or the stairs or Esme or Carlisle. I heard Alice flitting towards us just as we reached my room and I unceremoniously shoved Jasper in, slamming the door and turning to face her just as she flicked into view.

There weren't words for her fury and all I knew was that I had to stay between her and my brother.

"Get out of my-" Alice began in a clipped tone, her voice like a piano with a few cut strings.

"No," I snarled, surprising myself, and Jasper behind the door, with the anger and violence behind the rippling threatening rumble coming from my chest.

"You have no right to keep me from him, he is mine."

Her head was held high as she looked down her nose at me and I honestly, for the first time since I'd known her, wanted to hurt her. Badly.

"No Alice, you have no rights to him anymore," I growled, slipping into a protective crouch in front of my door, "You lost those when you slept with the blood banker and hid it from him like he'd never find out."

Desperation colored her face, thoughts, and tone as she looked into my eyes, pleading with me to understand, "Edward, he was going to expose us, you know I had to. I heard you say-"

"You should have killed him."

For once someone had spoken my thoughts rather than the other way around, but none of us could be more surprised by who that someone was.

Alice turned slowly to face Esme's hard glare, "E-Esme?"

Carlisle laid a hand on her shoulder hesitantly, looking at her with the most appalled expression I've seen on his face, "Dear, calm down. Death is never the answer, you know that."

Esme shrugged his hand off, angry for the first time in the lifetime I'd known her.

"No. You should have killed that man Alice and every single person here knows it. Because you don't do this. Not to the one you love. You killed Jasper instead of that disgusting excuse of human filth, and I will not have anyone doing that to one of my sons. Not even you, Alice."

Carlisle went to put his hand on her shoulder to console her but she danced out of his reach as she turned a glare on him, "And I will not have you justifying her doing it. I am ashamed of the both of you."

There was a small burst of air as Rosalie whisked herself away with a huff. A fresh flood of annoyance filled me as I heard her parting thoughts.

Why would he threaten ALICE when I was right there?! How could he want that little sprite instead of me?!

"Rose!" Emmett called out, a second too late, "Goddammit woman. This is really not a competition."

Her voice ghosted back to us on a breeze, "I would have killed him baby, no need to fret over that. You're my only, Em."

That was so far from the point, Emmett thought in resigned irritation, She'll never get it.

"Let me in."

Alice was coiled back like a spring about to snap, more danger in her typically cheerful form than I'd ever seen. Emmett saw this too and clamped a hand down on her shoulder, sweeping her up into his arms and squeezing as she began to flail around dramatically. Within moments there were three holes in the wall.

"Calm down li'l girl, aint no way you're getting outta this hold!" he crowed with a guffaw, carrying her easily backwards and down the stairs.

"Jasper!" she wailed, pain evident in her voice as she moved away through no will of her own, "Please I'm sorry!"

We all looked unconsciously at the door behind me, looking for any sort of acknowledgment. There was none.

Five minutes later, I was alone in the hallway outside the door to my room. I heard a peculiar noise from inside the room and I turned around, bewildered.

"Jasper," I called through the door, "I'm coming in."

The door swung inward to reveal Jasper staring at me with half lidded eyes.

"Did you just…" I trailed off in confusion.

"I think so," he answered, worry in his voice.

"That's not possible."

"I think I did."

"What is it boys?" Esme asked, appearing in the hall outside my door, concern etched in the delicate space between her brows.

"Jasper just yawned," I said, disbelief the only emotion heard or felt from me at all.

Esme didn't comprehend at first, "What do you mean he yawned?"

"Like, I'm tired…" Jasper trailed off into another yawn. As his mouth snapped shut he looked up at us, fear trickling into his eyes, "What's happening to me?!"

"You're feeling too much Jasper," Carlisle's soothing tenor came from over Esme's shoulder, "It's happened before to people of your ability. You feel things more strongly than the rest of us and as a result, you can end up feeling very human if your emotions overwhelm you as they are now."

"It's… Normal?" Jasper asked, incredulity prominent in his voice and his disbelief mirrored mine and grew strong enough to effect everyone in the room.

"Yes Jasper, you're just having a human moment," Carlisle said with a light chuckle, "Once you calm down a bit it should go away."

"What do you mean he's having a human moment?!" Rosalie's furious voice came from the top of the stairs and I heard her thought loud and clear.

WHAT THE HELL DID HE DO TO DESERVE HUMANITY INSTEAD OF ME?!

"Rose!" I called down the stairs after her as she stormed down them, "It's just temporary!"

"Whatever Edward!" she shrieked, slamming her way out into the garage, presumably to work on her car.

NONE OF THIS IS FAIR.

Emmett sighed heavily from the living room where he was still holding Alice captive and I heard him grumble about having to take care of that later.

Jasper yawned again and weaved a little on the spot then froze, looking wary.

"You're just tired Jazz, you should try to sleep," I suggested, moving towards him in case he fell over.

"Sleep?"

I can't sleep Edward, I haven't slept in… a long long time. Just think of the nightmares-

I cut off his thought by flooding him with reassurance tinged with companionship.

Promise?

I nodded subtly and he flitted back to my futon, knocking the books to the floor so he could lay down.

He sat up slightly and looked at me expectantly, in his head he formed a picture of me seated at the head of the futon against the backdrop of the nothingness in his head.

I smiled at Esme and Carlisle to assure them I'd take care of him as I shut the door.

Then I headed over to the futon and sat down so Jasper could lay his head in my lap.

I jumped slightly and he looked up as he tasted my wonder in the air.

"You're warm," I murmured down at him, laying a hand gently on his cheek as I marveled at the warm hard skin.

"You're cold," he answered with a small grin, "But it's okay, it feels nice."

His eyes slid shut again.

Don't leave.

"Won't."

Know that.

And then he drifted into sleep. As his dreams rose up into his previously blank mind, as vivid as a rainbow spilled onto stark white paper, I realized I was in for a very long night.