Thank you guys for showing so much support after only reading one chapter. From story alerts to favorite stories, it means a lot to me. I've been hard at work over the past few days on the second chapter, so without further ado, here it is!
--
"Why did you stop that van?" Jasper had clasped a hand onto Edward's shoulder, preventing him from moving away.
They were still in the hospital, standing in Carlisle's office.
"Should I have just stood by and allowed it to happen?" Edward shrugged.
"Well, now she's going to want to know how her hunky Biology partner prevented a big, heavy fan from crushing her to death, and telling her your hard head could stop even a meteorite isn't going to quell her," Jasper couldn't help but to smirk slightly. He really shouldn't be making fun of the situation, but it was all just so... ludicrous.
"You're not making this any better," Edward pointed out, the beginning of a smile working its way onto his lips. Jasper had a way with making any situation less grave, and it had nothing to do with his ability to control emotions.
"I know," Jasper flashed a grin.
"So what should I tell her?" Edward asked.
"Nothing, if you don't have to. She's human, and they'll go on ignoring the obvious until it slaps them in the face." Jasper replied.
--
They were sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria, seemingly ignoring the fact that each other existed to fend off prying human eyes and ears. It was a tactic the vampire family had developed a couple of decades ago once all the small town high schools started merging, and even though they were currently attending the smallest one yet, old habits died hard.
"She's mad at me," Edward said in a disgruntled tone, lips hardly moving as per usual.
"You know, when I said 'don't tell her anything,' I didn't mean not to talk to her period," Jasper smirked.
Edward gave an indignant grunt, his emotions a mixture between frustration and bemusement. "I can't help recalling what you said, or rather what you asked me. Why did I save her from that van? Never in all my years have I felt as responsible for a human's life as I do hers."
"Has it occurred to you that you may actually like her?" Jasper pointed out, much as doing so killed him. He knew Edward would pick up on the true definition immediately, whether he attempted to block his mind or not.
"I don't like her, at least not in that fashion," Edward shook his head. "Admittedly, there's something unique about her. I want to befriend her, but there's so many risks."
"You don't have to lie to me about your feelings. I'm a big boy, I can handle whatever you may have to tell me-" Jasper began to lecture, but was interrupted by Emmett, ever the one to butt in at the most inopportune moments.
"Edward's lying? Careful man, your nose might start growing," Emmett winked.
"Emmett, stay out of this, please," Jasper snapped.
"Whoa man, no need to get all PMS on me," Emmett held up his hands in defense.
"Really Emmett, I wouldn't provoke him," Alice commented in a sing-song tone.
Emmett stared for a moment, as if trying to pick up on something he was missing out on, but failing to find anything, scowled and turned his attention elsewhere.
Edward went back to studying Bella, leaving Alice free to do a little prying. She had every right to, as she'd just envisioned Jasper more or less throwing a fit had she allowed Emmett to continue on with his badgering.
"Jas, what's wrong?" her small face was contorted with concern.
Jasper studied the table intently, thoughts tumbling around his head much like clothes in the dryer. He couldn't tell her just what was going on, or at least what he'd figured out so far, at least not right then. At the same time, he didn't want to lie to her.
"It's complicated, Alice. Not even I have it all worked out yet," he shrugged.
--
They were on the way to the car when Edward matched Jasper's stride, making it clear he had something to say.
"I gave in."
"You did?" Jasper arched an eyebrow, opting to ignore the strange pang that went through him. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I'm tired of resisting. Why shouldn't I be... friends with a human? We're vegetarian vampires, anyway," Edward explained, doing his best to put on a confidant front. Jasper may have believed it too, were his special ability not in play.
"If you so deeply desire to be her friend, just be careful. Not everyone is capable of resisting your charm," Jasper turned away, fighting a grin.
Edward snorted in amusement. "Me, charming? I'm probably the last one to deserve such a compliment."
"I think you hold a lot more power over people than you think," Jasper muttered.
Edward was silent for a moment, just studying Jasper. What did one say to something like that?
"I'll show you charm," he smirked devilishly, suddenly quickening his pace.
Jasper watched in confusion, but followed suit. Once the entire family was in the car, Edward hardly looked before pulling out of the parking spot. Sure, he drove a little faster than the average person, but he wasn't a reckless driver.
Jasper looked over to Alice, who just rolled her eyes in annoyance. It took quite a bit to get under her skin, which only added fuel to the fire of his curiosity.
Soon, he had his answer... they'd pulled out in front of Bella's old, rusty truck. That was all more than enough reason to make someone annoyed, but strolling up to the window was that Tyler kid, the one whose van had nearly killed her. He was asking her to the Girls' Choice dance, or something of that nature, or the girl wouldn't have had such a venomous expression upon her face.
"Touché, Edward," Jasper met his eyes in the rear view mirror.
--
Over the past few days, Bella and Edward had been getting closer. Anyone with half a brain could see it, including his family. The only one of them that didn't seem to be skeptical about the newfound relationship was Alice.
"I don't know why you are all so worried, she still has no idea as to what I am," Edward stated with an edge to his voice as they sat around the kitchen table. "She thinks I'm some kind of superhero, doesn't think I could harm a fly."
Not even Jasper's powers were required to detect that Edward was just as doubtful as the rest of them.
--
"Where are you going?" Jasper asked as Edward headed towards the front door.
"I'm taking a trip to Port Angeles."
Well, at least he was being honest, and go figure it had something to do with the human. Why else would he randomly decide to leave Forks?
"You're whipped," Jasper grunted, unsure if he was joking or not.
Edward's reply was to slam the door shut. A few hours later he was back, more angry than he'd been before leaving.
"You're right," was all he said.
--
"They were at her house today..." Edward said reluctantly.
He, Alice, and Jasper were currently sitting under a remarkably large oak tree, having just finished a brief hunt. It had been more out of boredom than anything, though none of them would've dared to admit so aloud.
"Who?" Jasper asked.
"Billy and Jacob Black," Alice piped up, looking slightly distracted.
That was all Jasper needed to know to determine just whom 'they' were. Normally, there would be no reason to be concerned, but Edward wouldn't have felt the need to relay the information otherwise.
"We'll just have to keep our eyes on them, won't we?"
He couldn't help thinking that maybe the tribe leader's sudden concern for Bella was for the best...
--
"I took Bella on a hike..."
"A hike?" Jasper questioned skeptically. "The sun was out today, didn't you notice?"
"That was sort of the point," Edward looked uneasy.
There was something else that he was neglecting to share, which was quite easy to pick up on. That was the thing about living with someone for so long, you got to know them almost better than yourself.
"You didn't... do anything to her, did you?"
Edward was silent.
"I don't get it. Just what is so appealing about this Bella girl, other than her scent?" Jasper struggled to keep his annoyance at bay.
"You wouldn't understand," Edward turned his head away, embarrassed.
"Like hell I wouldn't understand," Jasper growled. "You're starting to fall in love with this girl, and it's going to screw everything up."
"So what if I am?" Edward snapped his head back up. "I know what I'm doing, and besides, it's none of your damn business who I spend my time with."
"Well, maybe it should be," Jasper replied softly, almost inaudible.