Everyday Moments Of Perfection
A/N: Oh my Jasper Hale figurine on a tuna stick! Over 200 reviews! You guys are ace; special thanks to those who helped me get over the 200 mark, especially Carlysaurus, my 200th reviewer!
Exams are over. Yay. That's the good thing. The bad thing is that I have a really bad cold. Bad for me, good for you. Means you get more drabbles. But still. My throat hurts like hell. Anyway, here's one of Alice and Jasper at school. Excuse my French translations if they are wrong, I used an online translator. Also, what it means – or is suppose to mean – is in brackets afterwards. Oh and Coudert is a real French surname.
11/5/09: Thanks very much to Midnight Memories for the French corrections. Stupid goddamn online translators... xD
"Mademoiselle Cullen?"
Alice turned her attention from Jasper's future to the present, where a fuming French teacher was fixing Alice with a frustrated stare.
"Avez-vous un problème?" (Do you have a problem?) Madame Coudert looked annoyed.
Alice looked at the teacher in mock sincerity, though a human had no way of telling it apart from the real deal. Both Jasper and Edward knew better, however, their powers let them in on Alice's real feelings and thoughts respectively.
"Non, Madame Coudert. Veuillez excuser ma négligence. Continuer votre leçon, vous avez mon attention complète," (No, Madame Coudert. Please excuse my disregard. Continue your lesson, you have my complete attention.) Alice said, with an angelic smile on her face.
Madame Coudert looked surprised but she nodded with a curt, "Vous êtes pardonnée," (You are forgiven.) before droning on in laboured French for the benefit of the rest of the class, while Alice just smirked at Jasper's amused yet strained expression.
Jasper looked at Alice, about to ask what she had seen, but she zoned out again, searching his future for any possible slip-ups. He looked on nervously, holding his breath. The blood was particularly sweet in this room. Jasper thought, I know they say that culture and language enriches your life but this is just ridiculous.
He saw Edward hide a small smile.
Alice's eyes lost their faraway look as she came back into the room and squeezed Jasper's hand. She shook her head. "Nothing's going to happen. You'll be fine."
Jasper clutched Alice's hand as if his life depended on it. He was clinging on to his sanity, to his reason for all of this. He did this for her. At least, that was what it was at first. He had given up drinking from humans for Alice; to become like Alice, to see his eyes drain gold as hers were – to cleanse them. But as time passed; Jasper started to realise that he didn't just do it for Alice, or even for his family. He did it for himself. He didn't want to be a monster.
That was the reason. But Alice was the catalyst of it. She was the reason he had stopped; she was what held him afloat every time he felt like he was going to drown in the scents and in the angry protestations of the thing inside him that yowled and growled relentlessly for their blood to be spilled, for every drop of life to be sucked out of them. She was there when the thing inside him argued with him to just do it, to just take their blood. Jasper always had to reluctantly listen. When it howled, when it was cunning, when it was logical. Whatever arguments the creature inside him presented, his wonderful Alice was always there with the perfect argument against it.
Jasper wasn't going to give in. Not this time.
He had slipped up before – he had tasted the forbidden nectar. But those few minutes of complete satiation and pleasure weren't worth the aftermath. He had seen the disappointment on Alice's face, the ancient sadness in Carlisle's eyes. And even though they had both forgiven him, Jasper still felt like he was...inferior.
Half an hour passed, and still Jasper had not taken a breath, though he forced his muscles to relax. He was even able to answer a question – although his voice sounded tense and frustrated to his own ears, he knew it would sound cool and self-assured to the humans in the room. Alice's eyes softened a little, hearing his tone, and she put her hand on his shoulder, before quickly dropping it down to his hand before the teacher could spot it.
After the lesson, Jasper emerged from the classroom with a huge sigh of relief, breathing in the air that was less contaminated with the scent of humans. Alice put her hands on his shoulder, and stood up on her tiptoes, whispering into his ear, "Je savais que tout irais bien." (I knew that everything would be okay.)
Jasper smiled and wrapped his arms around Alice's waist. "You know, you sound really sexy when you speak French."
Alice's eyes twinkled and she smirked, "Is that so? Well, Monsieur Cullen…voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?"
Jasper grinned and raised an eyebrow. Alice just giggled.
Did I really need to translate that last French sentence? Lol. Anyone who hasn't heard the song "Lady Marmalade" for the reference to that line should be ashamed of themselves. Hehe. If anyone really didn't know what that meant, leave a review and I'll reply with the translation. If you REALLY had no idea. :)
Anyway, much love and I hope you liked it!
Raven. x