Chapter 13: A Chance to Explain

-x-x-x-

"With the moon I run,

Far from the carnage of the fiery sun.

Driven by the strangle of vein,

Showing no mercy, I'd do it again."

Kings of Leon – Closer (Presets Remix)

-x-x-x-

As Lex watched the sun break through the tree line, she debated taking the day off school. Would she be able to fool her father into thinking she was genuinely ill and needed bed rest? She had never quite managed to make it believable enough in the past.

Sighing, she got dressed for the no doubt emotionally and mentally draining day ahead of her. Stroking the back of Pepper's head, she thought about discussing the situation with her mother, last night thinking it best to keep her possible discovery to herself until she had some form of real proof.

What if the Cullens were just weirdly pale and strong? What if she had completely fallen for her mother's impossible rantings and all of this was subconsciously an attempt to prove that she wasn't crazy?

Deciding that the best choice was to go to school, she thought about the best way to achieve what she needed to. Surely a public place was the best way to go, the risk of death significantly lowered. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she took the day off school and Jasper came around to check on her, something that she wouldn't put past him now. What would happen if she revealed what she possibly knew to him in the privacy of her own home? Her family could be at risk.

"Lex, love?" Her mother called up to her from downstairs. "Bella is here, says she wants to get to school early for something."

Sighing, Lexi remembered how Bella had pleaded with her to go into school earlier to avoid having the awkward stare down her and Edward seemed to have every morning since his return. He was apparently kind to her one second but then acting as if she was a blemish on his life the next.

"Hey Bells." The redhead greeted quietly as she made her way to the bottom of the stairs. "I'm ready when you are, I guess."

A small gasp came from the kitchen as her mother heard her words, rushing into the hallway to stop the two girls from leaving. "You are in no way ready. Both of you will move your butts into that kitchen and wait for a nice balanced and healthy breakfast. Whether you choose to sit and eat or take it with you, I don't care but I will not let you leave without it."

Knowing it was best to do as her mum asked, they both quickly shuffled into the kitchen to find Lex's father reading a newspaper at the table, already dressed for work. Lexi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as she sat down next to him.

"Ah, Lex, good morning." He greeted, his smile widening as it landed on his daughter's awkward friend hopping onto the stool next to her. "Bella, what a lovely surprise!" He beamed, folding the paper and placing it down in front of him. "You know you don't have to hide away at your father's, we're extremely thankful that you came along to Forks for Lexi, you should really let us cook you a good meal as a thank you. Bring your father!"

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she nodded slightly with a small smile. "Sure, I'll try and see when Charlie can do it."

My dad nodded to himself in accomplishment before turning his attention back to his daughter. "And what about that Jasper boy? Is he going to be joining us for another movie night any time soon? Adam didn't scare him away, did he?"

With the mention of his name, the redhead found herself frozen, gaining a confused glance from Bella. "Erm…" She started, trying to form any kind of words before opening her mouth again. "I don't know, dad. His family really likes to spend time together, so I don't know when he'd even have the time to."

"Well, let him know that he's welcome any time." He smiled once more before turning back to his newspaper.

Bella caught her attention by giving her another questioning look, only looking away as Lex gave a slight shake of her head, signalling that now really wasn't the time.

"Here you go, girls." Maeve cooed, handing them each a brown paper bag, filled with what Lex could only expect to be some homemade pancakes and a range of fruit. "I took a wild guess as to which option you'd be choosing."

"Thanks mum." Lexi replied, giving her a hug before she followed Bella from the kitchen, her best friend giving a slight wave to the two adults as they left.

Once in the safety of the truck, the brunette turned to her friend in the passenger seat, deep brown eyes filled with concern. "What happened with Jasper?"

Sighing, Lexi placed her head in her hands, wishing that Bella hadn't seen her reaction. She couldn't tell her anything, it was one of the only rules that her mother had forced her to accept. "I don't know, Bells. I just started getting a weird vibe from him, you know?" She lied, guilt already creeping into every fibre of her body. "Maybe it's best we both just stay away from the Cullens, hm?"

Her eyes narrowed and Lexi could already tell she didn't really believe her, but she let it go…

After all, she had never lied to her before…

-x-x-x-

Alexis managed to make it through first and second period avoiding every Cullen that almost crossed her path, clinging to Angela's side throughout Photography taking note of Alice's confusion when the redhead didn't even acknowledge her on her way into the classroom.

But as she sat at an outside bench with the group at break, she wondered how she would manage this throughout the rest of the day. There was no possible way for her to avoid Alice and Jasper in History fourth period and there was no way of getting out of being alone with Jasper in Biology before she got to leave for the day.

Thoughts popped into her head about getting injured in Gym next period and going home, but she felt as though that was just slightly too dramatic and still ran the risk of Jasper coming over to check on her afterwards. He might even rush over and offer to take her home himself.

Lex had to figure out a way to talk to Jasper alone without being stuck in the same classroom as him for an hour or even longer. As the bell rang, she still had no clue as to what she was going to do.

"You ready for Gym?" Tyler asked, holding out his arm for her. "Are you still on planet earth?"

Shaking her head to get rid of the multitude of thoughts running around it, Lex linked her arm with his. "I'm just having a weird morning, is all. I can't seem to think straight."

"Great, I'll use it to my advantage." He beamed, mischief clear in his eyes. "You're gonna lose today, Bun bun."

"Lexi." The girl pleaded in a moan, desperate to get rid of the ridiculous nickname he'd decided to push on her. "Please stop it with the ridiculous nicknames."

Tyler looked as though he were contemplating something as he stopped the pair of them in front of the changing rooms. "Okay, I'll stop if you win our game."

Shaking his hand vigorously, Lex happily agreed to the terms. "If you think I'm going to lose just because I'm a little bit out of it then you are very wrong."

"We'll see."

It took around 10 minutes for Tyler to realise that he'd lost once more. His shoulders slumped as he accepted the fact that he wouldn't be able to make up any more names for his friend, but he had to realise by now that the only reason she's won their basketball games was because she had incredible motivation from their bets.

She was tired as hell; how did he do this all the time for the team? It was ridiculous to think people do this for enjoyment, it's ridiculous.

"You know the Cullens haven't stopped looking over here the entire lesson so far?" He asked, looking over her shoulder.

Due to her potential revelation, the redhead decided it was best for her not to look in that general direction. "You say that like it doesn't happen all the time."

"It doesn't happen for anyone else."

Rolling her eyes, she was sick of being told about the Cullens, sick of people staring at her just because she had gotten some form of attention from the family. "I think I'm going to take a break, Ty. I'm feeling a bit tired."

"Are you okay?" He asked, lightly holding her elbow before she could make a quick exit. "Do you need me to take you to the nurse or anything?"

"No. No. I'm alright, I just need a break."

Deciding to go over to the bleachers, she sat at the top of the ones closer to the track, not wanting to be close to the basketball court for now. She needed space; needed some more time to think.

Casting a glance over to the three students who were once again sitting out of Gym, she wondered how it was that Coach had managed to be charmed by a student; her mind flashing to the book I'd read the previous night.

They had different abilities. Some vampires were able to do special things that were terrifying to think of; read minds, make you feel pain when they weren't even touching you, even being able to make you feel almost nothing at all…

As the word "vampire" popped into her head, she couldn't help but notice Edward finally look her way, the only one who hadn't looked at her all morning. She watched as he turned to Jasper, before Jasper himself stood up and started walking in her direction.

Panic flitted through her body, not knowing what her next move was as she glanced around for any possible exit route that didn't involve her walking down the steps. By the time she made it down, he would almost be there, and she would have no chance to avoid him.

Standing up, she threw her legs over the bannister next to her, gaze focused on the honey haired boy walking towards where she sat, his pace now slightly faster than it was before.

The height from the top could lead to her breaking an ankle, so she immediately started to rethink what she was away to do. Getting away from him wouldn't be so easy if she crippled herself as he got closer.

Turning back to hop back over, she lost her footing, hands slipping from her hold on the bannister and leaving her to fall to the ground. She felt the air flow past her as she fell, eyes closing as she anticipated hitting the floor.

Any human wouldn't be able to reach her in time, there was no doubt in her mind.

But as much to her heartache, the fall didn't end with her hitting the floor, but into the marble-esque pair of muscular arms that were the temperature of a winter ocean.

As she peeled open her eyes, she found his golden ones staring back at her. He had the audacity to look frightened, as though she was the monster out of the two of them. She couldn't believe that she was right, that her mother wasn't crazy, that she wasn't crazy.

Lexi felt fear rise from the pit in her stomach as she struggled out of his arms, putting distance between the two of them. She begged to wake up from this nightmare, but she knew it was far too real to ever be in her head.

"Lex." He started, hands raised in an attempt to calm her down, to show the redhead that he meant no harm. But there was no way something like him could ever be safe.

"Don't come near me." Lex stuttered out, hating her voice for conveying how afraid she truly was; how weak she knew she was against him. "I know what you are."

His eyes never once unlocked from hers, the ever-present calming feeling that seemed to follow Jasper Hale around seeping into her bones.

Not wanting to let her guard down, she quickly moved away from him towards the nurse's office, although she could hear him closely following behind her. Honestly, Lex was happy that he was keeping a normal human pace, obviously frightened about what would happen if more people were to find out his little secret.

As she entered the office, she noticed that Jasper hadn't followed her through the door. Part of her was relieved, but she knew there had to be a reason for it, that he had to have a plan in mind.

"If you really feel the need to go home, then I'll call your mother for you, alright?" The nurse said as Lexi acted as though she could barely stand.

It was then that Jasper walked in. "Lex, are you alright?" He asked, almost as if their past interaction hadn't even happened. "Do you need a lift home or anything? I don't mind giving you a lift before next period."

"Oh, that's so nice of you, Mr Hale." She smiled, warmly. "Well then, Miss Hanson, I guess you are free to go, I'll let your teachers know the situation."

"What? No, I can't…" Stopping her sentence, she realised that there was no way for her to explain to the woman in front of her why she couldn't get a lift home from Jasper. He had outsmarted her, he had waited to come in, knowing when the right time would be to walk in an act like a knight in shining armour. "Thank you, I'll hopefully be fine tomorrow."

"Feel better, dear."

-x-x-x-

Needing to collect her things from the Gym, Lexi noticed Alice waiting inside the girl's locker room, probably knowing she would try to escape if left to herself.

"Just hear him out…" She pleaded, struggling with the need to reach out and comfort the girl. "I swear, you'll change your mind about us."

"You…" Lex couldn't even look at her, knowing that this sweet girl who had been so nice to her was actually a blood sucking beast trying to lure her into a false sense of security. "I don't need to hear anything from any of you."

Alexis noticed her worried expression out of the corner of her eye. It almost made her feel guilty; almost. But these were smart creatures, they needed to lure you in, the newly found witch had read all about it. They were beautiful, all of them were, to fool humans into thinking they had some form of sexual attraction, nobody would ever question if a vampire, looking the way they do, took interest in them.

Walking out of the door, she noticed that Jasper was immediately by her side.

Fear reared up in her once more at the thought of being alone in a car with him. Where was he going to take her? Was this it? Was this how she was going to die? She would never get to say goodbye to her family, her father and brother would never know why. Would her mother blame herself for sending her into the lion's den?

Climbing into the passenger's seat of Emmett's Jeep, Jasper quickly joined her in the vehicle and started the engine, pulling away from the parking lot before she had another chance to get away.

"How did you find out?" He asked as he turned off onto a highway.

Lex already knew he wasn't taking her home. "Does it really matter?" She asked in return, voice barely a whisper, body doing its best to hold in the frightened tremors that were fighting to start.

He tried to reach out a hand towards hers, but she quickly recoiled. How could he think she would ever let him touch her again? If he wanted any kind of physical connection, he was going to have to take it by force, he was going to have to show her how much of a beast he really is.

"Listen, I'll answer any questions that you have, if you give me a chance to explain. The first thing you need to know is that my family and I don't feed on humans." He told her, voice laced with something she couldn't place. "I don't want you to make any snap decisions, just wait until we get somewhere more private."

As the word private passed his lips, her fear levels spiked once more, only to be replaced with the calming feeling she had come to crave over the past couple of weeks.

For the rest of the drive, they were silent. Lex didn't want anything to ruin the feeling that had spread through her until she could be out of the car and a further distance away from Jasper. But as the car stopped on the edge of a river, a realisation hit her.

"Is that you?" She asked, tears threatening to overcome her.

His eyes shifted uneasily, looking anywhere but at her as he exited the car and walked to the riverside.

Racing out of the car after him, her terror had suddenly been replaced by anger. "That calming feeling I get whenever I'm around you? Is that your doing?"

His head bowed, almost as if it was in shame. "Yes… I have the power to feel and control certain emotions."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she realised that all along, the connection she thought she had with Jasper was all a lie; a manipulation by Jasper Hale himself to make her feel calm around what she now knew was a deadly predator.

"I couldn't stand how uneasy you felt after I first met you." He tried to explain, looking my way. "I swear, I was doing it for you, I wasn't trying to do anything other than calm you down. Alice warned me not to, so I've tried so hard not to since that first day, but it's hard for me to control my own emotions around you."

"Everything I've felt about you…" She whispered, voice struggling to get the words out through her tears, trying once more to figure out a way out of the situation she had gotten herself stuck in. "I can't trust any of it."

He quickly made his way towards her, stopping an arms-length away as he saw her flinch back. "Everything else you felt was you, I only ever made you feel calm, everything else was you. That day you jumped into my arms, that wasn't me, you felt something all on your own. Every other feeling-"

"How am I meant to trust that?" She cried out, tears streaming at an alarming rate, her hands sweeping over her face to try and stop them. "Everything I've known about you has been a lie. How am I meant to just trust that a vampire is looking out for me? That a vampire wants what's best for me?"

He flinched every time she said the word, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Her original fear was replaced with a feeling of emptiness that she hadn't felt before. If he was going to kill her then he was going to kill her, there was no point in spending her last moments afraid.

"I would never hurt you." He whispered, so low that Lex could barely hear him. "I could never do that."

Searching his eyes as they locked with hers once again, she found only pain, heartbreak and desperation. But she couldn't trust that any of it was real. He could be fooling her again, was he trying to calm her down again? Was he trying to make her feel something for him again?

"Why?" Was all Lexi could think to ask. "Why me? Why not somebody else who would willingly do anything for you? Go back to the school, any girl would jump at the chance to spend time with you. So why me?"

"You're not like them." He started to explain, fingers twitching with the need to reach out and wipe away her tears if she would only let him. "I thought that Alice was mad when she told me that you would be important to me; she has the ability to see the future."

To see the future? How is that even possible?

"But then…" He trailed off, sitting down on a low wall by the river's edge. "Then I had to walk past you, that first day in Chemistry… And everything changed."

Silence fell upon the pair of them as she sat down next to him, not missing his subtle edge towards her. Lex didn't have the energy to move away, she just felt drained.

"What changed?" She asked, needing some kind of clarification.

"You smell different from everyone else… I'm the newest member of the family, it's been difficult for me to get used to not feeding on humans, but with you I had no such desire." He explained, staring out at the waves.

Part of her felt ridiculous for the feeling of anger that slightly arose in me. She shouldn't feel offended that a vampire didn't want to eat her, it was a good thing, but what significance did it hold?

"So, what, I smell disgusting to you?" Pulling her jacket closer to her body, she couldn't understand what any of it meant, as the wind blew over the water, sending a chilled breeze over in the pair's direction.

He gave the faintest chuckle as he threw his jacket over her shoulders. It felt wrong, knowing what he was, but she couldn't refuse the extra warmth. "No… You don't smell disgusting to me, you just… You don't smell enticing either… You just smell like you." He explained, looking over her face with a kind of fondness you don't expect from his kind. "Like the forest on a rainy day in spring. It's a beautiful scent, one I've come to rely on."

"Rely on?" She asked, feeling her cheeks heat up, though she didn't know if it was from his words or her body naturally trying to fight off the cold.

"Your scent, it masks everyone else's. When I told you the other day that there was something I struggled with and that you made it better, I was telling the truth." He admitted. "When I'm around you, the smell of blood disappears and is solely replaced with you… You have no idea how much you help me on a daily basis."

Taking a deep breath, Alexis wasn't sure how to respond. A part of her still wanted to run far away, but there was a small part of her that wanted to stay close to him. She just hoped that it wasn't some form of attraction to him; that she wanted to stay near Jasper to stop him from wanting to feed on others.

"So, you wouldn't kill me just because you don't have the urge to eat me or others when you're close to me?"

There was a war in his eyes, he'd told her he would answer any question, but it seems as though he was starting to regret his words. "That is one of the reasons, yes."

"One of them?"

"I don't think you're quite ready to hear the other reason." He whispered, his tone filled with sadness.

After a long pause, she let out a small sigh, deciding it was only fair to tell him her secret. "I'm a witch…" Lex admitted quietly, though she knew he could hear her. "That's how I knew what you were. Although I only found out recently…"

"A witch?" He asked, confusion morphing his features. "And your parents? Your brother?"

"Just my mother… My father and Adam have no idea about any of it, we're apparently not allowed to tell ordinary people about our kind…"

"That's something I can relate to."

A single tear escaped her eye once more, her hand swiftly moving to wipe it away. "I can't even tell Bella, I never keep secrets from Bella…"

The slight icy feeling made her aware of his fingers slowly grazing her own in an attempt to comfort her. Every inch of her body and soul fought against each other. Lex knew that this exquisite boy in front of her was dangerous, someone that she should run away from, but he showed her such tenderness that it was hard to remember that. The cold of his touch was combated by a tingle that seemed to settle on the skin beneath his fingers.

"No harm is going to come to anyone while we're here, Alexis." Jasper assured her, eyes locked with hers in a promise. "Our presence keeps others of our kind away, thinking we've claimed the town as a feeding ground."

A shiver ran down her spine at his words, not fully understanding how he could speak so bluntly about the current topic.

"Can you take me home?" She asked, rising to her feet. "This is a lot of information to take in…"

"Of course." He replied, coming to walk beside her back to the Jeep.

In the warmth of the car, Lexi was finally able to take Jasper's jacket off, laying it down in the back seat. She knew she wasn't ready for any more information, but that didn't stop her from asking, "So, you can control and feel emotions, Alice can see the future… Is there anything else I should know about?"

"Edward can read minds." He answered, though seeming quite reluctant about it. "His reaction to you in the hospital, the way he froze. He saw in your mind when you envisioned us with red eyes, saw how you pictured him stopping the van, it put him on edge. He was certain that you were hiding something, that you knew about us and were playing us in some way."

So that's why Edward came off as an asshole. "And Bella? Why is he acting so weird around her?"

"She…" He looked out of the window, as though he was contemplating not telling her. "Her blood smells differently to him. Not in the same way as you smell different, her blood calls to him more than anyone else's. We refer to those people as singers, it took everything in him not to kill her when they first met."

Lexi's eyes widened to an almost painful size; Bella was in danger and she had no way to really warn her.

"Please stop." He begged, hands tightening on the steering wheel. "I can't handle it when you feel scared… Bella is safe, Edward wouldn't hurt her, he's come to terms with the fact he has some kind of feelings for her."

"Feelings?" Her panic somehow heightened at the thought.

Jasper sighed, looking just as drained by today's events as she was. "He's trying his best to stay away from her, trying to push her away. He doesn't want her mixed up in our world, he thinks it's far too dangerous, but he's finding it hard to be away from her."

"So, he… Loves her?"

He looked down as they arrived outside her house. "I think that's a conversation for another time."

Nodding her head in understanding, Lex exited the car, feeling Jasper walk close behind her until they reached the front door. The redhead turned to look at him, not really knowing what to say. She wasn't terrified of him anymore, and she had this feeling that she knew the Cullen's weren't a threat; she just hoped that it wasn't Jasper making her feel that way. She couldn't trust anything while they were around, she needed space, to know that what feelings and thoughts she had were her own. But knowing that her mother had trusted him to be in the house, to be alone in her room with her, it made her think a little more clearly.

"Thank you, for being honest with me." Lexi said, tucking hair behind her ears, the wind blowing slightly rougher now. "I'll keep your secret, nobody would believe me anyway."

"Thank you." Jasper replied, shifting as though he were unsure on what to do next.

Looking towards her front door, she knew she had to leave him, she had to get away, to clear her head. "If you could just… Give me a few days or a couple weeks…"

If the girl didn't know any better she'd say he looked as though his very heart was shattering. After a few seconds he plastered a smile on his face, but even Lex could tell it was fake. "Of course. Anything you need."

It almost pained her to leave him in that way, so before she opened the front door, she turned back to say one last thing to him. But, before she could, she realised he was only inches away from her, she was able to feel his breath against her cheek. Freezing in place, she wondered what he was going to do.

His eyes examined her face for a few seconds, before he simply rested his forehead on hers. "Just don't hate me." He mumbled, golden eyes locking with her green ones.

Lexi's breath came out in short sharp puffs as he moved away from her and back to the Jeep; within a few seconds he was gone.

Tears appeared in her eyes as she was unable to comprehend what was happening anymore.

Running into the house, past her confused brother at the bottom of the stairs, and into her room, she locked the door and collapsed. Lexi found it hard to breathe, repeating the words "vampires and witches aren't real" to herself over and over again.

She hoped that this would all be one of her realistic dreams. That she would wake up back in Phoenix with Bella waiting for her at the door, miles away from this place.

Nothing made sense anymore.

But one thing that scared her more than anything, was that even with Jasper Hale far away from her…

She still wanted him near her.

Alexis still trusted him.

-x-x-x-

A/N: And we're finally into the story. We're past the beginning where she knows nothing, thank everything that is good in this world.

I always find it hardest to get past the beginning, I always get too frustrated that they don't know anything, cause the good bit is always after the revelations!

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, it gives me motivation to update! Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who has followed and favourited so far, it means a lot.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

~ fawningfantasy x