Song to Story Challenge 1.0 (brought to you by It All Started With Twilight)

Song: If I Told You by Darius Rucker

AN: This is one of my entries for the Song to Story Challenge 1.0. Thank you, Fran, for hosting this contest! This story won the Off Key Award for Most Unusual Use of Prompt. Thank you judges!

Title: Forever Home

Summary: This was Jasper's last chance. If only he could find someone to trust him.

Jasper knew this was his last chance. He had been in and out of foster homes most of his life. The excuse was always that he was too aggressive.

He couldn't help it. From a young age, he was taught to fight. If Jasper wasn't tough enough, he wasn't worth anything.

Jasper got into a lot of fights, and he won most of them. A lot of money could be made on those fights, but Jasper didn't see any of it. That's what happens when you're just a pawn.

That man that gave him his name? His doesn't even know where he is now. He was rescued from that life, but the habits are hard to break. When you've had to fight for your life over and over, that becomes your first instinct. Any time Jasper met anyone new, he expected the worst from them. And he reacted accordingly.

In the end, Jasper scared most people. They'd send him back, and he'd be placed in a new foster home. But it'd be the same story there. No one ever gave Jasper enough time to learn to trust. He wanted to trust them, but he was too afraid. He hadn't had many good experiences with people, so he needed time to build that faith. But most families weren't patient enough, so he didn't get it.

So, here he was now. He wanted this one to work out. Not only because this family seemed better than any he'd lived with before, but also because of her.

Alice.

Alice was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen—petite, with shiny black hair. And Alice was the happiest creature he's ever met. She got along well with everyone and had a perpetual smile on her face. If only he could be that happy.

Jasper thinks he could be happy with Alice. He just wants to be near her all the time. But, Jasper knew the family was nervous about that. Jasper was so much bigger than Alice, and they'd heard the stories about his temperament. The family wasn't sure they could trust him with their precious girl. They didn't want Alice too close to Jasper in case he got upset.

But Alice's friendly nature calmed Jasper. Alice had always been a good judge of character, and she knew she could trust him. He would never hurt her.

Alice was enthralled by Jasper. He was so tall, especially compared to her. He had beautiful blond hair, and his smile, when he really smiled, took over his whole face. Alice could tell Jasper was affected by his past. She could tell he felt there was no fixing him; that everybody had already tried. She could tell he was hesitant to get too attached to a new family for fear of ending up hurt again.

But Alice would do everything in her power to make sure Jasper stayed with them. She would show the family how good Jasper actually was. She would show them how sweet he could be if he were just given a chance. Alice would stay by Jasper's side and prove to them that he was worth keeping.

"Hey, I see you got a new foster," the neighbor said.

"Yes, his name is Jasper. He's had a rough go of it. I was a little nervous about taking in the Pit Bull with little Alice here, but she seems to have made a best friend right from the get-go."

"They are a pair, that's for sure - your little Bichon Frise and the huge Pit Bull. But they look like they're completely in love."

"Yep, pretty sure he's ours, now. Alice would never forgive us if we gave him back."

Alice didn't really know what her human was saying, but she was pretty sure Jasper would be hers forever.

Jasper could sense Alice's happiness. He could tell that this time, he wasn't going back. This was his forever home.