Alice knew Jasper was strong, she had seen some of his feats while he was with María, she knew he was an amazing fighter, one who most people wouldn't be able the take in a serious fight.
She also knew he was smart, he had an outstanding talent for strategies, and he could be terrifyingly cunning at times.
And she also knew that his gift was much more powerful than most people thought, he could feel other people's emotions same as he could broadcast his own.
But it never occurred to her that since he could broadcast his emotions, he could, in a sense, logically, manipulate people's emotions much more further than just comforting them when sad.
Like, she could have never expected him to be capable of doing what he had done at the baseball field, or what he had done at Phoenix with Bella.
So, right now, when the whole panic and worries about Bella's life had died down, she can do nothing but stare at him.
And stare.
He was getting dressed, he had wanted to take a shower after coming back from Phoenix, she understood, he hated the smell of fire and burnt venom, it brought him bad memories.
Point is, she can't stop staring, because all she can think about is how he had diverged Victoria and the other two's attention from her and Bella, so they wouldn't pay them any mind.
And had it not been for the wind, it would have worked. And then at the hotel, he had knocked Bella out with his gift when she became hell bent on going to Edward because she didn't want him nor anyone for that matter to put themselves in danger for her.
At the time, she hadn't quite processed what had happened, but now… since when could he do that?
It was both fascinating and shocking.
-You alright?- Jasper's sudden voice caught her attention, he was giving her a questioning look.
-Sure.- She's quick to answer, reaching out to grab his hand, and pulling him down on the bed with her, he didn't fight her, he just regarded her with curiosity, letting her crawl on top of him until she was straddling him.
She held his gaze, she still couldn't quite process that she's been married to this man for decades, and that it's not until now that she realizes what he can actually do.
He's stronger than she ever gave him credit for, and it's an interesting concept too, to think that despite the fact that he can very much rip everyone around him apart and make them unwilling to fight back, he doesn't.
Because he isn't that vile.
Instead, he lets her pin him down as she's doing right now, he took her hand at that diner in Philadelphia in 1948, he trusted her.
But she also knew, that the main reason he even trusted her was because unlike María, she could care less about his skills or power, he wasn't a weapon nor a tool, to Alice, he was the man she loved the most.
Strength, wit or gift didn't matter to her, she didn't love him because he could take down 10 nomads on his own, she didn't love him because he could come up with an infallible plan in less than a few hours, nor because he could tell her how other people felt towards her. She didn't care about any of that.
She loved him because of how strong he was, in the concept of how he's still capable of being compassionate and kind when he's been hurt so much, she loves his smiles and his gentleness, same as she loves his terrible sense of humor and his stubbornness.
She likes his poems and his voice when he sang or read to her, she loved dancing with him and just being with him, whatever skills or power he had, didn't reach the top reasons on the why she loved him, they were just bonuses.
He could be clueless on how to fight, have no gift and have no strategic mind whatsoever, and she would still love him all the same.
And still, she can't help but feel amazed at this newfound knowledge regarding him, right when she thought she knew everything about him… he was always filled with surprises.
-Why are you givin' me funny looks? Are you mad?- She couldn't help but chuckle at his question.
-Do I look mad?- She asks, smirking at his hesitant frown.
-... No?
-That's because I'm not mad, I was just thinking… have you always been able to knock people out with your gift? Or diverge other people's attention from something?
-Yes.- Jasper answered, he had no idea where this was going, Alice didn't seem bothered, nor was she giving him that look some others gave him, the "so many great things could be done with this" look. She was just…
Curious.
Fascinated , not a greed fascinated kind, but a "that's so cool" fascinated kind, it was… interesting, she never failed to surprise him. He hadn't been hiding it from her nor nothing of the such, he just never found it important enough to share.
Plus, it wasn't like he used his gift on her, when he first realized he loved her, he had promised himself to never use his gift on her, her emotions were her own and he would never manipulate her into feeling or not feeling things.
He did soothe her sadness sometimes, and that because she asked for his comfort.
-You can diverge other people's attention from things, and knock people out. Would you show me something of the like?- She requests, her curiosity tickles his skin, there isn't fear in her emotions, no hesitation, not even an ounce of wariness.
Just love, trust.
And Jasper knows exactly what he wants to show her, something he's been craving to show her for a long time, he brings his hands up to rest on her waist.
-You sure about this?- He asks, he must make sure first, that she understands what she's asking, this wasn't something mild, it was him, changing her emotions, manipulating them, influencing them, he didn't care about using it on others, but this was Alice.
Alice, he didn't want her to resent him or fear him because she's suddenly realized the extent of what he could do.
She leans forward, close enough their noses touch, her hands touching his cheeks, her eyes sparkling with unyielding trust.
-I trust you.
Her words are genuine, it fills him with an overwhelming warmth, butterflies fluttering across his skin.
And so he does it, he slips his hands under her shirt, resting his hands on her bare skin, skin to skin contact made his gift twice as intense, and he wanted her to feel it.
Love.
All the love he felt for her, all the trust, all the adoration, he sent it to her, wanting her to feel, to see, to understand the strength of how he feels for her.
Meanwhile, Alice sucked in a sharp breath as she felt it, a warmth that drapped over her body like the thickest and coziest blanket in the world, centering around her chest and spreading all over, filling her insides with light and warmth, it made her chest feel like it might explode, in the best possible way.
She was quite sure, that if she tried to stand, she wouldn't be quite successful at it, she felt like she was floating in nothing but warmth, lightness and all that was perfect about the world.
And it took her more than she was willing to admit to realize what this was.
Love.
She dropped her head on his chest, this was love, his love.
And God, she had no idea what to do with that, because she knew Jasper loved her, but it never occurred to her that it went this deep, and she couldn't for the life of her believe someone felt like this for her, it was… amazing, exhilarating.
To know someone felt this strong for her, that he was the someone who felt this strong for her, because she loved him with all her heart and soul, to know he does too is just… it's surreal.
And she can do nothing but melt on top of him and smile like an idiot, because he loves her.
She can care less about how long she spends there, just laying on top of him and enjoying the blanket of warmth, all the while he runs his hand up and down her bare back.
It feels like Heaven.
And she wouldn't mind staying the whole day here.