~Vega Swan was either very oblivious or very good at pretending she saw nothing wrong and Jasper hadn't a clue how to feel about that~
CHAPTER TEN - THE CATALYST
Jasper was sick of Edward. The man would not stay quiet about how dangerous it was for Jasper to continue to pursue Vega. Commenting how he was staying away from Bella after the whole van incident—that he made worse in Jasper's opinion since Edward was the one that used his hand to stop and dent the van—that Jasper needs to be doing the same. He nearly threw him through the glass windows of the living room as soon as the words were out of his mouth but refrained himself for Esme's sake.
Jasper needed Vega's presence. He was certain his family didn't understand the full gravity of the situation. But Jasper did.
After realizing he barely paid attention to the blood sliding down Tyler Crowley's head during the accident he thought back more on the situation. His entire being was so focused on Vega and her health and safety that he was practically in a bubble alone with just her.
Being so close to her allowed him to—for the first—fully inhale her scent of ginger, rose, and jasmine, noting it held an undercurrent of honeysuckle and musk. And he wanted to keep her caged in his arms for a lifetime, nose to the crown of her head and her heart thudding against his chest. But then that beautifully, intoxicating scent soured. And then the overpowering waves of grief and despair almost made him fall to his knees.
When she was in Alice's arms it's like all of his—annoying—senses rushed back. The smell of blood, the searing in the back of his throat nearly gaining all of his attention until Emmett walked—pulled—him away from the scene. Then he was promising they could see Vega later and Jasper's mind was once more enraptured by thoughts of his mate.
So Jasper was fairly certain that nobody fully understood how Vega felt like his lifeline. Well, maybe Edward did since he could see into Jasper's head but he was choosing to ignore it and act like he was doing the greater good by leaving Bella alone and being a moody mess himself—Jasper would know, he had to deal with suffocating feelings coming from Edward.
So for months the Cullens were forced to be in proximity of a perpetual rain cloud, now known as Edward Cullen. And for months Jasper kept his home life from interfering with his time spent with Vega.
He knew that was the right decision because next thing he knew Vega was allowing him to accompany her to the library for lunch three days a week—he remembered when she joked about letting him join her but only 'every once in a while'—and he took her home early at the start of their free period the other two days. They ate lunch with their respective family members on those days.
The other students of course noticed their changed behavior toward one another, their jealousy was rolling in waves through the hallways, but they were also discreet enough that nobody but their siblings knew about their whereabouts.
Carlisle, Esme, and Alice were more than supportive when he practically gushed about all of the things he learned about Vega. He wondered if he was being rather annoying to them but his mind, body, and soul were floating on cloud nine as he recounted nearly everything about his little personal sun.
Of course, there were small things he kept to himself. Like how he noticed she nibbled on her bottom lip when she was deep in thought and he thought the act shouldn't have looked as sinful as it did since it made him want to do things that only lovers do—and they hadn't gotten that far, yet his traitorous mind whispered. Or how she poked her tongue out if she was concentrating too hard and it was the most endearing thing he had seen.
The opportunity to spend time alone outside of school came like a lightning strike, a gift from the heavens. Alice didn't even warn him about it but he practically jumped at the chance presented to him. Offering to go with her to Seattle and offering to drive so 'The Beast could remain sleeping'—her words not his. He recalled the first time she called the truck that name and it had left him puzzled until she explained that every vehicle needed a name. He wanted to purchase the safest car for her right then and there just to hear her come up with a funny little name.
Jasper was unmistakably high on positive feelings. So much so that when the rest of the family reached the lot they instantly all felt giddy and exhilarated. Edward was the first to react—because of course he was since he was able to read Jasper's mind—nearly snarling that "You can't go. It'll be a disaster waiting to happen." And Jasper would have been more offended, angrier even, if he couldn't feel the slight jealousy from Edward. But Edward not being able to go with his mate was his own fault.
Alice was next though her reaction was the complete opposite of Edward's. She was bouncing in place, hands clasped, and her smile blinding them all. Jasper hoped she saw something good to cause such a reaction.
Rosalie and Emmett caught onto most of it from the context clues and Rosalie forced Jasper to ride home in the Volvo, refusing to allow him in the Jeep. Luckily, that seemed to be where her tantrum ended. Emmett was thoroughly impressed that Jasper even managed to propose spending time outside of school.
Edward had begged Carlisle to demand Jasper not to go. But Carlisle was on Jasper's side—even if he was a bit worried about Jasper being alone with a human in a heavy populated city.
Edward was livid that Jasper went and even took his own car to pick up Vega, going off about how it wasn't very inconspicuous or something. Jasper didn't care to listen. Rosalie had already left, taking Emmett with her, claiming they were going hunting. Alice was dancing through the entire house, unable to contain her own excitement—she hadn't told anyone and even kept her mind preoccupied around Edward but she saw that this day trip was going to be the catalyst for Vega and Jasper to grow closer.
Jasper was nervous. Especially when she opened the door and before him stood a goddess. And then he became a little disheartened after Vega told Bella it was not a date. It was probably the closest Jasper ever had to a date though, even taking into account his human years. And then Vega had to reveal that he—him!—was the first person she's ever hung out with outside of school other than Bella or family and his heart was soaring.
His body felt like he had been shocked and he knew what that felt like thanks to Kate—but this was different from Kate's painful nerve numbing electricity. This was like a lightning strike, leaving fire in its wake as it rushed through every fiber of his being. It was rapturous. And he wanted to feel it again.
Seattle went without any mishaps. Vega came back with three records and Jasper came back with determination to do something like that again.
Over the next few weeks Jasper and Vega spent a lot of time alone together. Between their not-so-secret (to their siblings at least) lunches in the library, car rides home, and invitations to shops on the weekends they were nearly inseparable.
Jasper adored watching Vega flounce around the shops he always brought her to—after 'way too much research' Rosalie would snap at him—and the pair would giggle and bicker over the silliest of things.
Like if something should really be worth the steep six hundred dollar price tag at the antique store. Or if Vega was really going to buy those books—the ones with a shirtless man on the cover, a full moon in the back, and a wolf howling in the background. Or if Jasper really wasn't going to eat too when they went to a restaurant in Port Angeles.
Jasper couldn't contain his elation over how close they had grown but part of him was always worried. Because surely Vega had noticed the oddities by now and Jasper was teetering on a cliff with his desires and anxieties. He wanted Vega to ask. She hadn't brought up the accident at all and that made him apprehensive.
He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he didn't eat or drink—never eating lunch at school, always turning down food when they stopped for lunch or dinner on the weekend, and not even getting a tea, his supposed favorite beverage, from the cafes she always found.
Vega Swan was either very oblivious or very good at pretending she saw nothing wrong and Jasper hadn't a clue how to feel about that. Rosalie on the other hand relished that the older Swan girl wasn't trying to dig into their lives.
The first week of March brought upon many changes that once more tilted the Cullen home upside down. It started with Jasper trying—and failing—to make Vega a coffee for school. It got so bad that Rosalie finally entered the kitchen to help him and the siblings crafted a brown sugar and almond milk coffee. Jasper had told her explicitly that it had to be perfect because it was Vega's favorite.
When they finished they eyed the twenty cups in front of them before choosing the one that they deemed the most acceptable—there were nineteen cups left behind in the sink that Esme found later. Jasper had sealed it in a thermos and gifted it to Vega at the start of school. Rosalie watched as the girl turned to try and stare at her while she held the container in her gloved hands.
The next event happened on the same day as Jasper texted Rosalie and Alice, asking if they'd like to have lunch with Vega in the library. Alice's reply was immediate and Rosalie was forced into saying yes when Jasper explained that Vega wanted to personally thank her for the coffee. The vampire sisters found themselves spending the entire lunch period asking question after question.
Alice left feeling a little glum, seeing as Vega had no intentions of dating. Rosalie left with her spirits lifted, feeling bad for Jasper that his mate was so uninterested in pursuing something more, but glad her family was safe. For now.
Rosalie didn't hate Vega. In fact, she actually liked the little human. She was all bark and bite. Rosalie found it fascinating that the girl could probably make a grown man cry with her words. And she secretly thought to herself that if she were also a human they just might have gotten along.
Prom. It wasn't something the Cullens always partook in, though Rosalie and Emmett have definitely gone the most with Jasper going the least. The catastrophe that prom brought about Forks High School was indescribable.
Jasper could feel Vega's irritation all day, prom was still months away and she was already ready to explode. Not to mention spring formal being girls' choice and all and the endless list of teenage boys waiting for an invite. And while he was a little downhearted to not be asked by her he was thrilled and a little disquieted that she wasn't planning on attending at all. It was her senior year.
Her last spring formal and senior prom after all were something humans only experience once. He felt a little flustered when she gave him a coy smile as her eyes glittered with the deepest secrets he was nowhere close to unraveling. But that was okay because the fire in his chest grew in size just watching her have fun teasing him.
Jasper had never seen Vega angry. She was seething as she reprimanded Tyler in the parking lot from the passenger seat of the truck for all to hear. Her voice was sharp and thorny as she reminded the boy of consent and what the word no meant.
Rosalie's jaw was nearly on the floor, Emmett was shaking his head as he muttered "See. She's brutal", and Jasper could only watch from his spot against the Jeep, secretly proud of her for standing up for her sister.
Edward and Alice were both in the Volvo but Jasper could see the daggers being thrown from Vega's eyes at Edward's head. Nobody paid much mind when Edward left the house in the middle of that night, too invested in Vega Swan's ruthless tongue that she wielded like a sword against Tyler Crowley. Jasper often wondered what other abilities her tongue held.
But March third was going to be a day all of the Cullen siblings remembered. Because Edward was willingly going out of his way to speak to Bella Swan. In the middle of the crowded cafeteria.
Taking a seat by himself at a table and beckoning her over, prompting her to sit with him all of lunch. The chain reaction it led to had Vega sitting at the Cullen table looking a little uncomfortable. Jasper thought it worked out well enough, the hostility he felt from Rosalie wasn't directed at Vega but at Edward so he counted it as a win. He wanted Vega to sit with them more often but if he got private lunches with her in the library instead, well, who was he to complain?
Everyone at the table grew uncomfortable at the mention of First Beach and all could've swore if they had hearts they would've stopped when Vega brought up going there Saturday. The small, unneeded, exhale of relief they all let out after realizing she wasn't going to invite them was so quick no human could spot it. But the unease that Jasper felt was still there.
He didn't like that he couldn't reach her if something were to happen. But he begrudgingly kept that all to himself because he couldn't tell Vega why he couldn't go there with her and she hadn't asked him to either—that alit a different feeling in him.
His spirits were dampened when she had to 'drive The Beast back home' because Bella fainted in biology but they were immediately uplifted above the clouds as she leaned closer—and if he subtly inhaled a little more that was his secret—telling him treasured information. That Edward, his brother, had taken Bella home. That nearly had the Cullen home being flipped upside down again as everyone went a little wild.
Rosalie was practically foaming at the mouth, ready to chew into Edward—literally. Emmett was trying to soothe his mate to the best of his abilities, Alice was cackling in a very scary way, Carlisle wished he could have alcohol because a stiff drink was needed, and Esme was so full of innocent glee as she started making a list of dishes they could cook. Jasper felt on edge, hoping Edward's actions didn't cause problems to arise in his own budding relationship with Vega.
It was in two words utter chaos.
Vampires don't sleep which means they didn't dream. Or at least not the same way humans did. But vampires could 'daydream'. Getting so caught up and lost in their own thoughts and pictures they painted in their heads.
Which was exactly what happened to Jasper later that night. His mind was mapping every possible path and decision. Even the more terrible ones of something happening on the Quileute reservation and him being unable to save Vega in the events that tragedy unfolded. He loathed that picture. But he detested taking away her freedom and choice even more.
For Jasper, Vega deserved to be as free as a bird and as untouchable as a goddess. He constantly warred with his own mind over his desires. Part of him wanted to see her free and grow old with grey hair while part of him wanted to see her glittering under the sun with him as they giggled and splashed in the ocean water like little kids.
Then there were the darker, more primal, thoughts and scenarios his mind crafted. The visions of Vega's olive skin flushed and her hair fanned out as she lay under him, her dark chocolate brown eyes wet and full of adoration as he worshiped her. His lips sliding down the column of her throat, his tongue languidly swirling before marking her pretty skin for all to see.
Jasper wasn't very experienced. Not in the ways of love or romance. And especially not with a human. And those thoughts were new to him. Him wanting someone else the way he wanted and needed Vega was alarming but thrilling all at once.
His past with Maria was…blurry. Like his mind wanted to block it out. The time spent with the woman was full of demands, punishments, and carnal desires that he only felt because she was pushing it on him.
It was one of the main reasons he sought to control his gift better—he never wanted to feel like that again. Used. Taken advantage of. Not realizing what happened until the emotional high that wasn't even his wore off. It was one of the worst feelings he felt. It made him feel dirty. It made him feel wrong. And it made him hate himself.
When he first joined the Cullens, he had a hard time being around the family whenever the two pairs of mates were feeling a certain type of way. He often fled to hunt in the earlier days but now he was better at just blocking it out.
When he first started attending school with the family he always felt the lust from humans and it always made him a little unwell and uneasy but it helped him hone his gift. As time passed, he did still sometimes feel ill at the rush of carnality from some people but then Vega came along the shame and queasiness he always felt melted away.
In fact, Jasper felt like if he had a heart it would've stopped beating and the air would've knocked from his lungs from the utter pleasure that washed over him from feeling how he affected her. Not that Vega ever made it obvious.
He knew though, he always did. Sometimes it would hit him out of nowhere and he savored the new scents that bloomed from her body, patchouli and osmanthus blending with her already natural mouthwatering scent. It was akin to getting a contact high and he fought with his more primal side to not lift her up and run far away with her like a caveman claiming his prize. But he was no caveman—he would be a gentleman.
Jasper coveted Vega. He wanted to craft marble statues with every little detail carved intricately—wanted to show her off to the world and have all those who saw extolling her very existence. But a part of him wanted to hide her away like his own little treasure, personally worshiping her everyday. Those are some of the more carnal thoughts that struggled for a winner in their never ending battle.
Despite all of his wants and wishes, Jasper would wait for Vega until she was ready. Never pushing too hard and pulling just enough that she followed a bit. However, nothing could prepare Jasper for Bella Swan's actions that inevitably led Vega Swan into the world of the supernatural.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed, favored, and commented! Happy Holidays to everyone. Please enjoy! ╰(*´︶`*)╯
