A/N: I don't own Twilight or BtVS; they are the property of Stephanie Meyers and Joss Whedon respectively. I just like to ponder what would happen if the two worlds collided.

Chapter 39: Chips & Sips

The living room buzzed with an uneasy silence as the call with Carlisle ended. Giles turned off the phone, placing it gently on the table. Willow moved to the kitchen, her steps quick and purposeful, as she set about making tea. The weight of the conversation lingered in the air, heavy and unspoken. He glanced around and spotted the bottle of Scotch sticking out from under the couch. Eyeing it warily, he got up and carried it into the kitchen, where he found Willow busy with the tea.

Willow looked up; her brow furrowed in thought. "Do you think this changes anything?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry. "Carlisle's insights, I mean."

Giles placed the Scotch bottle on the counter and reached for the teapot. "It certainly gives us more to consider," he replied, pouring himself a cup into his trademark fire king mug.

Jasper, having just emerged from his catatonic state, blinked slowly and shook his head, trying to clear the lingering fog. "Is Alice alright?" he asked tentatively, his concern for her mingling with an unexpected craving. "And... could I have some toast?"

Before anyone could respond, the front door burst open, and Xander stumbled in, skidding slightly on the wet floor. "Okay, got here as fast as I could!" he announced, shaking off the rain. He was wearing a bright yellow rain jacket, its hood pulled back, leaving droplets of water in his wake. His jeans were soaked at the cuffs, and the laces of his sneakers were undone, trailing on the floor. "The line-up at the butcher's shop was nuts. But I got the pig's blood."

Willow and Giles exchanged amused glances; the gravity of their discussion momentarily lifted. "Xander! You're just in time," Willow said, her tone lighter.

Xander's eyes scanned the room, noting the solemn expressions. "Whoa, did I miss the apocalypse memo again? You all look like you've seen a ghost."

Giles, apologetically, replied, "Ahh yes, it was rather urgent, hence why I was so abrupt with you on the phone."

"Why was it so urgent?" Xander asked, his curiosity piqued.

Before Giles could answer, Jasper's stomach rumbled loudly. He looked a bit embarrassed and asked again, "About that toast...?"

Willow noticed and smiled. "I'll see what I can magick up," she said, moving to the kitchen.

Giles handed the containers to Willow and sat back at his desk. "The urgency of the call was Jasper's concern for Alice," he explained. "But Willow can provide more details."

Willow took the containers from Giles and set them on the counter. "We were discussing the complexities of time fluctuations between realities and the strain that would cause her." she began, as she prepared the toast.

Xander shook his head with a grin. "If you hadn't been so snappy, I would've picked up some jelly donuts. Instead, I grabbed some bags of potato chips." He reached into the shopping bag and pulled out the chips, setting them on the table.

Willow chuckled. "Jelly donuts would've been nice, but potato chips work too."

Xander flopped down on the couch, grabbing a bag of chips and tearing it open. "Well, this calls for a feast, then. We can handle cross-reality house calls and still enjoy some greasy comfort food, right?"

Jasper, feeling a bit antsy, asked, "Does toast count as comfort food?"

Giles muttered something under his breath, remembering their last call the night before that had lasted nearly two hours. All Jasper had wanted to focus on was eating toast. "Apparently, it does," he said, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Willow laughed softly as she brought a plate of toast into the living room. As she set the plate down on the coffee table, her hand brushed lightly against Jasper's back, and her leg grazed his knees. "Here's your comfort food, Jasper," she said with a warm smile.

Jasper reached for a slice, his expression relaxing slightly as he took a bite. The slight touch sent a ripple through him, and he could sense the attraction Willow had for him. He felt a growing attraction to her as well, and the brief contact heightened his awareness of her presence. "Thanks, Willow. This helps," he murmured, his voice softer, a hint of something more in his tone.

Willow's eyes lingered on Jasper for a moment longer than necessary, her smile deepening as she felt the connection between them. She returned to her seat next to Xander, her mind buzzing with unspoken thoughts.

Xander shook his head with a grin, watching Jasper with amusement. "Toast obsession aside, what else did Carlisle say that has everyone on edge?"

Willow, still feeling the warmth of the brief touch, sat down next to Xander, grabbing a chip from the bag. She took a deep breath, trying to focus. "The whole reason for the call came up because we were talking to Jasper earlier about how time can pass differently between realities. We gave the example of Spike when he regained his soul—it was decades of torment for him, whereas for us, it felt like months."

Jasper nodded, his face growing more serious. "If Alice is trying to search for me in her visions, the strain of not being able to find me could cause immense pain," he said, his voice filled with worry. "To the point where she might take it upon herself to end her life."

A heavy silence settled over the room as the gravity of Jasper's words sank in. Xander's face lost its usual lightheartedness, replaced by a look of deep concern. "That's... really heavy, man," he said quietly, his hand pausing mid-dip into the bag of chips. Rainwater dripped from the cuffs of his soaked jeans onto the floor, forming small puddles. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch, brushing damp hair from his forehead.

Giles, seated at his desk and casting a longing glance at the empty spot where a bottle of Scotch used to be, cleared his throat and spoke up. "I apologize for my abruptness earlier, Xander. We didn't want the line tied up, not knowing how time is passing." He adjusted his glasses, his fingers tapping restlessly on the desk surface.

Jasper took a few bites of toast, the comfort food providing a slight distraction from his worry. He leaned back in his armchair, its worn leather creaking. "I'm afraid to ask," he said, his voice tinged with anxiety, eyes flitting briefly to Willow, who was sitting close to Xander.

Willow's gaze lingered on Jasper more than on Xander and Giles as she spoke. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, but her tone was serious. "It would seem that roughly one day in Sunnydale is equivalent to one week passing in Forks."

Jasper's eyes widened, and he sat there digesting Willow's words, the implications weighing heavily on him. He gripped the armrests, knuckles whitening as the thought of Alice enduring such a time discrepancy became almost unbearable.

Giles suddenly jumped in, trying to offer some reassurance. "Alice seemed well, in fact. She said... ahh, Willow, do you remember?" He leaned forward, eager for any positive news.

Willow nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. She glanced at Jasper, her expression softening. "I believe she said, 'I'm not about to go all Emo like Eddie and run off to Italy.' Alice seemed pretty confident about handling the strain now that she knows the cause."

The vampire let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, a mix of relief and lingering concern washing over him. "That's... good to hear," he said slowly. He took another bite of toast, his tension easing slightly, though his mind was still racing with thoughts of Alice and the time apart.

Xander furrowed his brow and leaned forward. "Wait, what was that about running off to Italy? What happened there?"

Jasper sighed, setting his toast down on the plate. He looked at each of them before speaking, his voice measured and somber. "There was a... miscommunication, to put it mildly. Edward thought Bella was dead. When he got that news, he went to Volterra with the intention of exposing his true self to humans."

Giles tilted his head, curiosity piqued. "Exposing his true self? You mean as a vampire?"

Jasper nodded. "Yes. He believed that by doing so, he would force the Volturi to act. The Volturi are the ruling coven, and they enforce the laws of the vampire world. Revealing our existence to humans is a grave offense, punishable by death."

Willow's eyes widened, and she leaned closer, her hand still resting on Jasper's. "So, he went there to... end his life?"

Jasper's expression darkened as he recalled the harrowing events. "Exactly. He thought he had nothing left to live for. But Bella wasn't dead. It was all a misunderstanding. Alice saw the vision and we raced to stop him."

"That certainly puts Alice's off-handed remark in a new light." The Watcher said as he adjusted his glasses and leaned back in his chair.

Jasper chuckled lightly, a hint of humor breaking through the tension. "That's one way to put it."

Willow, her curiosity piqued, turned to Jasper with a thoughtful expression. "Jasper, do you remember the day you left Forks to travel south to Sunnydale?"

Jasper nodded, his mind drifting back to the journey. "Yeah, I remember. Alice suggested I leave Forks because there were whispers of a Slayer—a potential foe to vampires. I left mid-September, but I spent about a month traveling before I arrived in Sunnydale on the evening of October 10th."

Xander crunched another chip, the sound oddly comforting in the heavy silence. "So that would mean you've been here about nine days now, right? Given the whole-time difference thing."

Jasper nodded his head slowly, nibbling on the toast. "Yes, I spent four awful days in a crypt until I woke up on Giles' couch."

Giles picked up, "That was five days ago, Jasper."

Jasper nodded, his mind drifting back to those initial, disorienting days. "It's been difficult keeping track of days, what with the need to sleep," he said, chuckling lightly before turning his attention to Willow. "So, it's the 22nd in Forks now? If I follow your point of one day here being roughly a week in Forks?"

Willow agreed, nodding. "Yes, exactly. How do you feel about missing so much time with your family?"

Jasper shrugged slightly. "Not really. My sister Rosalie believes that as vampires, we are frozen in time, never changing, and we don't feel the passage of time the same way. It would be like..." He struggled to think of a good example.

Xander, munching on another chip, suggested, "Like playing video games and forgetting how much time went by?"

Jasper's face lit up with recognition. "Exactly like that," he said with a smile. "Time feels different for us. It's more about the moments we share rather than the hours or days."

Willow's eyes softened with understanding. "That makes sense. But still, being apart must be hard, even if time feels different."

Jasper nodded; his expression thoughtful. "It is hard, but mostly because I don't want to cause Alice any undue pain. I'm relieved she won't pull an Edward, but did she say how long she could go between calls?"

Giles chimed in, adjusting his glasses. "The four of us—myself and Willow—and Carlisle and Alice agreed to call again in eighteen hours. That's roughly five and a quarter days in Forks. Carlisle will keep an eye on Alice and see how she's doing, and we'll do the same on this end. That is, keeping an eye on you."

Jasper let out a breath, nodding slowly. "That's good to know. It helps to have a plan, to know there's a structure to it. Alice will handle it well, I'm sure, but I still worry."

Willow added, "We also agreed to go for a shorter call tomorrow night since it was a strain on both you and Alice."

Jasper nodded, appreciating the thoughtfulness of the plan. Willow glanced at his empty plate and asked, "Would you like anything else?"

Jasper looked at his plate and let out a small purr. "Just some more toast, please."

As Willow got up and headed to the kitchen, Jasper's stomach rumbled loudly. Xander called out to her, "Hey, Willow, some pig's blood would probably be wise too."

Willow, already rummaging in the kitchen, replied, "Got it, coming right up."

Jasper leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips as he listened to the friendly banter around him. The friendship and warmth among the Scoobies was something he had come to recognize as beautiful despite the short time he had spent with them. How they easily brought him into the fold, a stark contrast to the isolation he often felt in Forks.

His eyes followed Willow as she moved gracefully around the kitchen, a soft warmth spreading through his chest. She was kind, intelligent, and had a strength that he admired. He found himself drawn to her more and more each day. Jasper's heightened senses picked up on the subtle cues of her attraction. The way her pulse quickened when she was near him, the soft blush that coloured her cheeks, and the unguarded glances she sent his way. It wasn't just physical desire he sensed from her; it was deeper, purer. She saw him as a man, not a monster, and that stirred something profound within him. He couldn't remember the last time a woman, human or vampire had truly seen him.

He was pulled from his reverie as Willow returned, placing a plate of toast and a mug of warmed pig's blood in front of him. She smiled, and he couldn't help but return it, feeling a surge of gratitude for her presence in his life.

"Thanks, Willow," he said softly, their eyes locking for a brief moment. There was something unspoken in that gaze, a promise of something more, something worth exploring.

Willow blushed slightly, ducking her head as she took her seat again. "Anytime, Jasper."

As the conversation resumed around him, Jasper felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps, amidst the chaos of their lives, there was a chance for something beautiful to grow between them. He just had to be patient and let it unfold naturally. For now, he would focus on the plan, on ensuring Alice's safety, and on being there for the Scoobies as they were for him. The rest would come in time, he was sure of it.