Curious ``Jasper/Open

[Jasper Hale]

As crazy as it was, it was so easy to forget his blood lust when with Alice. Like all the conflict to not kill a person disappeared. He didn’t have to worry about not killing her, it was almost like instinct. Kill this, but not that. He knew that if he ever saw one drop of her blood he would probably lose control, but would that resistance to not kill her act up then as well? He could only hope so. He didn’t want anybody killing Alice, and he was a major person on that list as well. Never would Jasper want to kill Alice, that would simply ruin his life.

"Well, I was wondering when I was going to have to go shopping for your birthday," she said, her tone slightly mores suspicious. "But now you've got me a little bit worried. How long have you been eighteen, Jasper?" Jasper shook his head. He wasn’t going to answer that question. He didn’t want to lie to Alice, so until she said what was really on her mind and what really brought these questions on, he wouldn’t answer. “You’ve got a while before my birthday, so don’t worry about it,” Jasper said, looking out the window.

"I'm trying to put it all together," Alice said and Jasper kept his face neutral. "Trying to figure out what you are." She turned to look at him and he obediently looked back, noting the anger and certainty in her eyes. "My dreams, my visions...they never lie, Jasper. I don't know why I didn't start paying attention until now, and I regret it. I still don't understand it all, but I will." she said, determination in his eyes. Jasper shut his eyes for a moment, knowing it was the easiest way to look away from Alice. Great, so she was trying to figure out what he was. Or did she already know?

“You’re going to try to figure out no matter what I say, aren’t you?” Jasper asked quietly, sighing. He already knew the answer to that question. There were two options, yes, but a definite answer. Either Alice already knew what he was and was eventually going to tell him she knew. Or, she was going to try and figure out what he was without any restraints. “What are your… theories as to what I am?” Jasper asked blankly, looking back at Alice. He wanted to know what she was thinking, what she thought he was. Or if she thought she knew what exactly he was.

[Alice Swan]

“You’ve got a while before my birthday, so don’t worry about it,” Jasper shook his head, looking out the window. Alice rolled her eyes. Of course he was going to avoid answering her. That was the way he was, all avoidance and no truth. "That wasn't what I asked, Jasper," she replied impatiently. "And besides, what first brought on the questions were the visions." She began to tick the events down finger by finger, "Then you run faster than anyone I've ever seen, using strength I've never even heard of to keep a two-thousand pound vehicle from crushing me. Your skin's colder than the rain in this God forsaken town, and your eyes change color. I'm guessing that's just contacts, but I"m not so sure now-" Alice stopped abruptly, taking deep, measured breaths, calming herself as much as she could in this current state. Why was he so stubborn?

Jasper shut his eyes, closing her only hope of access to his thoughts, to his feelings. “You’re going to try to figure out no matter what I say, aren’t you?” Jasper asked quietly, sighing. "Yes," she replied stubbornly, nodding her head. She was going to persist no matter what he said, or did. He could break her computer, shred her drawings for all she cared, but he could not be able to stop her. “What are your… theories as to what I am?” Jasper asked blankly, looking back at Alice. She shrugged, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know," she answered honestly, "There are too many to choose from. There's the whole Bruce Wayne-Peter Parker, theory. Dracula, perhaps?" She laughed quietly, shaking her head once more, "But no, you've already made me toss that theory," she muttered.

sorry, short

[Jasper Hale]

Jasper was coming up short on what to use next to avoid Alice’s question. Just go all out and tell her he wasn’t going to lie to her? Tell her that was why he was avoiding her question? That probably wouldn’t be best. She already was suspicious enough, no need to make that higher than Mt. Everest. Of course, that was probably his only choice. The only thing he could say that would be an honest answer. Maybe he should keep it short and simple with, awhile. Alice wouldn’t like it, but it was honest enough and easy.

"That wasn't what I asked, Jasper," she replied impatiently. "And besides, what first brought on the questions were the visions. Then you run faster than anyone I've ever seen, using strength I've never even heard of to keep a two-thousand pound vehicle from crushing me. Your skin's colder than the rain in this God forsaken town, and your eyes change color. I'm guessing that's just contacts, but I"m not so sure now-" Alice stopped abruptly, calming herself. Jasper easily pushed himself off the bed, going to stare out the window. She wasn’t the only one that needed to calm down.

“Awhile,” Jasper responded, staring out the window with a glare. “But you’re not happy with that answer. You want an honest answer,” Jasper mumbled more to himself than Alice. He was keeping his voice calm and calculated, his expression the same. Jasper stared down at his hand for a moment, having forgotten to remove the bandage from earlier. Stupid book, it had his attention. Like Alice. He hadn’t removed it before he came over at six, knowing it would make Alice suspicious if it was gone. Jasper shoved his hands into his pockets, still staring out the window.

"Yes," Alice said stubbornly and Jasper sighed. Only Alice could be so stubborn so persistent about something he didn’t want her to be persistent about. Jasper knelt down, picking up a picture of him in his Civil War attire. Even if it was a stick figure, there was still the pride. Something. Jasper held it delicately in his ‘good’ hand, not wanting to put a single dent in it. "I don't know," she answered honestly. It was so much easier for her to answer honestly than it was for him. Of course, he was trying to protect her with everything he had, and that required some lying. "There are too many to choose from. There's the whole Bruce Wayne-Peter Parker, theory. Dracula, perhaps?" Alice laughed and Jasper went rigid as stone. He wasn’t breathing, moving, anything. "But no, you've already made me toss that theory." Though it had been muttered and Jasper could hear it perfectly, he almost didn’t catch that.

“Alice, I’m no Bruce Wayne. I’m no Peter Parker. They’re the good guys, the people everyone loves. I am nowhere near good. I would never be good, Alice. Lives have been lost because of me. If anything I’m like Dracula,” Jasper said, clenching his fist. He wasn’t mad at Alice, more at himself. So many lives had been lost because of him, and never would he be able to do a thing about it. In truth he was like Dracula. Dracula was a vampire, just like him. Of course, Dracula slept during the day and burnt in the sunlight. Real vampires didn’t sleep at all, and sparkled in the sunlight. Big difference.

[Alice Swan]

Jasper easily pushed himself off the bed, going to stare out the window. Alice frowned, hoping that he wasn't thinking about leaving. If anything, she would much prefer the arguments over the idea of his leaving. Though he drove her to the brink of insanity, she was addicted to him, had to be near him, at all times. He was that important to her. “Awhile,” Jasper responded, staring out the window with a glare. “But you’re not happy with that answer. You want an honest answer,” Jasper mumbled more to himself than Alice. He was keeping his voice calm and calculated, his expression the same. Jasper stared down at his hand for a moment, the bandaged one from the car accident. Alice sighed, "Well, at least that answer's better than a blatant lie. I expected you to grit your teeth and say something along the lines of 'three months.'"

Jasper shoved his hands into his pockets, still staring out the window and sighing at Alice's response. He knelt down, picking up a picture of himself in his nineteenth century attire with his good hand. Alice studied him carefully, noticing how he looked at the picture, as if it were an old memory. He truly was older than he seemed, wasn't he? Jasper went rigid as a stone after she made the Dracula comment, and it did not go unnoticed by Alice. Maybe she'd tossed the theory a bit too soon? No, she mentally shook her head, Jasper couldn't be a vampire. She'd seen him out during the day, had never had a dream or vision of him harming another human being. No, it couldn't be.

“Alice, I’m no Bruce Wayne. I’m no Peter Parker. They’re the good guys, the people everyone loves. I am nowhere near good. I would never be good, Alice. Lives have been lost because of me. If anything I’m like Dracula,” Jasper said, clenching his fist, and Alice froze where she sat. No. He wasn't, "No," she disagreed, shaking her head, "First of all, I've seen you during the day. You came to my house when I was sick! The sunniest day of the year I'll bet! And you didn't turn to ash. You've never killed anyone, you're eyes aren't red. Plus, on top of all of that, you're not evil." She pointed all of these facts out to him. It was true, he wasn't evil, he couldn't be a vampire. She shook her head again, whether from denial or from simple disagreement, she didn't know, "You're not a vampire."

[Jasper Hale]

Jasper stood silently as Alice let out a sigh. He hated arguing with her, but some things he was very defensive about, especially his past. That was one thing he didn’t really care to dwell on. Ever. "Well, at least that answer's better than a blatant lie. I expected you to grit your teeth and say something along the lines of 'three months.'" Alice said and Jasper just shook his head. He didn’t want to lie to her, but some things were just too hard to answer.

Jasper noted that Alice froze, much like him. Of course, he would always be quite literally frozen, not having to breathe. Jasper ran a hand through his hair absently, ruffling it slightly at the ends. Alice was trying her hardest not to believe him or something, and he was trying to figure out exactly how to tell her he was in fact a vampire. This certainly wasn’t easy, that was for sure. But when was life ever really easy?

"No," Alice disagreed and Jasper turned to look at her with slightly amused eyes. "First of all, I've seen you during the day. You came to my house when I was sick! The sunniest day of the year I'll bet! And you didn't turn to ash. You've never killed anyone, you're eyes aren't red. Plus, on top of all of that, you're not evil." Jasper shook his head. He was evil. Though he may not have been so evil now, he had been many years ago. "You're not a vampire."

“Don’t believe me all you want, but try and figure out some other mythical creature that I could be where all the facts add up as perfectly as they do now,” Jasper said, shutting his eyes. She could try to prove him wrong all she wanted, but she would never be able to. He was a vampire, and no matter what anybody said he would always be one. He would always be a monster. A demon. He had killed more humans in his lifetime than any of his family members could have ever dreamed of. Fighting in the Civil War, fighting in the Great Vampire Wars. He was a killer.

I came up with nothing in response to her denial

[Alice Swan]

Jasper turned to look at her with slightly amused eyes, shaking his head in disagreement when she spoke to him. “Don’t believe me all you want, but try and figure out some other mythical creature that I could be where all the facts add up as perfectly as they do now,” Jasper said, shutting his eyes. Alice frowned. He had a good point. In fact, hadn't she suspected him to be one just a few hours ago? It had pretty much fit all together, except for the daylight part. That had truly confused her.

"Okay," Alice said slowly, allowing the idea to sink in, "Lets say you are a vampire," she stood up from her bed, facing him squarely. "Why haven't you bitten me?" She asked bluntly, not wanting to cut anymore corners with him. She needed answers, whether they made sense or not. Whatever Jasper said would be at least partly true now, at least. He would tell her as much as he felt was necessary. If he truly was a vampire, he was opening a whole new floodgate of questions for her to ask him. She was a bit surprised with herself. She wasn't afraid like she should have been, instead, she was curious.

it's okay, I made up for it by the shortness of the post =]

[Jasper Hale]

Jasper waited for Alice to say something—anything—in response. He had an excellent point, this he was certain of. Unless Alice had done a ton of research already, she couldn’t exactly prove him wrong, now could she? "Okay," Alice said slowly and Jasper waited patiently. "Lets say you are a vampire," she stood up from her bed, facing him squarely. "Why haven't you bitten me?" she asked rather bluntly and Jasper shook his head with a smile. Great question. Now he had to come up with an excellent response to that. Would she believe the truth, was the major question.

“I want to give you the best human life you could ever possibly imagine,” Jasper replied simply, staring down at Alice. He didn’t bother moving or shutting his eyes like he normally would have. Might as well tell Alice what she wanted. Confirm her suspicions that he was in fact a vampire. Though she would probably try to deny that with all she had, it just wasn’t that easy. He was a vampire and nobody could prove him wrong. He was stronger than everyone, faster than everyone, didn’t sleep, and lived off of blood. Animal blood nowadays, but once it had been human blood.

Great question. It didn’t really help short!

[Alice Swan]

“I want to give you the best human life you could ever possibly imagine,” Jasper replied simply, staring down at Alice. She stared back at him for a moment, her eyes narrowed in speculation. She'd heard those words before, but from where? A dream of hers, perhaps? Who knew? She let his confirmations sink in, taking a few moments to calm herself as she realized the truth of his warnings, of Rosalie's as well. When she was positive that she no longer felt any amount of fear towards him or what he was, she looked up at him, a smirk on her lips. "You know you've just opened yourself up to a river of inquiries, right?"

"I'm glad you're finally telling me the truth," Alice finally said, "Even if it sounds crazy." She added. She sat back down on her bed, glad that she had something to sit on. She probably would have collapsed if there hadn't been a mattress there waiting for her. She bit her lower lip, trying to figure out the best questions to ask first. "Okay, why are your eyes gold?" She asked, "Aren't they supposed to be, like, a scary crimson-looking color or something? And the sunlight, what's up with that?" She couldn't help but ask these questions, they were things she wanted to know, the things she was most intrested in knowing. "And now that we have all this nonsense out of the way, how old are you really?" She asked. She knew it was at least since the eighteen hundreds, if not older. Oh, all the things she could learn from him, learn about him. He now had no reason to lie to her about himself. She could finally get to know the real Jasper Hale.

[Jasper Hale]

Jasper waited while Alice narrowed her eyes in speculation. Like she had heard those words before and was trying to remember where from. He had never said those words before, so he wasn't too sure where she had heard them from. He could feel her fear slowly melt away, before she finally looked up at him with a smirk in place. What was so funny?

"You know you've just opened yourself up to a river of inquiries, right?" Alice said and Jasper chuckled softly. He should've been able to guess this. At least seen it coming. It was to be expected after something like that was said. "Yeah, let's hear them," Jasper said with a smile. He had time. "I'm glad you're finally telling me the truth. Even if it sounds crazy."

Alice sat back down on the bed, and Jasper quietly walked around the bed, laying down on it. Why not be comfortable when answering Alice's million questions? He looked over at her, waiting for the first of the million questions. "Okay, why are your eyes gold? Aren't they supposed to be, like, a scary crimson-looking color or something? And the sunlight, what's up with that?" Alice asked and Jasper waited a moment, waiting for the most important question to come. She had bugged him about it earlier, so where was it now? "And now that we have all this nonsense out of the way, how old are you really?"

"My eyes are gold because of the animal blood. Vampires that drink human blood have crimson eyes. Vampires that drink animal blood have topaz eyes. We call ourselves vegetarian vampires, as a joke," Jasper paused for a moment, deciding to look down to say the next part. "My eyes were crimson for an extremely long time, Alice. When I told you I was a killer I wasn't kidding. I kill animals, yes, but we go for the overpopulated areas that are close. But for a time in my life, I was killing humans, feeding off them," Jasper said quietly, letting it all soak in before deciding to continue on to the next question.

"As for the sun, we don't burn in the sunlight. Not like Dracula. Rather, we... well we sparkle," Jasper said, finding it a little weird to say. "On that sunny day I just stayed in the shadows and moved really fast, but still at a human-like speed," Jasper said with a smile. He was going to tell Alice the truth and not lie, and if he could, never lie to her again. He hated lying to Alice and was going to do everything he could to not have to lie to her anymore.

"And last my age. I was changed when I was twenty, but everyone in Forks thinks I'm eighteen. My real age, well," Jasper paused, remembering the book Alice had from a great-grandfather--or was it great-great-grandfather?--under her pillow. He easily grabbed it, gently opening it to the page with the faded picture. "You tell me. That picture was taken in 1864," Jasper said with a smile. It wasn't that hard to figure out, but if Alice wasn't in the mood to do math in her head, he would simply tell her. One-hundred and sixty-two. That was how old Jasper really was.

[Alice Swan]

"Yeah, let's hear them," Jasper chuckled, walking over to the bed and sprawling across it. Alice couldn't help but compare herself to him, her plain and wierd, him beautiful and mysterious. Not to mention the fact that she took up maybe a quarter of the bed while he was barely able to fit on it. She couldn't help but smile at the image, wondering what he would look like on a much larger, much nicer bed.

"My eyes are gold because of the animal blood. Vampires that drink human blood have crimson eyes. Vampires that drink animal blood have topaz eyes. We call ourselves vegetarian vampires, as a joke," Jasper paused for a moment, deciding to look down. Alice smiled, "Kinda like your version of a tofu burger, right?" She asked, unable to hide her intrest.

"My eyes were crimson for an extremely long time, Alice. When I told you I was a killer I wasn't kidding. I kill animals, yes, but we go for the overpopulated areas that are close. But for a time in my life, I was killing humans, feeding off them," Jasper said quietly, and Alice was shocked to find that she wasn't frightened by this. She tried to imagine Jasper with crimson eyes, and the way he was now, laying down at her, a look of complete seriousness on his manly features, she could almost picture it. But then her thoughts took her to the smiles she'd shared with him, the complete innocence and vulnerability that she'd seen. She shook her head, "But you wouldn't bite me," she stated confidently, assuring herself more than she was Jasper. He would never hurt her, let alone bite her. He wasn't that kind of guy. Vampire. Man. Whatever. Was he?

"As for the sun, we don't burn in the sunlight. Not like Dracula. Rather, we... well we sparkle," Jasper said, "On that sunny day I just stayed in the shadows and moved really fast, but still at a human-like speed," Jasper smiled. Alice had to turn her head away from Jasper for a moment, trying to compose her expression. She pictured Jasper with glitter all over his skin, and it took all of her strength not to burst out into a fit of giggles. Finally, taking a deep breath, she turned to look at him, unable to stifle the smirk on her face, "You sparkle?" Her voice was strained from the held-back laughter. She didn't want to offend Jasper in anyway, but this was outright unbelievable. A vampire that sparkled?

"And last my age. I was changed when I was twenty, but everyone in Forks thinks I'm eighteen. My real age, well," Jasper paused, reaching under Alice's pillow until he found the old, beaten-up journal of her ancestor's and pulled it out. She was about to request that he be careful, but then he opened it gently to the page with the faded picture. "You tell me. That picture was taken in 1864," he smiled, and Alice found herself short of breath. That was why he was so sensitive about the War, why he had sounded grateful that her ancestor hadn't found the faded man in the picture to be a Deserter. Her fingers lifted, until they covered her lips, and she stared at Jasper with wide eyes. He was one hundred sixty-two years old. He knew a member of her family she would never have the hope of meeting. She reached forward, cradling his face in her small, feeble hands. "Tell me," she whispered, staring into his eyes as if he were the most important thing in the world to her, which, in truth, he was. Just to know that his life dated all the way back to the war was merely a bonus. "What was it like?" She asked.

[Jasper Hale]

Alice's bed was comfortable... for the most part. Though you could find beds far better than the current, tiny matress that the bed had, it was still one that was comfortable. Like sleeping on memories. A lot of sweet, good dreams. Also the bad, horrific ones. Jasper could only hope that Alice had more good, sweet dreams than the horrific ones. If not, he would be doing something about that. In any way he could.

"Kinda like your version of a tofu burger, right?" Alice asked during his momentary pause and Jasper couldn't help but smile and nod. In a way, yes it was exactly like a tofu burger. Just probably a lot more satisfying and better than a tofu burger, but still like it just the same. Jasper waited patiently for the fear to come from Alice. But there was no fear. "But you wouldn't bite me," Alice said confidently and Jasper nodded. "No, I won't. I have no intentions of biting you. Just... well... maybe one day..." Jasper paused, shaking his head. "Nevermind, it's selfish of me."

Jasper tried not to raise an eyebrow when Alice turned away from him, knowing she was probably annoyed with it. "You sparkle?" Alice asked, her voice strained, a smirk evident on her lips. Jasper sighed; he should've expected this much from Alice. He nodded, shutting his eyes. "Laugh all you want. I'll show you tomorrow, though. There's a clearing out in the woods. I'm going to take you there and show you what I look like in the sun," Jasper assured her. He was going to keep this 'promise'. Alice needed to see what they looked like out in the sun. See for herself that they did sparkle.

Jasper tensed slightly when Alice's fingers covered her lips, her eyes wide as she stared at him. He made no movements as she reached forward, cradling his face in her tiny hands. Jasper gently pulled Alice down to him, her head on his chest. "Tell me," she whispered, staring at him. "What was it like?" she asked and Jasper sighed softly. Where to begin. So many choices as to where to begin, yet none seemed like the right spot. "No heartbeat, either," Jasper commented with a smile, before going back to thinking where to start.

"Well it was Hell, let's put it that way. Not a day went by without at least seven soldiers dying. Everything was terrible. The food--though I don't remember that much--the shelters, everything. Even our medical equipment was bad. The world has come along way from the Civil War, I'll tell you that much," Jasper said with a smile. "People died for a million reasons. Diseases were the major problem, because doctors, well they didn't exactly where gloves, and their tools weren't the best."

[Alice Swan]

Jasper smiled and nodded. "No, I won't. I have no intentions of biting you. Just... well... maybe one day..." Jasper paused, shaking his head. "Nevermind, it's selfish of me." Alice stared at Jasper for a moment. What exactly did that mean? Did he want to bite her? Did he plan on doing so in the future? "What is it?" She asked softly, not wanting to push him into telling her what it was. If he wanted to confide in her or not, it was his choice. She wouldn't blame him if he chose not to. "You can tell me," she murmured.

Jasper sighed, nodding as he shut his eyes. "Laugh all you want. I'll show you tomorrow, though. There's a clearing out in the woods. I'm going to take you there and show you what I look like in the sun," Jasper assured her. Alice knew she had probably hurt his feelings, so she tried to explain to him calmly why it seemed so comical to her. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "It's just...I can't picture it. I try to put it together in my head, but all I see is a picture of you covered in glitter," This time she couldn't help it; she giggled. Quickly, however, she pressed her lips together, forcing herself to quiet down. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she couldn't help but be blunt about it. That was how she was; simple and factual, nothing in between.

Jasper gently pulled Alice down to him, her head on his chest. She placed her ear to his chest, a bit surprised to find that there was no heartbeat. "No heartbeat, either," Jasper commented with a smile, reading her thoughts. Unconciously, she asked, "Why is that?"

"Well it was Hell, let's put it that way. Not a day went by without at least seven soldiers dying. Everything was terrible. The food--though I don't remember that much--the shelters, everything. Even our medical equipment was bad. The world has come along way from the Civil War, I'll tell you that much," Jasper smiled. "People died for a million reasons. Diseases were the major problem, because doctors, well they didn't exactly where gloves, and their tools weren't the best."

Alice nodded, soaking every bit of information in like a sponge, staring into his eyes. To think, those eyes had seen war and blood and tears, had seen the struggle all had endured during America's hardest times. "That must have been horrible," she whispered, trying to picture it. "But you," she said, "You were the one that rose through the ranks. He," she said, indicating her ancestor whom the journal had belonged, "Said you were the youngest he'd ever seen at such a high level. One of the most respected of soldiers in the South." Suddenly, she frowned, remembering something. Since she knew it wouldn't hurt him, she hit her tiny fist against his chest hard. She knew she would bruise in the morning, but she didn't care, "I knew you were from Texas! I'm never wrong when it comes to accents!" The implied so ha! was easy to recognize.

[Jasper Hale]

Jasper immediately regretted even bringing the topic up. Now Alice would be wondering what was on his mind. How exactly did you tell the girl you loved that you one day hoped of changing her into a vampire so she could be with you for all eternity? Straight forward, that was how. But it was extremely selfish of him, and that’s what he didn’t like. “What is it? You can tell me,” Alice said softly and Jasper sighed. Might as well. “I well… I’ve been thinking about changing you into a vampire for a while now because… well I kind of want to be the only man you’re ever with… It’s selfish, believe me, I know,” Jasper said, looking down. Well, with that off his chest he had other things to worry about. Like her reaction.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…I can’t picture it. I try to put it together in my head, but all I see if a picture of you covered in glitter,” Alice said, giggling at the end. She quickly pressed her lips together, forcing herself to calm down. Jasper chuckled at her statement, now understanding what was so amusing about it. “Yeah, glitter. No. I don’t even know how to explain it, but it certainly isn’t glitter,” Jasper said with a shrug, still smiling at Alice’s response. That was among the last things he had expected her to say. Very, very close to the last.

“Why is that?” Alice asked and Jasper shrugged. “Whatever age we are changed at we stay forever that age. In truth, we are the living dead. We are immortal. Blood doesn’t even run through our veins, so there’s no need for our heart to pump blood if it doesn’t run through the veins,” Jasper said, knowing it wasn’t the best answer, but the only one he could really provide. It wasn’t the easiest thing to explain, and that was the truth.

Alice merely stared into Jasper’s eyes as he spoke, nodding every now and then. “That must have been horrible,” Alice whispered, and Jasper nodded. The Civil War was definitely horrible. “If you were not afraid to die or live in Hell, that was the place to be,” Jasper said softly, shutting his eyes. Those had been rough years on him, but the Vampire Wars had been far worse. “But you. You were the one that rose through the ranks. He said you were the youngest he’d ever seen at such a high level. One of the most respected of soldiers in the South,” Alice said, then suddenly frowned. Jasper merely took that moment to answer. “I was a natural leader. Everybody around me just seemed to like me and enjoyed my presence and really stayed because of me,” Jasper said quietly.

Alice hit her tiny fist hard against his chest, and though it didn’t hurt him, he couldn’t help but frown. Her hand was going to be bruised in the morning, and he’d be partially at fault. “I knew you were from Texas! I’m never wrong when it comes to accents!” she said, the ‘so ha’ evident. Jasper chuckled and smiled. “Yeah, I’m from Texas. But I have to pose as Rosalie’s twin and Rosalie would never speak in a Southern accent, not unless her life depended on it. I’m not sure if she’d even do it then.”

[Alice Swan]

“I well… I’ve been thinking about changing you into a vampire for a while now because… well I kind of want to be the only man you’re ever with… It’s selfish, believe me, I know,” Jasper said, looking down. Alice smiled to herself, contemplating. A vampire, just like him? She could literally live with him forever then, couldn't she? She had to admit, it was a satisfying thought. "I don't mind," Alice shrugged, "It's how you feel... You said you were a 'vegetarian', right?" She asked.

Jasper chuckled at her response, “Yeah, glitter. No. I don’t even know how to explain it, but it certainly isn’t glitter,” he shrugged, and she smiled. "Good," she chuckled, "Because then I would be a bit worried." Still, she couldn't help but wonder what Jasper truly looked like in the sunlight. Would he really sparkle, like glitter? Or would he shimmer, like diamonds? Either way, it was exciting. And it would prove to her once and for all whether he was lying to her again or not.

“Whatever age we are changed at we stay forever that age. In truth, we are the living dead. We are immortal. Blood doesn’t even run through our veins, so there’s no need for our heart to pump blood if it doesn’t run through the veins,” Jasper shrugged, as if this bit of information meant little to him. She contemplated these thoughts, these facts that Jasper continued to tell her, and she found herself more and more interested by the minute. "That makes sense," she finally offered, nodding.

“If you were not afraid to die or live in Hell, that was the place to be,” Jasper said softly, shutting his eyes. Alice frowned, deciding to ask him a question that she wished she could ask everyone without controversy. "Do you believe in God?" She asked, "Even after all these years?"

“I was a natural leader. Everybody around me just seemed to like me and enjoyed my presence and really stayed because of me,” Jasper said quietly. She smiled in response, agreeing. He was a natural leader, merely by the way he stood his ground, refused to budge no matter how many people tried to change his mind. And by how stubborn he was when it came to keeping secrets from Alice.

Jasper frowned when she hit him. Good. Just the reaction she wanted. But then, after she - somewhat - explained herself, he merely chuckled, smiling. “Yeah, I’m from Texas. But I have to pose as Rosalie’s twin and Rosalie would never speak in a Southern accent, not unless her life depended on it. I’m not sure if she’d even do it then.” He said, and she had to agree with him once again. Rosalie seemed more like the pushy type, not the type that would follow another's lead. Considering, for a moment, she made her mind up, "Tell me about your life. All of it," she emphasized, "I want to know everything. Your story's bound to be more interesting than mine."

[Jasper Hale]

Jasper was slightly concerned as to how Alice would take what he said. Would she freak out and never want to talk to him again? If she did, he couldn't blame her. He just hoped she would be understanding, that was all. And if she didn't want that path in life, that was fine by him. He would never force Alice into something she didn't want. Never. "I don't mind. It's how you feel... You said you were a 'vegetarian', right?" Alice asked and Jasper nodded. He was glad she wasn't upset by what he said, no matter how selfish it was in his eyes. "Yeah, we feed off animals instead of humans. We're all trying to get it down, and so far only Carlisle has it mastered. That's how he can work at the hospital with all the blood around, it doesn't bother him anymore," Jasper said quietly. He envied Carlisle for that, being able to be so devoted.

"Good. Because then I would be a bit worried." Alice said and Jasper chuckled softly. He was definitely going to have to show her tomorrow what they looked like in the sun. Just to prove to her that he wasn't lying about being a vampire. "It's... unique. And weird, very weird," Jasper said with another chuckle. Sparkling was weird, but being a guy and sparkling made it all the crazier. "That makes sense," Alice finally said a few moments after his heart beat comment. It didn't really matter to him, the entire heart beat subject. All he knew is that his heart would never strum another beat and that was how it was to be forever. "Yes, it does. We don't need a lot of things. We don't need human food, we can't sleep, we don't need to breathe, and we don't need our hearts to beat. We just need blood," Jasper said, immediately wishing he would've rephrased that. But what's done is done and he couldn't change it.

"Do you believe in God? Even after all these years?" Alice asked and Jasper remained silent for a long moment. This question, rather questions, had caught him off guard. Did he still believe in God? In truth, he hadn't really thought about it in a while. "I'm not sure how to answer that question. It's not that I don't believe in Him, it's that I don't really think about religion. I don't let religion influence my judgement on how the world was created or something, nor do I let something like science influence whether God exists or not. It's just one of those unanswerable questions, Alice," Jasper murmured quietly. Great, how was she going to react to that? Knowing he wasn't entirely sure whether or not he believed in the Lord. "Tell me about your life. All of it. I want to know everything. Your story's bound to be more interesting than mine."

Jasper chuckled softly. His story more entertaining than hers? No, not really. "I'll try to remember some of it. It's just that, as vampires, all our vampire remembers we remember with clarity. Our human memories, however, fade. And because I don't tend to really think about my human life, well I don't remember any of it really. All I know is that I was an only child, born and raised in Texas. I was always a little tall for my age, which is how I was able to enter the army when I was around sixteen. Because I could pass as someone older, thanks to my height and build. I went through the ranks quickly, thanks to my leading skills. Your ancestor, he helped me on occasion. He was a good guy, that much I can tell you. Very, good guy. I had been helping the women and children get to safety one night when I stumbled across three women. Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. Maria changed me, the other two having issues with containing themselves. The next part of my past, my beginning years as a vampire before I joined the Cullens, I'd rather not talk about. Those were my least favorite years of my life." Jasper looked down, gently rolling up part of his sleeve. He moved his hand to the light of the lamp, the scars covering his arms visible.