To Love and To Be Loved (A Jasper Hale/ Whitlock Love Story)

Preparations

"Emerson?" Jasper asked me as I took the book and placed it into the large pile I had been creating, and I smiled at him. "I pinned you more as one to read more scientific texts than philosophical ones."

"The things you learn about an individual, eh?" I gave him a cheeky wink before reaching for Civil Disobedience and Walden. He took them from my hands and looked at them with a small smile.

"Quite the transcendentalist, I see." I reached once again to grab some works by Margaret Fuller, a small smile on my face.

After Esme and Carlisle insisted I decorate my room and fill it with whatever I wanted, Jasper had insisted he come with me, to help me find everything I needed to get started with my room. So there we were, a used book store, just as I had asked for.

"I don't understand why everyone isn't," I told him, and his grin grew. "Besides, everyone needs a break from science and mathematics texts from time to time." I reached again to grab a few works from Theodore Parker.

"So you're not just your own philosopher," he noted, taking the rest of the books from me with a smile, letting my hands stay free so I could look through the books. "Here I was thinking you developed your seemingly never-ending bout of wisdom on your own," he teased. I would have been blushing terribly had I been human.

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult," I admitted with a small grin.

"Most certainly a compliment, ma'am," he insisted in that beautiful Southern drawl, and I smiled. "I'd never insult such a wonderful little lady."

"Quite the gentleman," I said, almost flirtingly, and he smirked. "But every good philosopher keeps their mind open and seeks further knowledge and wisdom greater than their own wherever they can find it." With that, I reached for several different versions of the Bible.

Jasper just stared at me before leaning against the shelf beside me. I turned to look at him questioningly. He looked into my eyes imploringly.

"Why is it that everything you say seems to make people change the way they think about things?" I couldn't help but be a bit shocked at that.

"What do you mean?"

"It's like every time you open your mouth, a new kind of wisdom erupts. Something I never really thought about before, but you seem to have thought about it for years." I looked back to the books in front of me.

"Well, I've had a lot of time to think about a lot of different things," I shrugged. "Four-hundred years and the inability to sleep gives you plenty of time to do as you please."

"You're very wise," he told me, and I shook my head.

"Somehow it seems like one human can learn more in one lifetime than I've been able to learn in all my years. In comparison, my supposed 'wisdom' pales... There's still so much I've yet to learn."

"Well I'd just have to disagree with that sentiment," he shifted, and I looked back to him.

"Then I suppose we'd have to agree to disagree."

I stacked a set of Physics reference texts onto the pile, more philosophical texts beneath them, a Greek Bible on the top.

~:~:~:~:~

I got him.

I mean, I still ultimately lost against him, but I still got a swipe at him.

It had shocked me so much that I had hesitated, and he got me to the ground in less than a second.

"Never lose focus," he smirked, and I narrowed my eyes at him for a moment before he let out a laugh and I joined him. He pulled me up.

"Can I fight her yet?" Emmett asked with his signature wolfish grin, and I gave a sarcastic sigh.